Mary Rowlandson Transculturation

Assimilation and Transculturation in the Native American Society In Colonial American history, Mary Rowlandson and Mary Jemison were taken as captives by two different Native American tribes almost one hundred years apart from each other. These two women have made a vast impact on post-colonial literature because of the ordeals they went through as Indian captives. As a political figure in Puritan society, Mary Rowlandson was taken from her home, became a captive of the Wampanoag Indians, and later ransomed for twenty shillings. Mary Rowlandson was merely a bartering tool for the Indians to get money and she did nothing beyond survival to coexist with her captors. On the other hand, Mary Jemison was taken captive with her family before being

The Maid told me, if I would not give her a piece, she would tear a piece off it: I told her I would tear her Coat then: with that my Mistress rises up: and takes up a stick big enough to have killed me, and struck at me with it, but I stept out, and she struck the stick into the Mat of the Wigwam. But while she was pulling of it out, I ran to the Maid and gave her all my Apron, and so that storm went over” (Kathryn Zabelle Derounian-Stodola 31).

Mary Rowlandson’s rebelling against the women in this remove of her narrative shows her attitude towards the Indian women is rampant until she receives not so subtle reminders of her current situation. For instance, almost being struck by an enormous stick would remind anyone that he or she no longer holds the title “Mister” or “Mistress” while in

This is very much befitting Rowlandson’s attitude when confronted by the maid to give a piece of her apron. Although, her grief is most evident when considering how many times in the narrative she mentions her weariness. Great supporting evidence that I have found is in the eighth remove of Rowlandson’s narrative, after having crossed the Connecticut River and while sitting on the opposite shore waiting for the rest of her captors to cross the text reads as