The Black Death and the Modernization of Europe: A Critique of Hatcher's Account Mussarrat Rehman 12th Grade

Portrayed through the lense of an anonymous narrator witnessing the rampant disease that inflicted the rural village of Walsham, John Hatcher’s The Black Death provides a personalized account of the bubonic plague as it spread across nations and the devastating effects it had on life as they knew it. In particular, the seemingly indestructible religious foundation surrounding England is among the most noticeable impacts the pestilence wrought. The sequential structure of the novel portrays the shifts in religious sentiments within this society as the disease thrives, demonstrating the gradual decline of power the church has and the modernization of England. Therefore, Hatcher claims that the modernization of England and the dismantling of the Church can be credited to the Bubonic Plague as evidence from his book suggests. However, others who read this book view his language as sententious, missing the message almost completely. This essay will explore how the author develops his claim through the structure of his novel with evidence from the text through the use of personal narration.

In the introduction of his book, Hatcher establishes that the people of Walsham adhere to strict religious routines and have created strong ties...