The Attack on Lancaster
The attack on Lancaster, described as a fiery inferno, represents
God’s wrath and the strife and chaos of King Philip’s War as a whole. When
Rowlandson describes the start of the attack, she writes that “several
houses were burning, and the smoke ascending to heaven.” This image of smoke
rising to heaven suggests ritual sacrifice and emphasizes that this attack
has religious meaning and is more than just a random or political attack.
Robert Pepper’s Oak Leaves
The oak leaves, which Robert Pepper helps Rowlandson use to heal her
wound, suggest the positive potential of nature. In addition to being a
dangerous temptation, the natural world can also be a means of curing a
person’s ills. One must be taught, however, how to use nature’s bounty, and
God must be willing to provide assistance as well. That the natural world
proves to be a source of healing is also a threat to Rowlandson, since she
has always linked the wilderness with savagery, not civilization. These
healing leaves help Rowlandson develop a different, more ambiguous
perspective on the world.
The Indians’ Clothing
The Indians Rowlandson encounters often dress in the colonists’
clothes. Sometimes this is a sign that the Indians are converts to
Christianity, but at other times it signifies their savagery, since the
clothes are from enemies they have killed and towns they have ransacked. The
Indian in British clothes, then, suggests the unreliability of outward
appearances. Though the Indians may look civilized, Rowlandson
suspects—though she is not certain—that they are still savages underneath.
