Mary Rowlandson

God is Great As the Europeans journeyed to the Americas, they expected to visit a world completely free from British dominance, but what they did not expect is the adversities they would face when coexisting with the Native Americans. A recount of Mary Rowlandson’s experience when dealing with the Native Americans is told in her narrative The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, where she describes not only the cruel and animalistic nature of the Native Americans by whom she is held captive for eleven long weeks, but also her revelation of the Lord’s almighty power and the diminishing influence he is having over the New England societies. The narrative begins when Mary’s town of Lancaster is raided by Native Americans, and she is one of few that are taken captive along with her three children. As she is forced to bear witness to the death of her youngest child, starved, and tortured by the Native Americans, she confronts the issue by realizing that everything she once had is gone. But somehow she finds comfort in knowing that the Lord is by her side and he has a purpose in her suffering. Furthermore Mary Rowlandson’s use Biblical excerpts and things she encounters while in captivity, allow for her to reinvigorate her devotion to God, and therefore allow her to survive with the Native Americans and eventually leave and return to what is left of her life in New England. Before Mary is captured, she is married to a prominent pastor, financially secure, gave birth to three children, and is living the New England lifestyle. But when she is captured, her entire life changes completely. During her captivity, she witnesses horrific events and she is somehow still able to discover reassurance in the Lord. She believes that God has a purpose for everything, he sends her into captivity to renew her faith that seems to have diminished, much like in many of the New England societies. Throughout the passage, Mary continuously alludes to biblical excerpts, which are what seem to