Choate- DC English III- 2nd period
9/30/2015
Narrative of the captivity and restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson
As the 1700’s progressed, the tension between the colonist of Colonial America and the Native American worsened. Attacks on each other resulted in serious conflicts like King Phillip’s war. Native Americans were constantly attacking american towns, like Lancaster. The colonist would ask for aid from the authorities but it wouldn’t come soon enough and the Natives would take colonist captive. colonists would be used as bargaining tools for ransom in the form of weapons, money or supplies. In the case of Mary Rowlandson and her family members assistance never came and they were taken captive. Mary Rowlandson married into a puritan family. Her husband Joseph Rowlandson, was the local minister of the puritan church in Lancaster. Being a puritan, Mary had to see every aspect of life through the doctrines of Puritanism. The doctrines of puritanism were the doctrine of the elect, the doctrine of self-examination and the doctrine of affliction. These doctrines governed the lives of the puritans, and could be seen every aspect of their lives, including their writing. The doctrine of the elect states that “God marked out certain people to save” and that “you cannot save your own destiny” (Choate, slide 5). The doctrine of self-examination states that “one could always scrutinize, meditate and study scripture to determine whether or not they were elected” (Choate slide 7) by God. It also states that “true christians show sacrifice and survival adversity through self reflection and examination” (Choate slide 7). The last doctrine states that “ God will afflict the people he loves so they will straighten up and reform.” (Choate slide 8). In her captivity narrative, Mary Rowlandson uses all three doctrines, to describe the events that occurred while she was held captive and also to give the reader a deeper understanding of her narrative. Mary’s narrative begins by describing the day the Natives attacked Lancaster. “[The indians’] first coming was about sunrising, hearing the noise of some guns, [they] looked out...houses were burning...five persons taken in one house” (Rowlandson 1). The natives marched into the town with their guns, kidnapping people from their homes, and brutally hurting others. Eventually the indians reach Mary’s house and “shot against [it], so that bullets seemed to fly like hail” (Rowlandson 1). Rowlandson is reflecting the doctrine of affliction. She interprets the attack as a trial put by God, “to reveal predestination” (Choate 8). After the attackers finish raiding the outside of the house, they move inside where they start firing at people including her nephew William, son of her oldest sister. Mary’s sister realizes that he has been killed and asks God “let [her] die with them” (Rowlandson 2). Soon after her plea to God, Mary’s sister is struck by a bullet. This can be described as an example of the doctrine of the elect. Mary believes her …show more content…
She’s feeble and has barely eaten. As sabbath day comes, she asks her mistress to take the day of. Sabbath day was the day puritans took time off as God commanded in the ten commandments. Rowlandson uses sabbath day to reflect the doctrine of self-examination. She knows that as a puritan she has to “meditate and study the scripture” (Choate 7). in order to know if they are of the elect and is why she wanted Sabbath day off. As the days go by, the indians as well as the captives travel to connecticut to meet with King Philip. They have to go through rivers and harsh weather which makes Mary even weaker. A little spark of hope appears to Mary when her son Joseph comes to her after they were separated. He reads to her a verse from scripture, Which brings much comfort her. “I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord: the Lord has chastened me sore yet he hath not given me over to death” (Psalm 118: 17-18) (Rowlandson 6). Mary includes this bible verse in the narrative because it reflects to the doctrine of affliction. Which states that God afflicts people he loves (choate 8). The scripture gives Mary some relief as they keep on with their journey towards King