Who is the Captive in 'Captivity'?

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer examines "Captivity," a stream-of-consciousness piece by Sherman Alexie. The writer points out that this work explores Alexie's reaction as a Native-American who grew up on a reservation, amid squalor, alcoholism, poverty, and hopelessness, to one of the classic narratives of a brave white woman enduring the grim experience of being held captive by Native-Americans. The writer discusses that Sherman Alexie, in touch with his tribal past and all of the imagery that it entails, also steps out to do his own dancing, the prolific author of novels, stories, poetry and pieces such as "Captivity," as well as the director of the movie versions of his books.

From the Paper:

"In "Captivity," Mary Rowlandson is a recurring image: the white, especially the white girl, alone on the reservation. One version of Mary Rowlandson is the daughter of a white reservation worker. Stepping into her first classroom filled with young tribal members, she carries with her a "memory" distilled from the captivity her namesake endured three centuries earlier, at a time when the Wampanoags might well have thought that they had a chance to clear their traditional lands of the grasping colonists. Terrified, the modern Mary Rowlandson flees the school, envisioning each boy as her would-be captor."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Alexie, Sherman. "Captivity." First Indian on the Moon. Undated; 29 Apr. 2007; <http://www.poetrymagazine.com/ archives/2005/Summer005/Features/alexie.htm>.
• "Alexie, Sherman: INTRODUCTION." Poetry Criticism. Timothy J. Sisler, ed. Vol. 53. Thomson Gale, 2004. eNotes.com. 2006; 30 Apr. 2007; <http://lit.enotes.com/poetry-criticism/alexie-sherman>.
• King Philip's War. Undated; 29 Apr. 2007; <http://www.georgetown.edu/users/arsenauj/kpwtitle.html>.
• Klekowski, Libby. "Mary Rowlandson - Captivity in 1675/76." History of the Connecticut River. Undated; 29 Apr. 2007; <http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/mary.html>.
• Mary Rowlandson. The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (1682). 19 Aug. 2000; 29 Apr. 2007; <http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/ dept/history/lavender/rownarr.html>.

More papers on Who is the Captive in 'Captivity'?:

• Poem Review # 133435 : "Who is the Captive in Sherman Alexie's World?"
• Analytical Essay # 31980 : "Mary Rowlandson's Captivity"
• Argumentative Essay # 93331 : "The Captive Mind"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: