How Do Puritan Beliefs Help Mary Rowlandson Face Adversity in Her Life?

To understand how Mary Rowlandson faced adversity in her life, we need to examine the Puritan beliefs and lifestyle that gave her the strength to face her problems. Puritan beliefs and covenants provide a guide for living life and worshiping God. Puritans believe that this world is temporary and of little importance. Their beliefs included the Puritan covenant of predestination. Any individuals' fate was predestined by God. Living a good life and being a good Puritan would not guarantee your salvation. God chooses who to save. (McMahon, 1998) To live a good life and produce good works a Puritan needs to have authentic piety, be a hard worker, be honest and be self-sufficient. (Culture, 2007) All their principles were practiced in the home and in among their peer groups. Mary's traditional role as a Puritan woman was to be a submissive feminine supporter to her husband. Mary was also a mother to her children and a devout Puritan. I think Mary's experience as the wife of a Puritan preacher must have helped reinforce her religious beliefs. Mary Rowlandson lived a structured and religious life, until the day her settlement, the town of Lancaster, was attacked and she was taken captive. Mary used her Puritan beliefs and multiple personal perspectives to prevail over hardship. (Culture, 2007) (Feldmeth, 1998) (Lounsbury, 2007) (McMahon, 1998)

Mary knows she must try to focus on surviving her captivity without loosing her religious beliefs. She examines herself and her faith constantly. Mary uses the scriptures frequently to dispel the ongoing terrors she was subject to. She quotes Corinthians 12.9 in her story, "And he said unto me, my Grace is sufficient for thee". She uses them as a focus of personal reaffirmation of her Puritan beliefs. Her faith in her religion and the belief that God had a plan was all she needs to continue to face adversity. (Utopian, 2006) (Feldmeth, 1998) (McMahon, 1998)

Sometimes belief in God was all Mary had. (Utopian, 2006) Mary writes, "He answered me that such a time his master roasted him, and that himself did eat a piece of him, as big as his two finger, and that he was very good meat." (Rowlandson, 1682) Puritan faith held Mary Rowlandson together through her ordeal with people she believed were the Devils' minions. She witnessed many incidents of savage brutality by the Indians. She writes," One man who was chopped into the head with a hatchet, and stripped naked, and yet was crawling up and down". (Rowlandson, 1682) I must credit her for the strength of character it took to witness that kind of brutality and be able to write about it later. Many times Mary was emotionally buffeted but her personal strengths hold her together. (Feldmeth, 1998) (McMahon, 1998)

Mary knew she should not mimic the Indians but must survive. Mary went hungry but learned to collect food and to stomach eating food items that nauseated her. After she was released she writes, "But the thought that it was bear made me tremble". (Rowlandson, 1682) After she was set free, the same food repulsed her. During her ordeal, she continues to practice the Puritan belief of self-sufficiency as she adapts to survive but persists in holding onto her religious convictions. (Feldmeth, 1998) (Lounsbury, 2007) (McMahon, 1998) (Utopian, 2006)

Mary knows that all people are the providence of God and recognizes that all of nature and man are God's creation. (Atkins, 2005) She knows that everything around her is a demonstration of the divine spirit. She knows she is responsible for her conduct. Furthermore, a Puritan must be honest. So Mary does not trick the Indian captors and make a promise to stay but then later disobey and run away. (McMahon, 1998) (Utopian, 2006)

Mary's Puritan way of life gives her structure. This structure provides her with combination of physical and mental keys to survive. Mary Rowlandson survived her capture and prolonged captivity by the Indians by using these keys. Mary had the multiple viewpoints of being the wife of a preacher, a mother, a woman and a true Puritan believer; all combine to give her the ability to cope with adversity. (Culture, 2007) (Feldmeth, 1998) (Lounsbury, 2007) (McMahon, 1998)

Works Cited:

Atkins, S. (2005). The American Sense of Puritan. Retrieved May 25, 2007, from xroads.virginia.edu Web site: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/PURITAN/purmain.html

Culture Clash. (2007). The Puritans and the Native Americans. Retrieved May 23, 2007 from 123HelpMe.com. http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=23179

Feldmeth, G. (1998). U.S. History Resources. Retrieved May 22, 2007 from http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/USHistory.html

Lounsbury, L. (April 23, 2007). Puritan Gold. Retrieved May 25, 2007, from Author's Den.com Web site: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=47838&id=29207

McMahon, C. (1998). Puritan Roots. Retrieved May 23, 2007, from A Puritans Mind Web site: http://www.apuritansmind.com/PuritanRoots.htm Rowlandson, M. (1682). Captivity and Restoration. Retrieved May 25, 2007, from Classical Authors Web site: http://emotional-literacy-education.com/classic-books-online-b/crmmr10.htm