Evan Feversham Essay, Research Paper

Living in a divided society based upon the religions of the Puritans and the Quakers, Evan Feversham sought out his own religious faith through his daily interactions with both religious groups.

Evan Feversham was a very cynical man who had been witness to far to many wars and sorrowfulness. In a world already so full of hate and distress, he could no longer bear to witness such horrible acts of cruelty upon the suffering, yet he dealt with them each day being a doctor. He was a man of reason, attempting to solve his problems with plain and simple reasoning, for he did not believe in much anymore due to the events he had witnessed with his own eyes. From the very early ages of his life, Feversham had very little faith in God, for he felt that God had let him down by allowing the death of his father. From that point on, he had witnessed countless other deaths through participation in numerous wars and being a doctor. He was a man with very little faith in mankind, for all he saw were the death and misery that others inflicted upon each other. He began to lose more and more of his faith in God and began to reason more about why things happened and were the way there were.

Through his daily interactions with both the Puritans and the Quakers, Evan Feversham appreciated both religious groups a bit better and picked up some of their religious beliefs. Dr. Feversham and Squire Hunt did not like each other a bit, for they shared different views about God?s word. ??and I say let them go, let them go back on their lousy ship and sail away, and then perhaps, we can live the way God meant us to.? ?Will you read me God?s word, Feversham? I?ll read you some ? an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.? (35) Dr. Feversham thought that Squire Hunt was a brutal man acting upon his emotions and never giving himself time to reason. It seemed that every time Dr. Feversham got together with members of the Puritan party, he would try to reason with Quaker beliefs, however when ever he got together with members of the Quaker party, he would reason to them with Puritan beliefs. In chapter six, Dr. Feversham tries to reason with Sally about what the Puritans were going to do with Hans Pohl if caught, ?I have seen Hessians sold into a lifetime of bondage for thirty dollars and I have seen their women raped with delight, and I have seen the Hessians beat to death.? (87-88) and why she shouldn?t get involved in the whole matter. When reasoning with the Quakers, it seems that Dr. Feversham loses his sense of compassion, but rather becomes what he ?thinks? he despises most, which is being Squire Hunt. ?Well it?s not as senseless as it might appear to be and maybe not as cruel either, it is just an implication of that fine old principle, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.? (88)

Evan Feversham was a confused man who did not know what the difference between right or wrong was anymore. His interactions with both the Puritans and the Quakers gave him new ideas about his own faith and beliefs. It seemed that he would take on opposite beliefs of whichever group he was talking with. When he spoke with Squire Hunt, Dr. Feversham would disagree with the Puritan beliefs and religious faith, thinking that they were far too strict and pitiless for the troubled. However, when speeking with the Quakers, he would take on the side of the Puritans, thinking that the Quakers were far too compassionate. Evan Feversham saw the world through reasoning, while the Quakers viewed the world through strictly their eyes and what they saw. ?No. I have seen such things. It?s not a thing that a child should see.? (182) ?Let her go, Evan. We don?t turn our eyes away from the world. We accept it as it is. Otherwise, even our own faith will not save us.? (183)

Originally published in 1972, The Hessian tells the story of the capture, trial, and execution of a Hessian drummer boy by Americans during the Revolution. At the heart of the story is a Quaker family, who hide the boy after his landing party has been killed in an ambush. Because the captain of the Hessians had ordered the hanging of a local whom he thought might be a spy, the town militia lay in wait, massacred the Hessians, and hunted down the only survivor, Hans Pohl.