The town
beadle is the living embodiment of Puritan society and its values. A stern, unbending character,
he rigidly maintains public order, ensuring that the foundations of society are protected from
the corrosive effects of sin. It's important to remember that, for the Puritans, the law and the
Word of God are synonymous. So in carrying out his responsibilities, the beadle isn't simply
upholding the law; he's doing the Lord's work too.
When people believe that
they have God on other side, they're capable of doing pretty much anything. Although the beadle
doesn't do anything outrageously wicked, there's still something decidedly unpleasant about his
locking up a pregnant woman in prison for committing adultery, not to mention his forcingto take
to the scaffold and stand humiliated in front of the whole town. But the beadle doesn't care
about any of this. As far as he's concerned, he's only obeying God's orders.
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