This work investigates how the specific religious and cultural frameworks of Puritan New England shaped the collective and individual attitudes toward death. David E. Stannard, a historian of American culture, utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to analyze how these early American rituals regarding mortality were inextricably linked to the community's broader social purpose and self-perception. By examining primary sources and historical records, the author argues that these early practices established a foundational psychological and social structure that continues to influence modern American perspectives on the end of life.

Historians and sociologists frequently cite this text as a foundational study in the field of death and dying. Scholars often note the clarity of Stannard's prose and the depth of his historical research into the intersection of theology and social behavior.