Tradition fills up and influences the deepest and smallest cracks in human life. It is used to communicate, to remember, or even to stabilize. Traditions can help us remember our identity, our place in the universe and establish boundaries. Mary Rowlandson’s story is worth studying not only as a narrative, but also as an example of Puritan culture of the time. Rowlandson penned the piece, but it was not hers. It is the result of her community, its historical influences and Puritan doctrine.
Rowlandson’s captivity story describes her capture and journeys with natives. This took place over a period of 11 week. After Wampanoags have killed several people in the town of Rowlandson, she is held hostage, along with her infant, for 11 weeks. She travels through the entire region and notes God’s saving, condemning, and controlling actions. Rowlandson eventually is freed thanks to the work done by James the Printer and M. Hoar. She closes by reflecting on her growth and the way the Puritan communities rallied to her.
Rowlandson is expected to have a Puritan background as the wife of a pastor in a patriarchal world. God, being the central focus of Rowlandson’s life, is worthy of adoration. Rowlandson’s narrative is respectful and faith filled, as expected from a woman in her position. This sense may not be limited to her role of pastor’s daughter. The church severely restricted the publication of female authors. Only works with “pious or traditional themes” were allowed (Davis, 49). Rowlandson’s story could not be told unless she followed the Puritan guidelines developed by powerful, male men. She was asked to present her story as a way to show that God is always with us and in everything we do. Rowlandson was submissive to the tradition that demanded it (Davis, 52). God is as authoritative to her as the patriarchal structure in which she lives. She obeys this puppeteer and justifies actions with the explanation that they are God’s will. Rowlandson often describes her role as a demure and pious female, passively interpreting God controlled events. Rowlandson writes that she accepts God’s giving and taking.
Rowlandson’s narrative, based on Puritan spiritual development, fills the role of Rowlandson diving headfirst. She tells a story about her journey from fear to martyrdom, illustrating how she moves away from death and towards faith. The “glittering weaponry” of the natives initially daunted her spirit, so she chose to take captivity rather than be killed (Rowlandson 29). She completes her journey spiritually later, noting she’s “learned to see beyond the present and smaller problems, and be quieted by them” (Rowlandson 143). Rowlandson shows that as a Christian Puritan her experience of trials and tests has strengthened her. At first she does not wish to suffer but Rowlandson gradually encourages her.
The extensive use she makes of scriptures reveals her dedication to embedding Puritan beliefs. Rowlandson, to ensure the credibility of the material and that it is publishable includes scripture tie-ins, even when they are random. Rowlandson’s approach to God is a very open one. She can relate everything to God. Rowlandson often cites the Bible in her writings. For example, she mentions Deuteronomy28 and its subsequent revelations. She portrays herself in a way that is a testament to God’s workings. Rowlandson also makes references to Biblical texts without identifying them. Rowlandson says, for example that she traveled “through the Valley of the Shadow of Death,” but does not mention that the phrase is from Psalms 23. Rowlandson writes a few lines later that she was “between them, one on the East, and the second on the West” (Rowlandson 141). This is most likely a reference from Psalms: 103, 12 which says that “as far as east is from west, he has removed from us our transgressions”. (King James Version). By using these psalms to explain her story, readers can better understand how God brought her through her difficult time and that the “evils” natives could not win. Rowlandson was a master at knowing her audience. She was well versed in her religious tradition and knew how to reach her audience.
Rowlandson’s narrative does not only use sporadic scripture citations to convince the reader of her devotion to Puritan causes. Rowlandson uses her work as a way to allude to historical events and the Puritans’ strong identification with Hebrews of the Old Testament. Rowlandson compares the Israelites wandering through the wilderness in Egypt for 40 long years to Rowlandson’s captivity, which was sparked by King Philip’s War. Rowlandson offers many other comparisons. Her wilderness experience is similar to the Israelites’ wilderness journey many years earlier. The natives captured by the Egyptians were also heathens and pagans. One native was so “hardhearted” that he acted like Pharaoh when the plagues occurred (Rowlandson 135). Baym & Levine 126) state that the Wampanoags made a final attack to halt English expansion in their territory. Rowlandson thought that calling her native land “wilderness”, a term she used to describe it, was an indication of a place where Puritans and Israelites could both go. The land could be used to bring her religious tradition closer to God. She urged the community not only embrace but also protect it.
Rowlandson portrays the natives in the wilderness as antithetical to Puritan lifestyles, despite the positive description of the wilderness. The natives are described as heathens, pagans and the embodiment of “immorality outside the Puritan communities” (O’Hara). Rowlandson’s description of their dance and song as “a lively imitation of hell” is clearly laid out in the first paragraph. The “savages”, on the other hand, are the antithesis of Godliness. In the first chapter Rowlandson describes their festive atmosphere as “a lively resemblance of hell” (Rowlandson 130).
As mentioned earlier, while the actions taken by natives in response to Rowlandson’s captivity were appalling, it was not just her experience that played a role. A discussion in class mentioned Puritan-style women defecting and starting new homes and families among natives. Rowlandson uses all of her literary tools to dehumanize and discredit the native population. The vivid imagery used by Rowlandson helps readers to see how savage natives are. Native Americans eat old bones that they cut into pieces and, if they are full of worms and other maggots (Rowlandson 138), they will scald on the fire. Would Puritan woman eat worms or maggots as a meal? No, of course not. Rowlandson has a limited dialogue with the natives. Readers rarely hear the Wampanoag’s voice or that of any other non Puritan group. This gives Rowlandson a distorted perspective. The few times they speak, they are expressing their savagery, like when one says “your master is going to knock your child on the head.” (Rowlandson 132). Rowlandson says that natives have a brutish, inhumane nature.
Rowlandson’s writing and narrative style reveal her political allegiance. Her theological writing denigrates natives and exalts Puritans. Mary Rowlandson is a writer who has a unique experience. However, her writings are not hers. Mary Rowlandson’s writing was dictated by religious and historical doctrine, as well as societal and Puritan expectations. Rowlandson’s writing was heavily influenced by her time and location. She shows how the environment she found herself in directly affected her life during her captivity, as well as her perception of it after being released. Rowlandson’s story is an important contribution to English literature. It shows that there are different ways of looking at history.
