Essay On Mary Rowlandson

King Philip’s War, also known as Metacom’s War, began between neighbors that once peacefully coexisted. The outcome was the bloodiest and most destructive war in American history. During this time, many colonists were taken captive by the Native Americans. Mary Rowlandson became a well-known captive of Metacom’s War through publishing a personal narrative of her captivity titled The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. While others perished, Mary Rowlandson survived captivity because she was accepting of the situation by surrendering and not challenging her captors.

On February 10, 1675, the small town of Lancaster, Massachusetts fell under native attack. Bullets, spears, and hatchets took colonists’ lives while buildings burned to ash. In the

midst of the attack, some of the women and children were separated and taken as captives. One of the natives took hold of Mary Rowlandson and told her, “If [she] were willing to go along with them, they would not hurt [her],” (70). If Rowlandson surrendered, she would have a chance to see another day; however, if she resisted, she presumably would have been killed on the spot. Rowlandson often stated she would rather be killed than to be taken alive by natives. When it came down to making a decision in the moment, “their glittering weapons so daunted [her] spirit, that [she] chose rather to go along…” (70). Rowlandson elected to surrender and became one of the twenty-four captives taken alive from the attack on Lancaster.
During her three-month captivity among the Nipmucs, Narragansetts, and Wampanoags, Rowlandson made no attempts to escape.

She did not even beg to be let free; however, there was an instance where the natives believed she was planning to run away. Rowlandson visited an English Youth, and word spread that she was attempting to run away and taking the English youth along with her. Rowlandson explained to the natives “[she] would not run away” (90). Nevertheless, the natives were hesitant to believe her and said “they would knock [her] down if [she] stirred out again” (90). Ultimately, her acceptance of her captivity and her patience to resist the urge not to challenge the status of her freedom were the greatest factors for her survival. Other captives attempted to escape and, as a result, perished while Rowlandson continued to survive. Rowlandson even met a pregnant woman that wished to escape and “would be often asking the Indians to let her go home…they knockt her on head…” (p 77-78). The natives ended up killing the woman simply because she was persistent to be free of her captivity. On the other hand, Mary Rowlandson figured out how to become part of the native culture by contributing her sewing skills. She made clothing - such as shirts, stocking, and caps - for natives and received payment in the form of money or food. Rowlandson conformed to live amongst the natives instead of merely being a

captive.
Mary Rowlandson’s personal account provides insight into reasons why she survived while other captives perished. After she willingly surrendered to the natives, Rowlandson learned how to function and live in the native society as an alternative of attempting to flee or begging for freedom. Rowlandson’s acceptance of the situation allowed her to gain trust amongst her captors. Rather than playing the role of a prisoner, she survived by making the most of her situation