Love at first sight
This passage is describing the way Armand fell in love, in the same way everyone in his family fell in love. It describes the love as being shot by a pistol which shows that it happens immediately the first time they see the person that they are falling in love with.
The Puritan communities that settled the United States were often escaping religious persecution in England, and part of their motivation for moving to the new continent was to gain freedom of religion. Therefore, they were interested in establishing a degree of separation between the state and the Church. They established congregational independence, which meant that the government could not intervene in the affairs of the congregation. Moreover, ministers were barred from holding public office.
However, this did not mean that Puritans believed the separation should be absolute. The government and the church were just two mechanisms to carry out the teachings of the Bible. Church attendance was mandatory and all citizens were taxed to contribute to the needs of the church.
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