Mary Rowlandson's Captivity Narrative Analysis

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.

She experiences a few turbulent weeks -- which will be used in order to verify her traditional views toward food -- before she becomes accustomed to its taste. This period of time is pivotal in establishing that Rowlandson and her Puritan brethren had a highly religious connection to food, both as they prepared it and eventually as they consumed it. In "the first week of being among [the natives], [she] hardly ate anything" (Rowlandson 79). This would certainly be expected -- the trauma of being kidnapped coupled with the huge difference in the taste of foods would surely dim the intensity of her appetite. Carole M. Counihan, as she examines the relationship between women and food, identifies food refusal as "a meaningful statement in all cultures and signifies the denial of relationship" (Counihan 101). She further argues that women "are identified with food [and] a dualistic and absolutist Judeo-Christian ideology that limits female autonomy and potential" (Counihan 110). Thus, it becomes important to examine how Rowlandson's relationship with food and her religious ideology may limit her power within the confines of a traditional Puritan meal. However, as she experiences the food of her captors, her refusal of their food signifies an attempt to distance herself from the Native American culture and perhaps to distance herself from the freedom allowed her in consuming their food without the

When the Puritan came to the New World after being rejected in England for their beliefs, they knew the demand of perfection in God’s eyes could never be fully accomplish. Humans could never live up to the standards that God set out. After settling in New England, the Puritan became well aware they needed to have law enforcement with religious obligations, and most importantly the sexual temptations. Knowing that human could never fully obey God’s word and always be tempted, the puritans enforced certain punishments for certain sexual crimes, including fornication, adultery, rape and buggery or sodomy.

There are four main modes of discourse: expository, narrative, descriptive, and persuasive. In Mary Rowlandson’s A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs.

Rowlandson was a 39-year-old Puritan mother of three when she was taken during an Indian raid on her town in 1675. Equiano was an 11-year-old African boy taken from his home by slave traders in 1756. In Mary Rowlandson's "A Narrative of the Captivity" and in Olaudah Equiano's "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano," the narrators discuss their lives, their captivity journeys, and why they did not give up.

The Portrayal of the Plight of Women by the Author, In Their Particular Period of Time

According to Downing, Rowlandson was writing her spiritual autobiography by going through her lowest points to her somewhat higher points of her captivity. Downing says, “… she interprets her suffering as a result of divine judgment. As she continues, however, she is reminded that she can be saved by humbling herself before God …” (254). Downing said that this was a big turning point for Rowlandson and that she now saw her captivity as a form of chastisement from God rather than being punished for her sins. Downing says that, “this emphasis on chastisement is obviously intended as a lesson not only for Rowlandson herself, but for the Puritan community in general”

Puritan beliefs reflected in Mary Rowlandson’s “A Narrative of the Captivity, Suffering and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson”. The beliefs are depicted in her eleven weeks of captivity after being captured by the Wampanoag tribesmen.

Puritans believed that in order to be a true Puritan, God must show mercy on your soul. Therefore, by stating that He had done so, takes the credibility away from the Indians and gives full possession to God. Affliction must be caused in order for a Puritan to receive mercy from the Lord. Mrs. Rowlandson tells of how she once was jealous of others, because her life was comfortable while they endured adversities. After her restoration, she looks back at her life changing experience and acknowledges why she had suffered for many weeks straight, instead of a little throughout her life. She states, “The portion of some is to have their afflictions by drops, now one drop and then another, but the dregs of the cup, the wine of astonishment, like a sweeping rain that leaveth no food, did the Lord prepare to be my portion” (Franklin 266). Through contemplation of her captivity, she understood that God had not given her many hardships throughout her life, not because she was not due to receive them, but because he had a much larger one waiting for her. Even if her experience was traumatizing for her, she did not show this side. She was forced to “conform to the Puritan doctrine of providential affliction” (Derounian 240). At the end of the story she tells about how the Indians treated her

John Demos in a sense presents themes that are entirely familiar and conventional. The themes of sin, retribution, and repentance are very prevalent in his writing. The loss of piety, the failure of spiritual nerve, the absolute necessity of reform; and the certainty of God's punishment if reform was not achieved appear throughout his book (Demos). (In this instance, Eunice's failure to return to her native land is putting her at risk in the eyes of God). For approximately 60 years John Williams who had been a captive for almost two years, and is one of the main characters of the story writes different letters, sermons, in an effort to reach the captive daughter. According to John Williams, "God

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

She states, "there was a vast difference between the lovely faces of Christians, and the foul looks of those heathens" (276). Rowlandson compares the Indians to the Puritans by the English apparel and proclaims the Indians as nothing more than heathens no matter what they wear. She noticeably prefers the Puritans and has no regard for the Indians.

Woman and family roles are considerably different today than they were back in Puritan times. Puritans thought that the public’s foundation rested on the “little commonwealth”, and not merely on the individual. The “little commonwealth” meant that a father’s rule over his family mirrored God’s rule over creation or a king over his subjects. John Winthrop believed that a “true wife” thought of herself “in [weakness] to her husband’s authority.” As ludicrous as this idea may appeal to women and others in today’s society, this idea was truly necessary for colonies to be able to thrive and maintain social order.

According to the Puritans, women were only to attend to household duties and not to appear in the public sphere. Rowlandson does more than she was able to do in her old habitat; she began to work for profit and used her special skills. “During my abode in this place Phillip spoke to me to make a shirt for his boy, which I did, for which he gave me a schilling. I offered the money to my master, but he bade me keep it, and with it I bought a piece of horse-flesh. Afterwards he asked me to make him a cap for his boy, for which he invited me to dinner.” (71). Rowlandson vindicated her work by her obvious need to stay fully nourished and healthy. She accepted numerous dinner invitations and gifts of beans, meat and cake. Conversely, some of the “bad” Natives had lied to her when she asked of her son’s welfare; they said he was roasted and cut into pieces and he made good meat. Then she had thought they knew nothing more than to lie. “Yet

Accordingly, the narrative contains both literal and symbolic dimensions. Before the attack on her village and her capture by the Native Americans, She lived a blissful and pleasurable life with her family. She had a nice home, comfortable furnishing, and ate the best of foods. Although Rowlandson’s husband was a minister and she was a Christian, she did not feel she lived her life as devoted or committed, as she should be; she could have prayed more or been more devoted