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A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson

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The Pressure to Assimilate in Mary Rowlandson’s A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson

There are times when assimilation is not a choice but rather something is forced. In circumstances such as being taken hostage, the ability to survive must come at the price of assimilating one's own customs into another lifestyle. In February of 1675 the Native Americans who were at war with the Puritans obtained hostage Mary Rowlandson of the Plymouth colony. During this time she must perform a role that is uncommon to a colonial woman's way of life so that she may live among them. With the need to survive, how can a person accommodate a second culture? The actions of Mary Rowlandson demonstrate how a person can gain, …show more content…

Even Rowlandson, under her conditions, could not give up her religion during her imprisonment; consequently, she went out of her way to read her bible without the knowledge of her captors. Her actions are not congruent to what a hostage would do in the twentieth century. Today, we have learned logic that allows us to realize that if we withhold what's impulsively wanted, the long-term rewards can bring more happiness. Although Rowlandson was never caught practicing her religion, she did not consider that she might never be physically able to read her bible again.

Believing that smoking tobacco is a disgusting habit, Rowlandson knowingly risks offending King Philip when he offers a pipe as a sign of cultural greeting. At that moment, she did not know why she was being treated so well and did not consider the result of her actions. Philip only meant to be respectful to Rowlandson and treated her as an equal. But because of her extreme beliefs, she was unwilling to make an exception that could possibly permit her freedom. Much of seventeenth century logic is flawed in that foresight is almost always overlooked.

After Rowlandson's capture, she does not judge the actions of the Native Americans in the same way that someone who has not live among them, such as Mather. Rowlandson treats those in King Philip's tribe as equals to her; never talking down to them and not

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