Compare And Contrast John Smith And Mary Rowlandson

The captivity narrative is one of the first styles of literature that was ever birthed from the “new world.” This specific style of literature perfectly catered to what kind of information the folks in England were hungry for. It was real life accounts of an individual’s experience in a mysterious land that England wanted to read about. Scholars have debated whether some captivity narratives have been fabricated to adhere to what the public demanded however the majority of the narratives share the same exact traits as one another whether they are deemed trustworthy or not. The accounts of John Smith and Mary Rowlandson differ in degrees of authenticity, but both hold traits that are parallel with one another. Common traits that can be

In Smith’s narrative he gives thanks and credit to God for his escape of death each time it occurs. Occasionally, specs of scripture from the Bible would be referenced, but the majority of John mentioning of God is done with a stroke of ambiguity. Mary was the wife to a minister therefore her understanding of God was deeply rooted with in scripture. Rowlandson heavily saturates her narrative with verses from the Bible, and is extremely vulnerable with her own struggles while she was with the Indians. This gives the reader a clear picture of how important her faith is. Contrary to Smith’s account Rowlandson leans upon her knowledge of the Bible and her relationship with God through more than just her victories. In some of her darkest moments while being held prisoner she would quote scripture in order to overcome adversity. The core difference between these two narratives in terms of religious references is the motive behind them. Smith’s motive was to simply do his duty by mentioning God because it was politically correct to say while Rowlandson was writing from a place in her heart. Her motive has no evidence of political ties. The Smith and Rowlandson captivity narratives serve multiple purposes that are clearly different, but the same universal traits such as a sudden attack, casualties, and a sale or trade make up the DNA of captivity