Mary Rowlandson's Narrative Of Captivity

In Mary Rowlandson’s Narrative of Captivity, a new type of genre was sensationalized: the captivity narrative. Rowlandson’s story captivated not only those in North America, but the text was also circulated throughout Europe, specifically England, as an inside view of the “Savage’s” world. As the genre continued, the exploration of the narration changed to explore more empathy towards the indigenous tribes; however, in Rowlandson’s case this narrative only reaffirmed the implications Natives were savage, hostile invaders ruining God’s plan of expansion for the white European settlers. In “Writing Indigenous Femininity: Mary Rowlandson’s Narrative of Captivity” by Tiffany Potter she focuses on how Rowlandson’s narrative changed the perception of indigenous women through a European’s point of view. Potter first spends time expanding on the definition of race, and how it has not always been a separation between religions specifically but was first seen as a cultural
Potter argues Rowlandson’s distinct depiction of a lack of homemaker role, and a lack of submission in the wives of the indigenous men transfers these tribes from the basic structure of civilization. Throughout the pages, the hierarchy of men, women, children, is discussed to show the narrative ignores the same familial roles in the tribes to support the claim of Natives being the “other.” This comparison from the narrative’s portrayal of Rowlandson’s own relationship with her children and God is significant in Potter’s claim this narrative attempts to erase all traces of empathy and cross-cultural connection to the indigenous women as lacking the competency of femininity and failing their given role as wife and