Mary Rowlandson Analysis

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Mary’s Adaptation to a Different Way of Life
The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson was narrated by Rowlandson herself. This work, after it was published was the first ever captivity story told and became one of the most popular. It’s believed today that this work is one of the most valued in American History and American Literature as it paved a way to new American genres and historical knowledge of Indians and their cultures. Mary Rowlandson captivity narrative and all the ones that followed hers brought to fruition the “Indian captivity narrative” Genre. Rowlandson, “today is frequently represented in anthologies of American literature” (Greene 24). Today this work of literature is studied in most literature classes around the United States and Europe. The popularity of this story in America and also England, “triggered a wave of Indian captivity narratives and even now her influence is evident centuries later” (Bailey de Luise …show more content…

Rowlandson seems to again be on the savage levels of the Indians by portraying unchristian like values. Mary writes, “Being very hungry I had quickly eat up mine, but the Child could not bite it, but lay sucking, gnawing, chewing, then I took it of the Child, and eat it my self, and savoury it was to my taste” (Rowlandson 87). By letting the child go without food Mary shows unchristian like qualities and in turn becomes more like the Indians who captured her. Towards the end of her journey, Mary eventually begins to trade with the Indians. This has a profound effect on Rowland’s views of the Indians and their way of life. Mary’s, “entry into exchange with her captors lifts her out of the abjection of being on the dole, and thus creates a measure of equality between herself and the captors, with whom she can now set terms, rather than only accept” (Loughead

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