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The Narrative Of The Captivity Mary Rowlandson Summary

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In the Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Rowlandson narrates the take over of Lancaster by Indians during King Phillip’s War. During that time, Rowlandson goes through tragic occurrences including the loss of her own child, family, and friends. Rowlandson was forced to live awful living circumstances while fighting to maintain her strong faith in God. At first she’s appalled by the life the Indians live, although as time progresses her dependence on them fades. Rowlandson’s attitude towards the Indians maintained a view that they were enemies. In addition, Rowlandson’s encounters in captivity and with the “other” religion of the Indians make her reevaluate her past; the experiences she undergoes doesn’t alter her own beliefs. Rowlandson conveys a change in how she perceives the act of being …show more content…

Rowlandson shows a violent conflict between “civilized” and “Savage” within her state of mind. At the beginning of the narrative, she states that “It is a solemn night to see so many Christians lying in their blood, some here, and some there, like a company of sheep torn by wolves” (Rowlandson 8). Initially this piece of text seems to depict the sight at Lancaster on the night of February 10th, 1676. Rowlandson utilized the bible to show Jesus as a shepherd, and his followers as a innocent sheep to parallel the Puritans to be innocent and civilized while the Indians to be wild and “savage”. Religion plays a crucial role in the narrative, especially the differences between Rowlandson’s beliefs and the “other” religion of her captors. Rowlandson perpetually compares the bible and her

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