What Edwards sought to achieve with threats of fire and brimstone, and Mather, hoped to accomplish through a sanctification of early Americans, Mary Rowlandson did with a narrative that would become “one of the most popular prose works of the seventeenth century” (235). Her story, aptly titled, “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” illustrated how the perfect Puritan should endure endless trials, tests, and tribulations, all the while remaining steadfast in their faith. Always there was solace available to her in the form of the Bible and its many passages there in—repeatedly she turned to it for guidance and strength as all good Puritans should. No matter the hardship, a faith-based answer was offered and taken to heart. Essentially, what Rowlandson’s narrative did was effectively pull others in (or in some cases back) to long held Puritan ideals, and evidenced by its being a best seller, arguably reached further and was more successful than anything attempted by Edwards or Mather.
Perhaps the most prominent feature of Rowlandson’s writing is the role God played in her ordeal. Reading her account closely, one begins to notice an odd quality—where there should be blame aimed at the Natives, there is instead a sentiment that relieves them of culpability arguing instead that what they did was an act of God on a wicked people. “But now our perverse and evil carriages in the sight of the Lord, have so offended Him, that instead of turning His hand against them [the Indians], the Lord feeds and nourishes them…” (262). Obviously, Rowlandson does not view the Native’s attack and subsequent evasion of the army as something of their own doing, but rather it was God enacting punishment upon the Puritan people by helping and caring for their enemies. What does such a shift in thinking accomplish? Unlike Edward’s promises of being dropped into the fiery pits of hell, Rowlandson’s warning is of a much more tangible reprimand: it is not the unforeseen eternal fire, but rather, it is the imminent tragedy of massacre and internment that one who has fallen out of God’s favor should fear.
However, God’s role in her story is not limited to the angry punisher, as he is also her source of strength, comfort, and provider of deliverance. According to her, “We must rely on God Himself, and our whole dependence must be upon Him” (266). Here it is evident that Rowlandson is trying to convey how a Puritan must always turn to God, and through him, find reason in their situation. Furthermore, she parallels her story to the Biblical figure of Job, thereby reaffirming that if one maintains their faith, all will be restored to them. What does this rhetoric accomplish for the Puritan cause? Ultimately, it give others courage and motivation to exhibit the same type of unwavering belief in their daily lives. Of course, the validity of details in her tale is subject to speculation, but regardless of their accuracy, Rowlandson’s account was a reaffirmation of the faith and a prime example of the Puritan way.
Rowlandson, Mary. “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature Vol. A. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. 235-267.
3 comments:
You bring up a very good point about Rowlandson's effect on the Puritan public in comparison to the sermons by Edwards, Mather, Wintrhop, and the like. Rowlandson's narrative is something that could, and possibly did, happen to any Puritan, and she retains a realistic, tangible idol for which Puritans could actually hope to strive to. Additionally, the power of Rowlandson's work is evident by the fact that as a female author, her work was more legitimized than most others in that time period (We're talking about the era where women writers were always considered the lowest part of the equation with little exceptions). In this case, her narrative shows more of a change than simply Puritan styles.
Captivity narratives were also always a bit of a spectacle...something of a prurient interest to readers, much like case studies of the insane. Readers could revel in their own more fortunate lives, or at least see that others were worse off than themselves. In addition, you have that over-arching Christian faith as a model to others...even Puritans could read this for edification while still getting a "fix" of violence.
I didn't think about the fact that she really did twist God in saying that he was punishing the Puritans by helping their enemies. I think it just highlights the reason I cannot understand Puritanism: It's a very egocentric religion! She assumes the entire ordeal was set up by God for her, her people, and that the enemies were pawns in it, without even trying to understand them or their gods.
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