Captivity of Mary Rowlandson

Essay by martaasdfCollege, Undergraduate November 2014

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TREATMENT OF THE INDIANS IN THE AMERICAN CAPTIVITY NARRATIVES

Marta Vilar Valcárcel.

INTRODUCTION

In this essay I am going to talk about the treatment of the Indians in the American captivity narratives, sometimes used as anti-Indian propaganda, but we can also find good relationships between the Indians and the captured (usually a woman) inside this genre.

PURITANS

In 1620, a ship called Mayflower sailed from England to America. The 'pilgrims' who were there had the hope of starting a new life on the other side of the ocean, and they arrived with a different culture, from the political organization to the way they dressed.

In 1630, a decade later, the puritans also arrived in America. Their fundamental dogma was the supreme authority of God. ''The puritans emphasized the pastoral responsibility of the clerical statement and the sermon became the central focus of religious life. They attacked any vestige of Catholic liturgy in their practices and were opposed to the recognition of the legitimacy of a higher ecclesiastical authority from an apostolic succession chain. For them, the church was a collective institution formed by a group of believers who chose a minister for service'' (Gurpegui).

''They adopted the five main points of the Calvinism established in 1619, which are known as T.U.L.I.P:

T otal Depravity (also known as Original Sin).

U nconditional Election.

L imited Atonement.

I rresistible Grace.

P erseverance of the Saints.

Puritanism was the dominant religious movement in North America during the 17th century and the first part of the 18th century'' (Ortells Montón, 82).

CAPTIVITY NARRATIVES.

According to Richard Slotkin, we have the following definition for captivity narratives:

"In [a captivity narrative] a single individual, usually a woman, stands passively under the strokes of evil, awaiting rescue by the grace of God. The sufferer represents the whole,