A Good Woman in Colonial Times

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how "Sovereignty and Goodness of Good" by Mary Rowlandson is both typical and atypical of captivity narratives of the early American colonial period. The paper examines how the author refers to the Native-Americans as savages. However, as her captivity wore on, and her experiences with the Native-Americans grew more intimate, Mary Rowlandson began to show more compassion and balance in her point of view of the Native-Americans. The paper reveals her morality and culture and maintains that this personal adaptability, combined with a balance and generosity of spirit that marks Mary as a distinct voice, may have garnered Mary's greater acceptance by her captives. The paper adds that it also gains her an additional credit as a historical voice and testimony to early settler and Native conflicts.

From the Paper:

"It is true that Mary's religious language makes itself evident in the narrative early on. Mary paints the Native's conflicts with the settlers in black-and-white moral terms and demonstrates the similarity of her perspective with other captive women in her theological viewpoint. Mary's view of the events of her life as a playing-out of Biblical conflicts, rather than a struggle for amoral natural resources shows how her fundamental perspective is still united with the culture of her original English people, throughout her travels with the Indians."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Rowlandson, Mary. The Sovereignty and Goodness of Good. 1682. E-Text. Homepage Maintained by Stockton State College. Last updated 26 Oct 2005. [13 Sept. 2006]< http://caxton.stockton.edu/rowlandson/>

More papers on A Good Woman in Colonial Times:

• Analytical Essay # 67065 : "Virginia and Maryland in Colonial Times"
• Descriptive Essay # 74907 : " The Death of a Beautiful Woman in Poe's "The Raven"
• Essay # 41821 : "British West Indies"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: