Native Indians: The Captivity and Restoration by Mary Rowlandson

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Recommended: Mary Rowlandson's account of Indian captivity

As Her Role in the Society

The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration, written by Mary Rowlandson describes the events that she was taken captive alongside a number of people by Native Indians. The story is written in first person; therefore, it has details on the happenings during and after the captives. Mary narrates her experiences and highlights her views of her captors and the Native Indian community at large. The narratives indicate Mary Rowlandson's position as a female in her society during her time.

Mary Rowlandson was a daughter, wife and mother. It is said that she was of English descent and was born to an affluent father. After immigration from England, she settled in Massachusetts (Toulouse, 2011). When her father passed on, she met and got married to Joseph Rowlandson. Both Mary and her husband were devout Christians, and in the year 1660 their faith went higher as Joseph rose to become a Puritan minister. During the course of her marriage, Mary bore four children, but unfortunately, one of them passed on when she was still an infant. Even before she is taken captive, her role as a mother to her children is well exposed. When she was in captivity, she is shown to care deeply for her smallest daughter, Sarah, until her demise. Sarah succumbs to injuries she had sustained during her capture. She narrates the depths she went into to nurse Sarah back to health with no success. Her account reveals that even when Sarah died, in her distress, Mary lay down with her. As difficult as her circumstances were in captivity, Mary did not abandon her responsibilities as a mother, but is seen to struggle even harder to continue playing her role. After her release, this does not change. She continues to raise her children, eve...

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...y, Mary Rowlandson shows that during her time, it was not easy to be a female. Though society intended to protect and shield the female from hardship, Mary had to deal with numerous challenges which she overcame through her faith in God and strong will.

Works Cited

Coleman, Linda. Women's Life-writing: Finding Voice/building Community. New York: Popular Press, 1997. Print.

Kort, Carol. A to Z of American Women Writers. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2007. Print.

Rowlandson, Mary. The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson: Whereunto are Annexed a Map of Her Removes & Biographical & Historical Notes. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1682. Print.

Toulouse, Teresa. The Captive's Position: Female Narrative, Male Identity, and Royal Authority in Colonial New England. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011. Print.

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