The Narrative Of The Captivity And The Restoration Of Mary...

On February tenth, 1675, an Indian attack on Lancaster during King Philip’s War resulted in the capture of twenty-four people. Mary Rowlandson was among these captives, and the resulting captivity narrative, titled The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, published in 1682, is formed based on her memory. Rowlandson’s captivity narrative carried great significance in that it came to be used as a didactic Jeremiad, leading its Calvinist audience back towards God’s path and away from an allegorical wilderness. As a devout Calvinist, Rowlandson believes her journey through captivity is a test wrought by her God. Her deep desire to prove herself to her God comes through clearly in several situations which†¦show more content†¦Although she is quick to accept the events, it is merely because of her conviction that God allowed it to test Rowlandson’s perseverance. A lack of sympathy is shown in a few interactions with he r captors, as Rowlandson remembers how an Indian â€Å"had brought some plunder, came to me, and asked me, if I would have a Bible, he had got one in his basket. I was glad of it [†¦] so I took the Bible† (4), a much-appreciated gift. Upon returning from pillaging another English town, an Indian offers Mary Rowlandson a â€Å"gift† of a Bible, which he had stolen from a dead English townsperson. The use of the word â€Å"plunder† connotes the violent force used in obtaining the Bible, and works to enhance the situational irony of Rowlandson’s neglect of the fact that Indians murdered innocent people in order for her to receive her â€Å"gift.† Rowlandson’s Calvinist views, in this case having her believe God brought the Bible to her, outweighed any sympathy she may have once harbored for an anonymous English person. The intended demographic of reader undoubtedly would have agreed to place their God above any human person, no matter the circumstances. Furthermore, this idea presents itself when Rowlandson attempts to convince Goodwife Joslin, a pregnant captive who was becoming impatient and wanted to go home, not to run away, as she remembers, â€Å"I wished her not to run away by any means [†¦] We opened the Bible andShow MoreRelatedA Narrative Of The Captivity And Restoration Of Mary Rowlandson Essay1342 Words   |  6 Pageswe have discussed a few captivity narratives such as: John Smith, Mary Rowlandson, and Cotton Mather. From a personal standpoint, Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative was one of the best selections we have read in class thus far. It is a prominent source of biblical encouragement to those of the Puritan religion and some other religions that put God above all human and nature. Throughout the short story, a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson, it describes the elevenRead MoreA Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, by Ma ry Rowlandson1483 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson† by Mary Rowlandson is a short history about her personal experience in captivity among the Wampanoag Indian tribe. On the one hand, Mary Rowlandson endures many hardships and derogatory encounters. However, she manages to show her superior status to everyone around her. She clearly shows how her time spent under captivity frequently correlates with the lessons taught in the Bible. Even though, the colonists possibly murderedRead MoreThe Narrative Of The Captivity And The Restoration Of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson1422 Words   |  6 Pagesof twenty-four people. Mary Rowlandson was among these captives, and the resulting captivity narrative, titled The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, published in 1682, is formed based on her memory. Rowlandson’s captivity narrative carried great significance in that it came to be used a s a didactic Jeremiad, leading its Calvinist audience back towards God’s path and away from an allegorical wilderness. As a devout Calvinist, Rowlandson believes that her journeyRead More A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson944 Words   |  4 PagesThe Pressure to Assimilate in Mary Rowlandson’s A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson There are times when assimilation is not a choice but rather something is forced. In circumstances such as being taken hostage, the ability to survive must come at the price of assimilating ones own customs into another lifestyle. In February of 1675 the Native Americans who were at war with the Puritans obtained hostage Mary Rowlandson of the Plymouth colony. During this timeRead MoreThe Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson1600 Words   |  7 PagesThe Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson reveals that the ghastly depiction of the Indian religion (or what Rowlandson perceives as a lack of religion) in the narrative is directly related to the ideologies of her Puritan upbringing. Furthermore, Rowlandsons experiences in captivity and encounter with the new, or Other religion of the Indians cause her rethink, and question her past; her experiences do not however cause her to redirect her life or change her idealsRead More Narr ative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson1366 Words   |  6 PagesNarrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson From the violent and brutal clash between Indians [1], and British colonists in Massachusetts during King Philips War (1675-6) grew a new literary genre. After their redemption, some colonists who had been prisoners of the Indians wrote autobiographical accounts of their experiences. These captivity narratives developed a large audience, and interest in the narratives continued into the nineteenth century.[2] After her captureRead MoreA Narrative Of The Captivity And Restoration Of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson1042 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl† and â€Å"A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson† are both nonfiction narratives that describe the struggles of women in some form of captivity. The similarities between these two texts are in some ways incredibly obvious, for instance they are both written in the first person from the perspective of marginalized women struggling to merely survive. â€Å"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl† specifically deals with the extreme level ofRead MoreThe Narrative Of The Captivity And Restoration Of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson1031 Words   |  5 PagesMary Rowlandson Captivity and Spiritual Freedom The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, or also known as The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, written by Mary Rowlandson is a powerful captivity narrative. Mary Rowlandson gives a first person perspective about her experience of being held captive during King Phillip’s War. Rowlandson lost everything by an Indian attack on her town. The Indian’s over took the town of Lancaster, catching homes on fire, killing and capturingRead MoreA Narrative Of The Captivity And Restoration Of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson982 Words   |  4 PagesA Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson The life one treasures and takes for granted today can be so easily erased in the blink of an eye and gone tomorrow. Therefore, not only is it important to cherish how one lives for today and now, but it’s also important to how one can overcome the misfortunes and hardships they may suffer; tragedy can make a person or break a person. Mary Rowlandson’s experience during her eleven weeks of captivity as documented in â€Å"A NarrativeRead MoreA Narrative On The Captivity And Restoration Of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson1670 Words   |  7 Pageswriting about the historical context of Mary Rowlandson’s, â€Å"A Narrative on the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.† I am going to look at the entire historical background of Rowlandson’s narrative. The way I am going to explore this is how the readers back then would have interpreted Roland’s reference to Biblical verses, and her questioning of God’s role during her captivity. I pl an on using at least 2 sources for this assignment. Mary White Rowlandson was a colonial woman in America who