Rowlandson Case

The capture of Mary White Rowlandson, three of her children and some of her extended family on February 20, 1676 in Lancaster, Massachusetts lead nearly three months of captivity for some of the Rowlandson family including Mary. During the near twelve weeks Rowlandson was held captive by the Nipmuck, Wampanoag, and Narragansett Indians she traveled over 150 miles. In her narrative of her captivity, A True History of the Captivity & Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Rowlandson gives her account of the capture of her family and herself and the 150-mile journey they were forced on. Rowlandson’s narrative was published in 1682 and became a near immediate best seller. Over the past two centuries Rowlandson’s narrative has received a vast amount of praise as well as criticism.

Rowlandson’s captivity has brought forth numerous questions concerning her devotion to her puritan values. A publication written by Kathryn Zabelle Derounian points out her observation of two personalities of Rowlandson she witnesses while reading The Sovereignty of Goodness and God. Derounian feels that Rowlandson shows two different personalities throughout her narrative; she declares that Rowlandson is one person as a narrator describing the numerous survival situations she found herself in then defines herself as a different person completely through her biblical interpretations and explanations of the survival situations and experiences along the way. Derounian, along with many others who share her view, feel that Rowlandson merely plays the role of a good housewife through her biblical expressions so that her workings could have a chance of being published in the Puritan America time era in which she dwelled. Another belief by Derounian and similar skeptics is that Rowlandson played the good housewife role so that she would be socially accepted by those of her generation. I personally feel differently; despite Rowlandson’s actions for survival I believe she maintained her Puritan values and merely had to overcome the obstacles of society to have her account published.

Rowlandson displays characteristics of a good Puritan housewife with illustrious Puritan values when she compares herself to the Puritan Housewife Joslin, who ended up getting killed for repeatedly begging the Indians for her deliverance. In Dietrich’s article “Mary Rowlandson’s Great Declination” she claims that Rowlandson is showing Puritan values during this time by not begging for her release. My thoughts correspond with Dietrich’s claim as a Puritan with good values would put their deliverance in the hands of God rather than pleading for their livelihood. It would take a very strong Puritan to accept the captive life as Rowlandson did and place her continuation of life in the hands of her maker. At one point during Rowlandson’s captivity an Indian offered to sneak her away from imprisonment and deliver her back home. Rowlandson, to many peoples dismay, declined