Captivity Narrative by Mary Rowlandson - Summary

Mary Rowlandson. Image source

In February 1675 the first attack by the Indians of Lancaster occurred. They set fire to the dwellings of Lancaster and kill its inhabitants. They set fire to Mary's house, and when Mary and her children try to leave her house they are shot at. They finally have to, upon which her brother-in-law die from a previous wound. She herself is shot as is Sarah, the six-year old child in her arms, and a child of her sister's murdered by a blow to the head. Hearing of this, her sister prays to go with them and is promptly shot too.

The Indians take the children one way, and Mary another, promising that they would not hurt her if she came with them. Of the 37 of them in her house, only one evaded both death and captivity. 24 are taken alive as captives. 

The First Remove

The first night in captivity is miserable. She is denied sleep in an English-made dwelling. Still in the ravaged town, the Indians celebrate all night, singing and dancing and feasting on the animals they have plundered. She contemplates her doleful state, separated so from her husband, children and acquaintances, and all her things gone. Her own life may be in danger as well. All she has is her wounded baby, who is in so pitiful a condition death might be preferable.

The Second Remove

They leave the town into the wilderness. She is desperately sorrowful, but God prevents her spirits from failing. One of the Indians carry her child, who is moaning that he will die, on horseback. They transfer mother and child to a horse, which is unsaddled and so both fall of, to the Indians' mirth. God preserves her spirits. It begins to snow and when night comes she must lie in the snow with her now feverish child, her own wounds painful, but they survive to see the next day.

The Third Remove

The third day is very difficult, as both mother and child are wounded, sick and starving. They were only given some water. They arrive at the Indian town, Wenimesset, north of Quabaug. There is an overwhelming amount of pagans there. She realizes it is the Sabbath, and reflects that she had not kept previous Sabbaths well, so that she is deserving of her current fate. However, God has made some providence for her. She meets Robert Pepper who has been with the Indians since he was captured in another fight long ago. He tells her how they helped him heal by advising him to press oak leaves to his wound. She does the same and is healed as well.

Her child, with nothing (not even food) to comfort her spirit or body, dies nine days from when she was first wounded. She sleeps alongside it that night. Upon reflection, she thanks god for not letting her take her own life. When the Indians learn of the child's death, Mary is sent to her master, Quinnapin the Sagamore, to whom she was sold by the Indian who first captured her, a Narragansett. In that time they have buried her child.

Another of her children, Mary, is at the same Indian town. She goes to see her, but Mary Jr. Cries when she sees her mother, and the Indians do not let them see one another again. She wonders about the fate of her third child and prays to God for some sign of his state. Her prayers are answered as her son comes to her, and tells her he was captured by another group of Indians who lived six miles away. He tells her that the tribe who has him is planning to massacre Medfield.

One of the Indians returns from Medfield and gives her a bible he plundered. She thanks God for this. She reads from the bible and gleans hope and comfort, that she will repent, and god will return to her, and forgive her and punish her enemies. Besides her there are 8 English children in the Indian down and one pregnant woman. The woman considers escaping but, with the help of bible verses Mary convinces her against escape.

The Fourth Remove

The Indians burn the pregnant lady, who does not complain but pray silently as she burns. Mary herself is on the move with the Indians, traveling another day and a half, at the end of which she is tired and hungry and worried about her children. She reads Jeremiah and is comforted. She remains in that place for four more days.

The Fifth Remove

She thinks that the reason for the Indians' moving her and their selves around is because of the English army, because they keep standing some of their strongest men back as though to contend with an army. Because Mary is wounded she is given a light load to carry- her knitting- but is still denied food. They stop near the Banquaug river and they build rafts and raft across. She is let eat horse-leg stew. Mary remarks that with time, she became accustomed to Indian food.

Mary wonders at God's benevolence, that He did not help the English army cross the river and save her and the other Englishmen, but reasons that He must not be ready for them to be saved.

The Indians set fire to their wigwams and continue travelling.

The Sixth Remove

The Indians and she cross an icy river. Mary laments the growing distance between herself and her home. They stop, and she marvels at the number of Indians she is amongst, and thanks God once again.

The Seventh Remove

They have to climb a high heel and Mary thinks she can endure no more. They reach deserted English fields, and their sight comforts Mary. She picks up some corn and eats it, and begs and receives horse liver. She has to eat it raw so that it is not stolen from her and finds it tasty. She also eats some wheat.

The Eighth Remove

The next day they are to meet King Philip in Connecticut. She meets her son Joseph unexpectedly. They complain to each other and talk about how they have changes. They read Bible, and Joseph finds some comforting passages.

Mary explains that her purpose in writing the text is as a tribute to God and his power and benevolence.

They travel all night, and then cross the river. She marvels again at the amount of Indians on the other bank. She They gather around her and speak of their victories. For the first time her courage fails and she cries in front of them. She says that she is afraid they will kill her, and they assure her they won't, and then give her food.

She goes to see King Philip. She refuses tobacco smoke because she feels it is sinful. Philip asks her to make a shirt for his son, which she knits. He pays her and she buys food, and she starts exchanging her knitting for food. She even invites her master and mistress to dinner.

She finds her son, who is feigning sleep but actually praying. Another woman, Mary Thurston, gives her a hat. The hat is stolen, but the thief leaves five corns in its place which are very valuable.

The Indians return from an attack on Northampton, with spoils.

The Ninth Remove

Mary hopes the Indians sell her in Albany so that she doesn't have to walk back. Instead, however, they continue travelling. She makes two shirts in return for a knife, which she gladly gives her master. She is shown the way to her son, who is sick. When she returns to her camp, she is forlorn and finds comfort with the bible. She is given bear by a kind squaw and it's delicious. A different squaw shows desire to buy Mary.

The Tenth Remove

They travel less than a mile. Mary finds no kindness and is offered nothing to eat.

The Eleventh Remove

They travel a day, and Mary is faint with the exercise.

The Twelfth Remove

Mary's master says he would sell her to her husband. She rejoices. Her mistress throws away her bible, and Mary retrieves it and never lets her see it again. Mary asks to be given a lighter load and gets slapped; she hopes for redemption.

They are on the way home. Suddenly however her mistress decided to backtrack, upon which Mary is in anguish. Her mistress kicks her out of their wigwam for she has company. At last Mary finds an old Indian who lodges and feeds her. The following day she finds lodging and food with yet another.

The Thirteenth Remove

Instead of going homeward they go down the river and stay there for a fortnight. She asks after her son, and one Indian lies that he has been boiled and eaten. She comes closer to the fire and a squaw throws ashes in her eyes. She comforts herself with scripture. The Indians bring in a new captive, Thomas Read, who confirms that Mary's husband is well, proving the Indians' claims of his death or remarriage to be lies.

Mary is almost killed because she refuses to hand over her apron to Philip's maid, but then gives it. She meets her son and tells him news of his father.

She sees an English youth lying on the cold ground almost naked with an Indian papoose in his care. She gets him to a fire but is accused of attempting to escape. The Indians forbid her from going out under the threat of death. However an Indian asks her to reknit an pair of stockings and Mary is allowed out of the tent.

Mary sees her son. They find food for him, but her son's owners are mad at him for staying out away too long and sell him. Mary does not see him until she is at Portsmouth.

Mary's mistress's papoose dies. Mary has a lot of time to herself, and she has time to pray and contemplate her sins. She prays a lot for forgiveness and is comforted by the Bible.

The Fourteenth Remove

They pack up and go toward Baytown. The Indians kill a pregnant doe and let Mary have some embryo, which is yummy. It rains and they quickly build wigwams, and Mary is one among few who get to spend the night sheltered.

The Fifteenth Remove

They continue homeward. Mary comments how when ravenous, she remains hungry no matter how much she eats.

The Sixteenth Remove

They wade over the river. She is very weak. An Indian announces that Mary must go to her master because a deal is to be made concerning the return of the captives. This comforts Mary. They begin travelling that way.

The Seventeenth Remove

The continue travelling towards Mary's master. She is weak and asks an Indian for horse feet stew. She is refreshed and thanks God.

The Eighteenth Remove

They continue travelling and in an Indian town Mary encounters a child of her sister's, who is doing relatively well. She is given a piece of horse foot and steals another piece from a child.

The Nineteenth Remove

They travel to Wachusett, and she is tired, but Philip comforts her that she will be free in two weeks. He gives him water to wash herself, and his mistress gives her food.

Mary tells of the three wives of his master, the second of whom was her mistress. Her mistress treats her kindly so that Mary does not go to another wife- the mistress wants to receive the ransom money.

A second letter comes from the council concerning the return of the captives. Mary is asked how much she thinks her husband would pay for her and replies twenty pounds. It is a "Praying Indian" who writes the ransom request.

There is a battle at Sudbury which the Indians win.

She makes clothes and gets food from nice Indians.

The Twentieth Remove

Since it is after a battle, the Indians Remove. The Indians travel a few miles and then build a wigwam that holds a hundred Indians. Indians come from all around to celebrate. She is denied to see her daughter.

A third letter from the council comes with an Englishman, Mr. Hoar. Mary is given leave to see him. He gives her tobacco which she sells. Some of Mr. Hoar's pack is stolen, including some of the ransom money. Hoar calls the Indians to dinner but they are busy getting ready for the dance, dressing and painting their faces. Mary's master and mistress are among the leaders of the dance. For music they bang on kettles.

Mary asks to go home, but they say she can go when her husband comes for her. They do some trades which I did not understand. Mary sees her first drunk Indian. She hasn't slept in three nights, for alternating gladness and fear.

Mary diverges from her narrative to mention five things that are due to God's providence:

1.       A little before the initial fort fight, the Englishmen could have destroyed the starving Indians. But they ran out of food themselves and were forced to return to town. A week later the Indians ransacked the town. God left the Englishmen to their own devices and is responsible for the captivity.

2.       She recalls how the Indians made fun of the English army's slowness

3.       God is responsible for the Indians' ability to cross rivers and the Englishmen's inability to do so.

4.       God made it so that the Indians never suffered from hunger, even though many Englishmen did. He created food for them out of nothing. God fed them and made them strong so as to punish the Englishmen, who are His people.

5.       The Indians rejoiced at their victories and mourned their losses. God is responsible for all these victories and losses.

In the beginning the Indians were against Mary going home but providence intervened and they supported it. She praises god from delivering her from the enemy. She becomes emotional as she thinks of going home. Mr Hoar and two Indians take Mary home to Lancaster, where there is nothing left. They continue to Concord, where she is reunited with Christians, some of whom are neighbors. She thinks of other people who are still captive. Her reconciliation with her husband is embittered by the loss of one child and the captivity of another.

She makes sure to thank everyone who helped her be released, and who housed her afterwards. The community is concerned with those still in captivity. Sometimes whereabouts are known and thanks god. They pay for her son's release. Her daughter returns after she gets lost with a squaw to a Christian community and they get her back for free in this way. Now that they are all together, they move away from Mr. Shepard's to a house that South Church in Boston hired for them. She thanks god and kind Christians for helping provide for them when they are poor.

She reflects how she used to sleep peacefully but now that the past haunts her sleep. She also finds it hard to believe that there is an end to hunger, but then she is surrounded by food. She thinks on how, when her life was normal and she was wealthy and happy, she expected to be punished. She sees that she indeed was punished. The hardships God put her through have made her better. God has shown her that riches and comforts are superficial and of no importance. She has learned perspective: when she feels disturbed by minor inadequacies she remembers her time in captivity and is grateful for her freedom. "Stand still and see the salvation of the lord" (exodus 14.13).