The Narrative Of The Captivity And The Restoration Of Mrs....

An Indian attack on Lancaster during King Phillip’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 that 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 that ultimately define her†¦show more content†¦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 usage of the word â€Å" plunder† connoted the violent force used to obtain the Bible. This enhances the significance of the irony of Rowlandson overlooking the fact that someone was murdered in order for her to receiver her â€Å"gift.† Rowlandson’s Calvinist views, which made her believe that God brought the Bible to her, outweighed any sympathy for nay anonymous English person, and the intended demographic (late 15th century Calvinists) of readers of this captivity narrative would have agreed. An alternative example presents itself when Rowlandson attempts to convince Goodwife Joslin, a very pregnant captive who was becoming impatient and wanted to go home, not to run away., â€Å"I wished her not to run away by any means [†¦] We opened the Bible and lightened on Psalm 27 [†¦] â€Å"Wait on the Lord, Be good of courage, and he shall strengthen thine Heart, wait I say on the Lord.† (4); Rowlandson utilizes her Bible as a tool to steer others into the light of God, whe ther it means deteriorating their own safety and health, proving that she will lack sympathy for humans in favor of devotion to her God. Mary Rowlandson’s feelings toward food, even in times of starvation, are shaped by her belief that God provides (or does not provide) everything. Three weeks go by, and Mary Rowlandson finds herselfShow MoreRelatedA Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, by Mary 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 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 MoreA Nar rative 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 More Narrative 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 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 whoRead MoreThe Narrative Of The Captivity And Restoration Of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson1603 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 MoreThe Narrative Of The Captivity And Restoration Of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson1245 Words   |  5 Pagesof a captivity narrative, Mary Rowlandson’s memoir, â€Å"The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson†, accurately reflects the respective formatting by which a subject is taken captive, d escribes the treatment and conditions of their stay, and dictates their hope of being rescued by means of divine intervention. Whilst Rowlandson’s narrative follows the correct standards of a captivity narrative throughout the time given with each â€Å"remove†, â€Å"The Interesting Narrative of the