Green Blanket Feet By Mary Rowlandson Analysis

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a five stage model prioritizing the different psychological and physical necessities, lists “Relationships and Belonging” as an individual’s third most vital need. It states that a person cannot be fulfilled in their life without having intimate relationships. When examining literature this theme becomes especially prevalent; several stories focus on how the loss of community damages a person’s livelihood. For example, this is exhibited in “The Story of Green-Blanket Feet” by Humishima and A Narrative of Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary Rowlandson. In these stories, through the protagonists’ mourning for their people and yearning for a sense of belonging, it becomes evident that humans require …show more content…
The fact that she abandons the child she “loved as [her] life” in order to be reunited with her people demonstrates how she needs her community--even more than her own children--in order to be satisfied (139). Another way Green-blanket Feet’s connection with her community is emphasized in this passage is the wording of the quotation. The narrator illustrates Green-blanket Feet’s yearning as the Okanogans “calling” to her; “But my people! They were calling! [...] I could hear their voices coming to me from the Westland. I must go!” (139). Although it is obvious that the Okanogans are not literally communicating with her, the narrator uses the voices of her people as a powerful metaphor. Since the word “calling” implies communicating with someone over a long distance, the use of “calling” accentuates how the Okanogans’ are influencing her even though she’s miles away from them (139). To elaborate, she finds severing ties with the Okanogans impossible because she is so emotionally connected to them. The next phrase in the excerpt, “their voices coming to me from the Westland” further exhibits this idea (139). The Okanogans’ voices are metaphorically traveling from their land, across the Westland, and to Green-blanket Feet as a representation of how Green-blanket Feet’s relationship with the Okanogans is so powerful it can not even be weakened by distance. And because she harbors such a strong connection with her community, she will never be content until she is with them. Therefore, through Green-blanket Feet’s longing to be a part of the Okanogans, the story conveys that a person requires a strong sense of community in order to be at peace with