Autochthony Through Captivity
Mrs. Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative is autochthonous, not in the traditional sense of self creation by choice, but in the necessity of her ability to reconcile who she should be as an accepted member of society with her experiences in captivity.
The expectation that Mrs. Rowlandson be unwavering in her faith, regardless of any hardship or threat, in order to remain an unblemished, valued member of society is central to Rowlandson’s autochthonous tale. At the conclusion of her captivity narrative, Rowlandson admits that, before she knew the taxing nature of trial, she “was sometimes ready to wish for it,” feeling as though God had left her untried and without hope of further developing her faith (Rowlandson 300). After her release from captivity, Rowlandson vehemently establishes that
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she wholeheartedly and unwaveringly believes that God has made use of her time with the American Indians specifically so that he might “scourge and chasten” her, going so far as to parallel Hebrews 12.6 in her statement (Rowlandson 300). Rowlandson leaves no doubt that God, though presenting her with trial, never left her alone at the mercy of the American Indians. Rowlandson must leave nothing uncertain as she describes her trials. The Mrs. Mary Rowlandson of old was “in health, wealthy, and wanting nothing,” and to such a state she is expected to return, as anyone with true faith and the protection of God would be able to do (Rowlandson 300). Furthermore, Rowlandson must create a perfect illustration of misery when describing her time in captivity, where she was constantly surrounded by “sickness and wounds, and death, having nothing but sorrow and affliction,” (Rowlandson 300). Anything but complete anguish begins come dangerously close to the fine line between acceptance back into a highly suspicious society and becoming an outcast on the grounds of impurity; Mrs. Rowlandson is infinitely aware of this truth. Rowlandson creates an image of herself, though “hemmed in with the merciless and cruel heathen,” of being constantly aware of God’s glorious and watchful presence (Rowlandson 297). Even when her tale seems most hopeless, Rowlandson confidently asserts that her faith in God never failed her, because she knows that “God many times [leaves] us most in the dark, when deliverance is nearest” (Rowlandson 294). This constant invocation of the Lord’s presence in the face of hardship leaves very little room to wonder whether Rowlandson has become impure or strayed from the path during her hardship. Her unwavering confidence that God had a definite purpose for her challenges and would never leave her alone is a clear demonstration of the faith that speaks loudly in her community. Although Rowlandson is unquestionably miserable, she also paints the American Indians in just a bright enough light to keep her own story on the straight and narrow.
Though these American Indians are clearly heathens, Rowlandson is clear that they are also respectful of her. Mrs. Rowlandson takes great pains to assert that “not one of them ever offered me the least abuse of unchastity… in word or action” (Rowlandson 297). Mrs. Mary Rowlandson is still pure, untouched, and worthy of a spot in her society, and her autochthonous tale ultimately stems from the need to be unflinchingly clear in these truths. Although the American Indians were a source of great suffering for Rowlandson, they were also preordained as the source of her affliction so that she might come to have deeper understanding of God’s flawless plan. By writing the American Indians into her narrative as an extension of God’s own hand, Rowlandson strips them of the power they have to blemish her reputation. Rowlandson’s tale is one of self-empowerment through autochthony, and her unwavering devotion to God’s plan is what ultimately allows her that power over herself and her
society.
O’Brien argues the multiple Indians who are put forth in histories as being the last of their tribe: Eunice Mahwee of the Pequots, Esther of the Royal Narragansetts. This phenomenon falsely narrates the disappearance of Indian people, being relegated to anonymity except for the “last of their kind.” These stories also discuss the purity of Indians, downplaying their current environment. Indians were only Indians if they had complete pure blood, one drop of anything other than their own tribe meant they were not Indians. The racist contradictions in this logic is pointed out by O’Brien. For whites, any claim to one “drop” of New England Puritan blood meant this person could claim to be a descendant of the Puritan Fathers. The children or grandchildren of the “last” Indians were not truly Indian because they did not grow up in a wigwam, or possess their native
Franklin's attitude towards the Native Americans is very different from Mary Rowlandson's because he recognized that even though their manners were different from english men, they weren't savages as Rowlandson described them. In Rowlandson's narrative she clearly shows her opinion on their habits when she says: "and myself also in this wilderness condition," by comparing their normal condition to "wilderness" she calls them animals. Meanwhile Franklin is sure to state that: "These Employments of Men and Women are accounted natural & honorable," and by doing so he clarifies a good opinion on the natives and in the way they lived. Rowlandson also compares the Indian's manners as unpleasant, when she describes: "(in their hellish manner)."
Professor and poet Deborah A. Miranda, pieces together the past and uncovers and presents us with a story--a Californian story--in her memoir, “Bad Indians.” Her use of the Christian Novena, “Novena to Bad Indians,” illustrates the irony of using the form of her oppressors as a call out for help, not to God, but to her past ancestors. We tend to think of religion as a form of salvation and redemption of our lives here on Earth, in which we bare down and ask for forgiveness. But by challenging this common discourse using theological allegories and satirical terminology, Miranda turns her attention away from a Deity to call the reader out for help. It is crucial to recognize the struggles that the Native community currently face. Californian Indians are often not given recognition for their identity and their heritage, and are also repeatedly stereotyped as abusive, alcoholic, uncivilized, and “freeloaders” of the United States government. Such generalizations root back from European colonization, nevertheless still linger in our contemporary society. Miranda has taken the first step forward in characterizing few of these stereotypes in her Novena, but she’s given her story. Now what are we going to do with ours? It’s up to us to create our
In “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan mother from Lancaster, Massachusetts, recounts the invasion of her town by Indians in 1676 during “King Philip’s War,” when the Indians attempted to regain their tribal lands. She describes the period of time where she is held under captivity by the Indians, and the dire circumstances under which she lives. During these terrible weeks, Mary Rowlandson deals with the death of her youngest child, the absence of her Christian family and friends, the terrible conditions that she must survive, and her struggle to maintain her faith in God. She also learns how to cope with the Indians amongst whom she lives, which causes her attitude towards them to undergo several changes. At first, she is utterly appalled by their lifestyle and actions, but as time passes she grows dependent upon them, and by the end of her captivity, she almost admires their ability to survive the harshest times with a very minimal amount of possessions and resources. Despite her growing awe of the Indian lifestyle, her attitude towards them always maintains a view that they are the “enemy.”
Significantly, Welch deconstructs the myth that Plains Indian women were just slaves and beasts of burden and presents them as fully rounded women, women who were crucial to the survival of the tribal community. In fact, it is the women who perform the day-to-day duties and rituals that enable cultural survival for the tribes of...
Rowlandson’s journey was uncommon among Puritans of the time. She saw a more humane side of the savage, evil Indians that most Puritans did not or refused to see. Although she attributed their compassionate and humane behavior to god, she did acknowledge it, which was a first among Puritans. Though she may not have done it intentionally, Mary Rowlandson became one of the first Puritans to treat the Indians like human beings in their writing.
In conclusion to all these articles, Mary Rowlandson and John Smith set the perception for Native Americans due to their Captivity Narratives. Puritans already had an evil view of Indians and these stories adding to their belief of how they were in cahoots with the Devil.
God displays his protective powers in various ways. She is shown to be in despair numerous times. So many things happen that keep chipping away at her spirit. The Indians come and ransack the town, basically burning it to the ground. She is separated from all of her children except for one and even in that moment, her daughter dies in her arms after being wounded by a gunshot. Rowlandson herself is injured and is forced to keep travelling despite her conditions. Chaos seems to surround her at every angle. She is initially given a very miniscule amount of water to sustain her on the trip along with some nuts and crumbs. Rowlandson states that “… still the Lord still upheld me...” and also that “he hurt me one hand, and proceeded to heal me with the other”. She believes that due to her people being unfaithful, the Lord is now punishing them so that they can repent. But her being puritan and a chosen one, instead of being killed off, she is preserved and is allowed to get back in God’s good standing. At one point she even thinks of attempting suicide and ending all the misery but she states that thanks to God, she came back her senses and reason to know that she couldn’t go through with such an act. God was using the Indians as agents to punish the Puritans and in doing so, whenever the opportunity for freedom arrived and for some reason the opportunity was not seen
...ve Indians. From the copious use of examples in Winthrop's work, and the concise detail in Rowlandson's narrative, one can imbibe such Puritans values as the mercy of God, place in society, and community. Together, these three elements create a foundation for Puritan thought and lifestyle in the New World. Though A Model of Christian Charity is rather prescriptive in its discussion of these values, Rowlandson's captivity narrative can certainly be categorized as descriptive; this pious young woman serves as a living example of Winthrop's "laws," in that she lives the life of a true Puritan. Therefore, both 17th century works are extremely interrelated; in order to create Winthrop's model community, one must have faith and closely follow Puritan ideals, as Rowlandson has effectively done in her A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.
“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 murdered their chief, overtook their land, and tried to starve the Native Americans by burning down their corn, which was their main source of food, she displays them as demonizing savages carrying out the devil's plan. There are many struggles shown during the story, both physical and emotional, but her greatest struggle is her ability to prove the satanic nature of the Indians without diminishing her reputation, but, instead, elevating herself into a martyr-like figure. From beginning to end, Mrs. Rowlandson strives to display that she is an immaculate Puritan, that within the Indian tribe and the Puritan community she has superiority, and that the Indians are barbaric creatures possessing satanic dangers.
The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson is a personal account, written by Mary Rowlandson in 1682, of what life in captivity was like. Her narrative of her captivity by Indians became popular in both American and English literature. Mary Rowlandson basically lost everything by an Indian attack on her town Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1675; where she is then held prisoner and spends eleven weeks with the Wampanoag Indians as they travel to safety. What made this piece so popular in both England and America was not only because of the great narrative skill used be Mary Rowlandson, but also the intriguing personality shown by the complicated character who has a struggle in recognizing her identity. The reoccurring idea of food and the word remove, used as metaphors throughout the narrative, could be observed to lead to Mary Rowlandson’s repression of anger, depression, and realization of change throughout her journey and more so at the end of it.
Mary Rowlandson was a pretentious, bold and pious character. Her narrative did not make me feel sorry for her at all, which is strange since she really did go through a lot. During the war, the Narragansett Indians attacked Lancaster Massachusetts, and burned and pillaged the whole village. During the siege Mary and her six year old child were shot, she watched her sister and most of her village either burn or get shot. She was kept as a captive, along with her three children and taken with the Narragansett’s on their long retreat. The exposition of the story is set immediately. The reader is perfectly aware of Missus Rowlandson’s status and religious beliefs. She constantly refers to the Narragansetts in an incredibly condescending way, to the point that you know that she does not even consider them human. She paints them as purely evil pe...
Interestingly although she feared and reviled the Indians she states that not one of them offered the least abuse of unchastity to her. Her captors never sexually molested or violated her. Rowlandson learned to adapt and strove to make it thought her captivity alive. She learned how to gather food for herself. Tolerate the ways of the Indians, and make clothes for the tribe. She even decided to stay with the Indians when given the chance to escape. “Rowlandson refused them choosing to stay put and let God choose when she was fully redeemed and ready to be released”
In her account, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Rowlandson
In other works of fiction where the oppressive circumstances of protagonists usually arise from failures of society and within the specific individual there is often an optimism to the extent that it is suggested that progress might eventually lift the individual or mankind beyond the scope of the type of situations depicted. In Washington Square', however, James' depiction of Catherine's tragedy could well be interpreted, at a universal level, as our susceptibility to the manipulative and domineering elements in human nature combined with those factors which drive us with passionate longing for another. Our hopes for an enlightened perspective of Catherine's situation diminish as she confronts an environment of emotional, psychological and motivational disregard and cruelty displayed in numerous situations of dialogue, interviews and conniving. We recognize, however, that Catherine's sufferings are intrinsic to human nature as she is depicted also as a protagonist who displays substance and a willingness to develop her perceptions of human behaviour at the cost of being isolated physically, psychologically and emotionally.