Faith, Family, and Forbearance

In her work entitled A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (1682), Mary Rowlandson of the Massachusetts Bay Colony describes her experience of being captured and kept prisoner by a group of Algonquian Indians for 11 weeks. As she relates this history, Rowlandson provides readers with a detailed account of the thoughts, emotions, and opinions she has while in captivity. Throughout this captivity, Rowlandson shows a remarkable faith and trust in God. This faith seems to experience a transformation during her time of imprisonment, from not being of great importance to her at the beginning of the history, to growing greatly through this trial. Further, Rowlandson’s faith seems to have an influence on how she views her family and the pain she experiences in regard to them, because of her great love for them. Rowlandson’s faith also teaches her the ability to adapt, even in times of great difficulty, and it helps her to develop the quality of forbearance. Finally, Rowlandson’s faith seems to grow through her experience of Indian captivity. Throughout her captivity, Mary Rowlandson’s faith experiences a progression as she turns to the Bible for help; her faith helps her face the tragedies in her family, it teaches her lessons about patience, and it grows stronger as a result of her experience