Religion and the Rise of Capitalism · Character

The Puritan

The zealous bargainer whose ethic blessed economic efficiency while slipping, unintentionally, toward an individualism that left society without obligation to the poor.

supporting

Also known as the Puritan, Puritan

First appearance: Religion and the Rise of Capitalism

As a supporting figure in Religion and the Rise of Capitalism, The Puritan is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Representative of the Puritan movement whose work ethic and economic attitudes are central to the analysis.

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The Puritan embodies the double-edged legacy of Calvinism: a creed that sanctified private duty and economic virtue while its critics accused it of mercilessness in hard bargains and harshness to the poor. Tawney watches the loftiest teaching cast its own shadow, as insistence on the soul's solitary contact with its Maker slides toward the suggestion that society bears no responsibility for its members. This tension between discipline and drift is the engine of the book's central argument about how religious ethics reshaped social policy after the mid-seventeenth century.

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Character Web

22 connections

A slice of how The Puritan sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Psychological
Rivalry
Other

Character groups

Puritan Religious Leaders
Capitalism and Reformation Figures
Protagonist

+17 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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Relationships

Jesus Christ
psychological · positive
The Puritan movement centers on a personal, rigorous emulation of Christ's moral… How this plays out →
Mr. Badman
rivalry · negative
Jesus Christ
psychological · positive
The Puritan movement centers on a personal, rigorous emulation of Christ's moral… How this plays out →
Mr. Badman
rivalry · negative

Jesus Christ
The Puritan movement centers on a personal, rigorous emulation of Christ's moral teachings, viewing Christ as the ultimate model for conduct.
Mr. Badman
Mr. Badman exemplifies the worldly, unrepentant sinner that Puritans sought to reform or condemn, creating a stark moral dichotomy.
Jesus Christ
The Puritan movement centers on a personal, rigorous emulation of Christ's moral teachings, viewing Christ as the ultimate model for conduct.
Mr. Badman
Mr. Badman exemplifies the worldly, unrepentant sinner that Puritans sought to reform or condemn, creating a stark moral dichotomy.

Relationship notes

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In the story

The Puritan appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Religion and the Rise of Capitalism
Representative of the Puritan movement whose work ethic and economic attitudes are central to the analysis.
I: The Medieval Background
Referenced indirectly through the 'Pilgrim Fathers' as an example of reformers who held that social morality is the province of the Church.
III: Calvin
Mentioned as deriving from Calvin's teaching; Puritan moralists are noted for their contrast with medieval theologians and Luther, assuming an advanced economic organization.
IV: The Puritan Movement
Central figure of the chapter; embodies the tension between religious discipline and economic individualism.
Puritanism and Society
Central figure of the chapter; embodies the spirit of Puritanism, viewing mundane toil as a sacrament and striving to glorify God through work.
II: A Godly Discipline Versus the Religion of Trade
Central subject of the chapter; depicted as embodying both collectivist discipline and individualist liberty, with a social philosophy that evolved over time.
III: The Triumph of Economic Virtues
The Puritan movement is central, evolving from a backward-looking critique of economic abuses to a forward-looking embrace of enterprise as a divine calling.
Endnotes
The diversity within seventeenth-century Puritanism is emphasized, including conflicting social theories among aristocrats, Levellers, landowners, Diggers, merchants, and artisans.

Chapter companion notes

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