When Mary Rowlandson is held captive by the Indians in the late 17th century, she has to deal with the situation in order to survive. But when we look at "A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson," it is important to understand the point of view of a Puritan woman. As such, Mary Rowlandson connects all events, good and bad ones, to God. For this reason, even the Indians' actions are initiated by Him. But why did Rowlandson decide to make them God´s instrument in her story? Aren´t the Native Americans supposed to be the wild, the savage, the opposite of the Puritans? Was it her strong beliefs, was it some sort of self-protection-mechanism, or was it her way to deal with a strange, foreign situation?
Table of Contents
1. God´s instruments? Native Indians in Rowlandson’s Captivity Narrative
2. Acts of kindness and God's providence
3. Violence as divine retribution
4. Religious doubt and the micro-managing Puritan God
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines how Mary Rowlandson interprets her captivity among Native Americans through the lens of her Puritan faith, specifically analyzing why and how she frames her captors as divine instruments of God. The study explores the theological contradictions in her narrative, balancing the portrayal of Indians as both instruments of punishment for sins and agents of God's mercy.
- The role of Native Americans as theological instruments in Puritan literature.
- The tension between perceived "savage" behavior and acts of kindness.
- God's providence as a psychological mechanism for survival.
- The interpretation of personal misfortune as divine punishment for specific transgressions.
- The rhetorical function of the narrative in establishing the author as a "chosen one".
Excerpt from the book
God´s instruments? Native Indians in Rowlandson’s Captivity Narrative
When Mary Rowlandson is held captive by the Indians in the late 17th century, she has to deal with the situation in order to survive. But when we look at "A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson," it is important to understand the point of view of a Puritan woman. As such, Mary Rowlandson connects all events, good and bad ones, to God. For this reason, even the Indians´ actions are initiated by Him. But why did Rowlandson decide to make them God´s instrument in her story? Aren´t the Native Americans supposed to be the wild, the savage, the opposite of the Puritans? Was it her strong beliefs, was it some sort of self-protection-mechanism, or was it her way to deal with a strange, foreign situation?
As described in the narrative, the Indians burn down houses and kill and torture people. From a Puritan point of view, there is no other explanation but this has to be a punishment from God in order to show His power to the Puritan community. Rowlandson describes that the Indians are an instrument, through which God punishes and afflicts the Puritans for their sins, when she explains how, “[t]hough many times they would eat that, that a hog or a dog would hardly touch; yet by that God strengthened them to be a scourge to His people” (283). Despite their savage behaviour, God controls their actions and even supports them, in order to afflict the Puritans.
Summary of Chapters
1. God´s instruments? Native Indians in Rowlandson’s Captivity Narrative: This chapter introduces the core research question, questioning why Rowlandson portrays her captors as divine instruments within her theological worldview.
2. Acts of kindness and God's providence: This section analyzes how Rowlandson reconciles the Indians' helpful behavior with her view of them as savages by attributing their mercy to God's intervention.
3. Violence as divine retribution: This chapter explores how Rowlandson interprets the violence experienced during captivity as a calculated punishment from God for the Puritans' sins.
4. Religious doubt and the micro-managing Puritan God: This part examines how specific events, such as the desecration of the Bible, are interpreted as direct divine warnings against individual vanity and lack of faith.
5. Conclusion: This chapter summarizes that Rowlandson’s narrative functions both as a tool for personal comfort and as a rhetorical instrument to assert her status as a chosen individual before her readers.
Keywords
Mary Rowlandson, Captivity Narrative, Puritanism, Divine Providence, Native Americans, God's instrument, Colonial Literature, Religious Conversion, Theology, Survival, 17th Century, Puritan Community, Faith, Sin, Rhetoric.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this paper?
The paper explores how Mary Rowlandson uses her Puritan belief system to interpret her experiences as a captive, specifically by framing the Native Americans as instruments utilized by God to either punish or aid the Puritan people.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The themes include the intersection of theology and survival, the perception of "the other" in colonial American literature, the concept of divine providence, and the rhetorical strategies of Puritan conversion narratives.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to analyze the psychological and theological motivations behind Rowlandson's decision to attribute the actions of her captors to God, effectively removing the agency of the Native Americans in her own story.
What scientific method is employed?
The paper uses a literary and textual analysis method, examining primary quotations from the narrative to identify patterns in how Rowlandson interprets events through her religious worldview.
What is discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body discusses the duality of the Indians' actions (acts of violence versus acts of mercy), how these are reconciled as God’s will, and how personal setbacks are interpreted as divine correction for sins.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
Key terms include Puritanism, Captivity Narrative, Divine Providence, Mary Rowlandson, and religious conversion.
How does Rowlandson handle the contradiction of "kind" Indians?
Rowlandson resolves this by attributing any kindness shown to her by the Indians to God, who allegedly softens their hearts to provide for her, rather than acknowledging the humanity of the captors themselves.
Why does the author argue that the narrative is also an instrument for the readers?
The author concludes that beyond personal survival, Rowlandson intended the narrative to act as a public testimony of her faith, convincing her readers of her status as a "chosen one" within the predestination framework of the Puritans.
- Citar trabajo
- Annika Mödl (Autor), 2013, God's instruments? Native Indians in Rowlandson’s "Captivity Narrative", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/276755
