Indian Captivity Narratives Versus Slave Narratives Essay

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Christianity Upon Mary Rowlandson's Captivity Narrative And Frederick Douglass's Slave Narrative

Both A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass are first-person nonfictional accounts of the individual's encounter with an 'other' that captures them and holds them hostage. Rowlandson's 17th century narrative tells of her abduction by Native Americans during King Phillips' War and her eventual return to white civilization. Douglass was born a slave in the 19th century American South and inhabited the 'double consciousness' of African-Americans. Unlike Rowlandson, he had no memory of a world in which he was a social equal, rather he was told virtually from birth that he was inferior and belonged to another human being as property, not to himself. Both authors use religion as an important connecting thread in their narratives but Rowlandson views her captivity and release as an example of God's providence while Douglass views slavery as exemplifying the institutions' perversion of Christianity and Christian instincts.

Rowlandson remarks how one of the Indians gave her a Bible, which she regards as a direct sign from God. No matter how severe her trials, even when she thinks about her "poor children, who were scattered up and down among the wild beasts of the forest," when she "opened my Bible to read" and sees the words "they shall come again from the land of the enemy" (Jeremiah 31.16)" she views God as giving "a sweet cordial" to her that enables her to persevere (Rowlandson 4). Rowlandson never blames God for her plight, she merely thanks him for the comforts he is able to extend her.

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Rowlandson's attitude to reading the Bible is one of forbearance in the face of suffering as God directs her to certain passages to read to keep up her emotional strength while Douglass describes the religious songs of slaves as "a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains" (Douglass 14).

Rowlandson believes she has little recourse other than to accept her captors' actions and to trust in the providence of God: "Oh, that we could believe that there is nothing too hard for God! God showed His power over the heathen in this, as He did over the hungry lions when Daniel was cast into the den" (Rowlandson 20). Unlike the passive Rowlandson, Douglass sees slavery as perverting the souls of….....

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