The Blurred Line Between Civilization and Savagery
Even though Rowlandson’s forced journey from civilization into the
wilderness culminates in a triumphant return to civilization, her once-clear
conception of what is and is not “civilized” undergoes a radical and
permanent shift. Initially, Rowlandson views civilization as that which is
not savage or not wilderness, and at times she implies that the Indians’
savagery is actually connected to the natural world around them. The Indians
eat coarse food such as horse meat and bear, they live in wigwams, and they
spend their days traveling through forests and swamps. As a result, she
speculates, they are violent savages. Later, however, similarities between
the Indians and the settlers become more apparent. Wettimore is as vain as a
rich white woman, “praying Indians” claim to have converted to Christianity,
and Indians sometimes wear the colonists’ clothing. Rowlandson also
recognizes her own capacity for uncivilized behavior. She finds herself
eating and enjoying the Indians’ food, and at times she behaves with a
callousness comparable to that of her captors. No longer are civilization
and savagery so distinct. Rowlandson’s initial vision of the world as a
place defined by opposites (good and evil, civilization and savagery,
Puritans and Indians) eventually gives way to a worldview that contains more
ambiguity.
Life Is Uncertain
The attack on Lancaster and Rowlandson’s subsequent captivity teach
Rowlandson that life is short and nothing is certain. All of the seeming
stability of life, including material possessions, can disappear without
warning, even during a single day. Rowlandson’s descriptions of her time
with the Indians reinforce this lesson: nothing, during her captivity, is
consistent. One day, her captors treat her well, while the next day they
give her no food or reprimand her without reason. One day, they tell her
she’ll soon be sold to her husband; the next day, she is forced to travel
farther into the wilderness. In her captive state, Rowlandson can take
nothing for granted. She does not even know for sure if she’ll survive the
experience.
The Centrality of God’s Will
As a Puritan, Rowlandson believes that God’s grace and providence
shape the events of the world. She and other Puritans also believe that God
arranges things for a purpose. Throughout her narrative, Rowlandson argues
that humans have no choice but to accept God’s will and attempt to make
sense of it. Rowlandson’s attempt to understand involves drawing parallels
between her own situation and biblical verses. She compares herself to Job,
to the Israelites, and to Daniel in the lion’s den, among others. Like these
biblical figures, she is at the mercy of God’s will and grace. Everything in
her narrative, she believes, happens for a reason, and the reason British
troops do not defeat the Indians sooner is that the Puritans have not yet
learned their lesson. They are not humble and pious enough for the reward of
victory.
The Fear of the New World
In her narrative, Rowlandson explores the fearful hesitation white
settlers feel in the face of new environments and experiences. Rowlandson,
like other Puritans, is unsure how far the colonists should forge into the
wilds. Lancaster is a frontier settlement, and the attack serves as a sign
that perhaps the settlers are pushing too far west, too far from their
established towns. However, Rowlandson goes still farther inland when she is
taken captive, and her experience brings her even further from what she
knows. She and other captives, such as Robert Pepper, are able to amass
practical knowledge about the natural world during their time with the
Indians. Rowlandson learns to gather food for herself and to tolerate meats
that would formerly have repulsed her. Though this practical knowledge is
positive, it also brings anxiety and guilt because Rowlandson fears leaving
“civilization” behind.
