The Captured By Scott Zesch: Summary

Adolph Korn returned home a different boy. He left an innocent child, but once he returned home it was as though he was a completely different child. For three years Adolph Korn spent his life amongst those who had took him from his family. Despite being returned home after he was surrendered over, Adolph Korn never quite continued the bond he had with his own people and family. However, Korn was not the only child that would have difficulties returning to his former life. The other children who were taken would choose to return to their captors. The various stories of children who were taken were quite intriguing. The intrigue stems from their inability to properly integrate back into their former lives. In some cases, the children were

so young, the only mother they knew or recognized was their Indian mother. It is difficult to fully comprehend what the children went through upon abduction, but one fact remains clear.

The children who became “White Indian” became emotionally and mentally dependent on their captors, and this contributed to the lack of progression in reintegrating with their former lives.
When reading, “The Captured” by Scott Zesch it is easy to get lost and caught up in the lives of the captured children after their abduction. At times the audience can easily forget that that despite the kindness that the children received from their captors, cruelty also existed. The children that were abducted were given a new life with new Indian families, but before that happened they were in some cases brutally ripped from their homes. The deeper the author delves into the individual story it becomes apparent that despite the brutality that many of the children

witnessed towards their own family, the Indian lifestyle was preferable over their old lives. Unlike life at home, the Indians were essentially more hands on in raising their children. This is a likely explanation as to why the children easily bonded with their new Indian families. Their lives were so integrated with the Indians that it became very difficult to readjust to life once they were returned home. Some never completely adopted their former lives, and had troubles picking up their former language. In Korn’s case, he would eventually live his life in solitude within a cave. Zesch indicates that his distant relative never forgot his Indian family and continued to keep a vigil for the family he would never see again. Zesch paints a vivid picture of children who would learn to adopt and love the nomadic lifestyle the Indian’s had. They embraced it so much so that it was a refusal to retain their true identities. They were treated as family by the very same people who ripped them from their real families. This is particularly strange in cases where the children witnessed their family being treated brutally.
The three-part organization of the book was interesting because it effectively navigated the audience through the events that took place from abduction, adoption, and return.

By the second part of the book the audience begins to see how the children were living amongst the Indians. One child Clinton Smith, was caught eating a biscuit he had previously stolen. When asked about his actions, Clinton told of how he had stolen the biscuit by placing it under his arms. Rather than being punished he was rewarded for being wise. The Indian community were very keen on rewarding bravery along with wit. The difference between their settlers’ life and Indian life were day and night. Zesch explains that the difference was in the ways they were taught. In their former life, they were taught to abide by moral codes, and within the Indian society they learned the proper way to behave by taking the way the elders acted to

heart.
Scott Zesch clearly did amazing research to vividly paint the true picture behind the lives of the children in captivity. He relied heavily on archived stories and historical publications. Newspaper publications were also very heavily used in aiding Zesch in his attempt to accurately tell the story of children who were abducted in the southern plains. Zesch doesn’t stop there as he also utilizes public records to aid him in completing his attempt to accurately depict the time the captivities took place. Letters and accounts by the actual children who lived the events in the book were the most compelling of sources used by Zesch. Although some were altered in terms of grammar, Zesch managed to get ahold of some of the actual letters. Zesch clearly had a strong motive when he set out to write The Captured. It is almost safe to say Zesch wanted to understand what happened and how it leads to so many lives being completely reshaped in the years they were held captive.
The author painted a very clear picture of the events that took place. He effectively met his goal which is to tell the audience the story of abduction and mental alteration. Through Zesch’s narrative, the audience can see two very different sides to the Comanche Indians. It happens quite often where we must constantly remind ourselves that despite their good treatment of the children, they also brutally killed and savaged others to obtain the children. The novel was very graphic in content, but the extent to which we see the brutality is intriguing and keeps the audience guessing. How does a child witness the events that took place and still form such a heavy bond with the people who ripped them so violently from their families? The real explanation is behind the appeal of being given more recognition within the Indian tribes than they would at home.
Zesch’s target audience is most likely those who take a great interest in history. The use of his sources and real evidence shows he thought a great deal about where he wanted the story to end up. The book was very compelling and interesting. The violence depicted was slightly more than expected, but effective in doing what Zesch wanted it to do. The fact that Zesch accurately researched the events was brilliant. It made the story he desired to tell mean much more than it already did. It was very informative, but did indulge on areas that could have been left out. It was beautiful how Zesch effectively recreated life on the frontier during the era the events took place. I liked the book more than I expected I would and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in seeing what life was like on the Texas frontiers in the early 1800s.