Heart-aking thoughts here I had about my poor Children, who were scattered up and down amongst the wild Beasts of the Forest: my head was light and dizzy (either through hunger, or hard lodging, or trouble, or all together) my knees feeble, my body raw by sitting double night and day, that I cannot express to the man the affliction that lay upon my spirit, but the Lord helped me at that time to express it to himself. (13-14)
In this passage from A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Rowlandson briefly expresses her concerns for her children who are, like herself, being held in captivity by local tribes of Native Americans. She than proceeds to turn attention back onto herself, something that occurs numerous times …show more content…
Although Rowlandson exhibits some of the behaviors similar to other Puritan women at the time, in her narrative she does not behave as a ‘model Christian’ should, despite the many biblical passages she uses to back up her actions. Through careful analysis of Rowlandson’s narrative and the biblical quotes she utilizes throughout, it can be argued that Rowlandson’s behavior throughout her captivity is less than ideal when it comes to being a ‘model Christian’.
In her narrative, Mary Rowlandson oftentimes does not behave the way one suspects a ‘model Christian’ would. In one instance, her mistress’s child dies and Rowlandson observes “there was one benefit in it, that there was more room”(24). What is truly astonishing about this instance is that it is not so long ago that Mary Rowlandson experienced the death of her youngest child. At a time when one would expect Rowlandson to sympathize, she doesn’t, but instead turns to a passage from the Bible “like a Crane or a Swallow so did I chatter; I did mourn as a dove, mine eyes fail with looking upward. Oh Lord I am oppressed, undertake for me, Isai. 38. 14” (24). Compassion, defined as showing pity or concern for others, is a value associated with ‘model
In this passage from A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Rowlandson briefly expresses her concerns for her children who are, like herself, being held in captivity by local tribes of Native Americans. She than proceeds to turn attention back onto herself, something that occurs numerous times …show more content…
Although Rowlandson exhibits some of the behaviors similar to other Puritan women at the time, in her narrative she does not behave as a ‘model Christian’ should, despite the many biblical passages she uses to back up her actions. Through careful analysis of Rowlandson’s narrative and the biblical quotes she utilizes throughout, it can be argued that Rowlandson’s behavior throughout her captivity is less than ideal when it comes to being a ‘model Christian’.
In her narrative, Mary Rowlandson oftentimes does not behave the way one suspects a ‘model Christian’ would. In one instance, her mistress’s child dies and Rowlandson observes “there was one benefit in it, that there was more room”(24). What is truly astonishing about this instance is that it is not so long ago that Mary Rowlandson experienced the death of her youngest child. At a time when one would expect Rowlandson to sympathize, she doesn’t, but instead turns to a passage from the Bible “like a Crane or a Swallow so did I chatter; I did mourn as a dove, mine eyes fail with looking upward. Oh Lord I am oppressed, undertake for me, Isai. 38. 14” (24). Compassion, defined as showing pity or concern for others, is a value associated with ‘model