Mary Rowlandson

            The Sovereignty and Goodness of god, a narrative by Mary Rowlandson, is a first person account though the eyes of a Puritan woman. In this narrative, Rowlandson shows a bias against the Indians because of her Puritan background. She gives both physical and cultural descriptions of the Indians but to overcome death she must change her way of life and adapt to survive.
             The Puritans first made their way to the New World because of religious persecution which resulted in an "alienation" toward their country. Mary White was a good Puritan woman who had a first class reputation because she came from a wealthy economic background and had married a minister, John Rowlandson. Unfortunately, there was ever increasing tension between the new settlers and the Native Americans. There were two causes for war to breakout amongst these two sides. The first, results from the rapidly increasing number of settlers moving onto the land which the Indians currently occupied. Secondly, the English perceived the Indians as savage beasts and heathens, and they saw fit to convert them to the Puritan Faith. Before long, the war was brought to Mary's home, where she and her children were dragged away into the wilderness as captives by the Indians. Others were not so fortunate and were savagely burned to death inside the house or brutally butchered as they came running out of the burning inferno. (pg. 69).
             Being a Puritan woman, Mary believed all events which took place because it was the will of God. If you were to become sick and die it would be portrayed as punishment from God for the sins which have been committed. Mary explains her captivity as a test of her faith from God. If she could keep her beliefs and stand against the black creatures, than she would be accepted as one of God's children. Many of the settlers shared the same common value system in which devotion to God will achieve salvation. The Puritans also saw it their right to convert the Indians to Christianity.