Essay on Mary Rowlandson

Narratives about captivity have often intrigued readers in Western culture. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano’s stories helped pave the way for stereotypes within both European and white culture; teaching Europeans to see Native Americans as cruel and allowing whites to see the evil in the American slave market. In both “A Narrative of the Captivity” and “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano share their individual stories of being kidnapped and enslaved. Though the two narrators share similarities in their personal accounts of being held captive, either individual’s reaction sheds light on the true purpose of both Rowlandson and Equiano’s writing.

Typology has been used for many centuries and has gone through numerous changes. These changes range from legendary, Puritan storyteller Mary Rowlandson, onto the nature-loving, pastor Johnathan Edwards, as well as the historic Enlightenment, political thinker Thomas Paine. It is important to have an understanding of typology and its definition in order to be able to read and understand the profound concept that it is. It is basically looking at the stamp of life and interpreting it for what it is, rather than what it is like or what it could be. In typology there is an antitype and type. The antitype is unique, original that is difficult to mimic and understand; therefore, as an example, the antitype is a rubber stamp. The type is essentially the printed image or the imprint of the antitype. Typology has multiple definitions and there are various forms of typology, but we’ll focus on the one defined beforehand and look at three of its varying forms— the biblical typology of Mary Rowlandson, the natural typology of Johnathan Edwards, and the political typology of Thomas Paine. Typology’s many forms allow it to be incredibly diverse and the cause for the shift in its types will be discussed as well.

Due to the locations of these two forces, its possible to infer that those living outside Puritan terriotry were better off economically due to their location. In document K and L ,it seems the Puritans also caused trouble regarding wanting a piece of this fertle land and buisness prosperity. To do so, we are presented with the example of Ann Putnam, whom lived on Puritan territory and for two generations was being harrased by Rebekkah nurse who was not on Putnam territory. This is because often the Puritans would accuse those of the other side for aiding in cocealing a witch, or of being a witch themselves in hope of gaining more land from those they dislocated.. Rebekkah nurse’s family was a victim of this harassment, and is returning the favor to Ann Putnam now.

In her writing titled “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson”, Mary lies out for the reader her experience of being held in captivity by Indians during the King Philip’s War. Perhaps one of the most significant aspects of this writing is the glimpse that the reader gets into Rowlandson’s faith and religion. Faith was a major aspect of life in the Colonial Period. It was of widespread belief that God was to be feared, and that he was the only way to redemption (Kizer). Mary Rowlandson was no different, but the extreme conditions of her captivity caused her faith to occasionally waiver. Most of the time throughout her journey in captivity, she depended on God, and the

​Every literature story has an importance of a great leader or a survivor. There are apparent themes in this captivity narrative such as the doubt of life. The story of Mary Rowlandson and Benjamin Franklin wrote a narrative of their life experience and their adventure. They learn from the attack that no one is guaranteed life, and life can be short. There are clear contrast and comparison between these two individuals connected to their observation of God. In the colonial American time, religion was a vital part of life.

The Puritans were a religious group who left the Church of England because they wanted to have more freedom with their religion. They thought the Church of England was “too Catholic”. They believed the Bible and its rules were the number one thing to go by and that all humans were evil and had to overcome their sin. Women had to cover their whole bodies in clothing. They couldn’t show their ankles or wrists. They also had to wear their hair up and out of their face at all times, except if they were in a room alone with only their husband. They always were on one side of the church away from the men or in the back on the church. These women in the society that will be talked about have broken laws and have been misjudged.

Concurrently, as the Puritans intended on maintaining their way of life within the New World, a key goal of theirs was to avoid bringing great harm to the natives they would encounter. The English had witnessed the abuse of natives during the Spanish conquests and the harsh religious demands placed among non-Catholics in the Spanish Inquisition. The torture and destruction of the native of life had been incredibly embarrassing upon the Spanish people, and in all obviousness, phenomenally painful and paralyzing to the natives themselves. These “Spanish Cruelties” were not only in great opposition to the Puritan beliefs, but as one knows, the last thing the Puritans wished to do would be to embarrass the great mother country of England.

In, A Severe and Proud Dame She Was, Mary Rowlandson recounts the treatment she received as prisoner of war from Natives in the Wampanoags and Nipmuck tribes written in her perspective. In 1675, Mary Rowlandson found herself and children held captive in the hands of Massachusetts Native Americans. Mary writes with a bias that seems to paint the Native Americans as a species different than her own, but her tone suggests she tried her best to understand their tribe. The purpose of this article appears to be written with the intent of persuading the masses on account of personal experience; that is the interaction among Natives and their customs to be seen in a light of hypocritical behavior. Through the lens of the captured author, she details the experience of her captivity with merciful gestures on the Native’s behalf, despite them keeping her for ransom. Rowlandson suggests traditional Native warfare surrounds a central recurring theme of manipulating mind-games; psychological warfare.

The 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, Rowlandson's 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 ideals in any way.

Strangely did the Lord provide for them; that I did not see(all the time I was among them) one man, woman or child die with hunger” (Rowlandson 283). Mary Rowlandson along with the other Puritans were taught and truly believed that the Indians were evil devil worshipping people. They felt they were unclean, one mission of the Puritans were to keep the Indians from learning about the Gospel. They believed that they were the only pure and holy people. Mary was astonished at the well of God in which directed the Indians in which she refers to as heathens toward a worthy purpose. Webster’s defines heathens as”an unconverted member of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible”. Through her eleven week captivity because of the miracles she witness she saw firsthand that God watched over and protected all people. “God had an over-ruling hand in all those things”.

The Puritans played a large role in early American history and society. Most Puritans escaped the tyrannical rule in England to gain religious freedom in America, which helped create an early American society. Not only did the Puritans help form the early American society and religion, they also contributed to the earliest stories and narratives to help create a rich literary history for America. Puritan literature has helped many scholars and readers learn about early American history. One of the most famous American narratives is from Mary Rowlandson, who was the wife of a Puritan Minister. Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative is about her story of how she was captured and treated by Native American captors. Throughout the

While being held by the Narragansett Indians, Rowlandson is isolated by her language.  Unable to understand the language of those around her, Rowlandson is left unable to speak.  She was also separated from her sister.  After deciding that Mary’s sister could see her, her sister’s master changed his mind and refused to let the visit between Mary and her sister take place.  Mary’s sister “was come within a Mile or two of the place; Then he overtook her, and began to rant as if he had been mad; and made her go back again in the Rain; So that I never saw her till I saw her in Charlestown.” (Rowlandson, 358).

Amish and Puritan cultures both are tested by experiences that cause them to rely on God’s judgement. The Amish community are based on God. The families within the community have strict rules that which they must abide by. Hen’s experience brings her closer to God than she was before. She states to her father ‘“And sometimes the prayers we pray help change us most of all”’(Lewis 264). Hen’s experience with her husband shows the struggle she had with her religion. In resemblance, the Puritan book of Mary Rowlandson shows her journey and all of the challenges

These examples have proven that Puritans were indeed ethnocentric in their worldview. Rowlandson continually shows a form of contempt toward the Indians and compares the Indians and the Puritans to show the Puritans superiority over the Indians. The comparison of food that the Indians eat, their manner of celebration, and the faces that they've had since they were born, uncovered the Puritans idea of primacy. The fact that the Puritans despise them for their different custom and identity is a clear sign of ethnocentric

In this passage, Mary Rowlandson uses the literary device of an allusion to encapsulate her longing for God’s stability and sustenance. Though Rowlandson confesses God’s providence, she questions His ongoing care for her captors. The sentence “And here I cannot but take notice of the strange providence of God in preserving the heathen” unveils her, up to this point, concealed confusion with God’s will. (68). Rowlandson grieves over her current state, endeavoring to understand the correlation between God’s seemingly perfect will and her belief in a visible sainthood. The phrase “Leaving farther my own country” describes Rowlandson’s spiritual movement away from Christian ideals “into a vast and howling wilderness”, rather than her physical travel