Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving have similar views on death and the afterlife that they express in their short stories which is in agreement with some of the fundamental ideas of Puritanism. All three authors seem to express the idea that it is important to stay away from indulgence and sin, and to instead spiritually focus on repenting and preparing for the afterlife. .
In "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe, all of the wealthy courtiers to the prince that secluded themselves during the red death period, as Poe described, paused when the clock released its hourly chime. They reflected on the less fortunate majority of society who were dying by the hour. By isolating themselves in luxury to escape this plague, their true fear of death or at least of the pain that precedes it became apparent. Their focus seemed to be more on this world than the next because they were indulging in the physical, and not spiritual, aspects of life. A fundamental idea of Puritanism, however, is that one must prepare for the next life as best as possible through good deeds and repenting. Not, however, to ignore those responsibilities and instead do whatever one wants. It was clear through Poe's writing of the story that he was describing a multitude of people who were doing wrong, and so Poe was trying to show that these people didn't follow in accordance with Puritanism and so they all died. The Puritan's objection to the actions of these people would be that although they weren't directly sinning by indulging in the lap of luxury, they weren't doing anything positive either and they could have helped support their family and friends during that great time of struggle instead of partying constantly with the prince. Because, after all, Puritanism frowns heavily upon one who indulges in luxury instead of using the time to help others, repent, or serve God.
