Anne Bradstreet's poem "The Flesh and the Spirit," reveals an
interesting inner conflict in the life of a Puritan woman in the New World, as
well as insight into Bradstreet and her own internal conflicts with Puritanism
and the wilderness of America. Bradsteet is considered a representative of the
ideal Puritan wife and mother; her poems reflect those images as well as give
the opportunity to question them. "The Flesh and the Spirit" is a poem
about conflict versus resolution, evil versus good, earth versus heaven, and
weakness versus faith. The victor in these Puritan poems is always the most
honest. Because the conflict is resolved so the Spirit overcomes over the Flesh,
Bradstreet's poem is representative of the characteristic of the Puritan morals.
The poem begins with the narrator referring to herself as "I." Because
the poem continues in the first person, as the narrator is overhearing a
conversation taking place, the reader is able to associate this conversation
with one taking place within the author's mind. The concept of inner conflict is
also established through the first two lines of the poem, "In secret place
where once I stood / Close by the banks of Lacrim flood." This indicates a
secret place in the narrator's world where, whether physically or mentally ,she
deals with an inner conflict in a time of hardship. Internal conflict and moral
resolution are very important to Puritan belief of self and faith. Because
Bradstreet composed this poem in the New World, her strenuous and discouraging
life was constantly being tested with Puritan ideals while she adjusted to her
new life. While listening to the twin sisters debate, the narrator hears the
voice of Flesh first. Nearly everything Flesh says is an essential question of
Spirit's faith. Her desire for "worldly wealth and vanity" is the
cause for her confusion with the beliefs of Spirit. Her first question regards
the livelihood of Spirit, "what liv'st thou on, / Nothing but
meditation?" (lines9-10). This question is particularly interesting in that
in the context of the New World, much questioning and separation occurs between
the natives and the Puritans by what they eat. The significance of food for
survival is particularly important because the colonists were struggling for the
necessities, and encountered many new varieties of food. When Flesh refers to
the faith of Spirit as "speculation . . . with out reality" she
questions the idea of God as a whole. Flesh further insists on arguring the
basis of religious faith in describing Spirit's quest for heaven as one which
attempts to grasp at "shadows" (lines 13-20). This debate of believing
what cannot be seen could be further construed in the context of colonial life
as being a representative of the colonizers believing in a new and abundant
paradise across the ocean. After believing in the fertility and beauty of the
New World, Bradstreet as a colonist may have felt misguided. Life across the
ocean was not what she thought it would be. Heaven, to Flesh, could not contain
more riches than earth; her belief is confirmed by being able to "see"
and "hold" the wealth (lines 30-34). Whereas Spirit is assured of the
abundance of luxury available in heaven by something solely spiritual. The
answers to Flesh's questions can only be found through scripture; Spirit goes to
scripture for the answers. Spirit's replies to Flesh contain no questions; she
is convinced of the power of the Father and heaven through the presence of her
"settled heart" (line 38). Spirit once again recognizes their
relationship as twins from a single beginning. This further proves the claim
that these sisters are two sides to the narrator's mind. Spirit then admits to
having been a slave to the Flesh and to vanity and deadly trickery. Spirit says,
"Thy sinful pleasures I do hate, / They riches are to me no bait"
(lines 57-58). This is particularly contrary in that the description of heaven
Spirit uses of large amounts of valuable gold, silver, and pearly gates present
at the end of the poem define very earthly pleasures. Spirit states that her
more honorable moment will be when she is able to be completely victorious over
Flesh. This section of the poem is particularly interesting also in the context
of the colonial environment. “When thou my captive shalt be led, How I do
live, thou need'st not scoff, For I have meat thou know'st not of; The hidden
manna I do eat, The word of life it is my meat”” (lines 64-68).The words of
capture, culture, and meat play roles in the physical relationship between the
Puritan colonists and the Native Americans. Bradstreet may have seen the natives
as ridiculing the Puritans for their culture and their lack of ability to live
on the land of the New World. She sees the natives as surviving with more
resources, but understands that they do not accept that the Father is the
ultimate provider. These lines may refer to how Bradstreet answers to her own
questions about her lack of food and necessities when compared with the
non-Christian, devilish natives. This passage is also a means of replying to
Flesh's question of what the Spirit lives on. In that context, it is apparent
that the Spirit does not need the meat of the land, but the meat of God. This
hunger has been satisfied through the religious freedom allowed in the New World
and will continue to be satisfied as Spirit will rise above the earth with her
death and be "enriched" by an "Eternal substance" (line 75).
Another significant aspect of this poem is that both of the characters are
women. The Flesh sister is very much representative of the way women are
understood in this time period: she is unable to satisfy her desires, she does
not understand the scripture, she longs for vanity. Spirit, however, is able to
interpret the scripture and is a faithful and the highest character in the
worship of her Father. The only male characters in the entire poem are the
Father and Adam, both the creative forces behind the women, but not the route
through which spirituality is achieved. This lack of male intervention is
uncharacteristic of Puritan ideology as it was believed that women were
incapable of interpreting and understanding scripture without the help and
guidance of their husbands or fathers. Bradstreet does not exclude her male
counterpart in all of her poetry (e.g. "To My Dear and Loving
Husband"), and it is not necessarily true that she meant to exclude it
here. This aspect of the poem further confirms the idea that the conflict here
is happening internally. Bradstreet may have believed in her ability to
understand scripture was adequate as a way of being a faithful Puritan, but her
respect for her husband was not emphasized by this internal belief. As a piece
of literature which was written in Early America by a Puritan women, the poem
"The Flesh and the Spirit" contains many of the issues present in the
everyday life of the people. It also reflects the images the colonists were
expecting when they ventured in the New World. Bradstreet's inner conflict
between her fleshly desires and her spirituality are very Puritan and private.
By composing a poem such as this, she admits her own struggle with the issues of
faith. This trial, in addition to the hardships she encountered as a colonist in
the New World support her identity with the Puritan faith.