Mary Rowlandson: The Captive Voice

Author Information

Elizabeth Scarbrough

Abstract/Description

The arrival of the Puritans in Massachusetts, the ensuing relationship they developed with the Native Americans and its deterioration over the following years are historical facts that are commonly known, but the reality that numerous women and children were kidnapped for ransom in the years referred to as “King Philip’s War” might surprise many Americans. In fact, on February 20, 1676, in the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts, along with several of her neighbors, Mary Rowlandson and her young daughter were violently ambushed, torn from their homes, and taken hostage by a multi-tribal band of Indians. She was ransomed and released in early May. Several years later she penned the details of her experience.

Note on the Author

Elizabeth (Betsy) Scarbrough is an English major with a concentration in writing and a minor in Art. She will graduate in the spring of 2012. This essay was written for Dr. Ann Brunjes’s Early American Literature class.

Recommended Citation

Scarbrough, Elizabeth (2011). Mary Rowlandson: The Captive Voice. Undergraduate Review, 7, 121-125.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol7/iss1/23

Rights Statement

Articles published in The Undergraduate Review are the property of the individual contributors and may not be reprinted, reformatted, repurposed or duplicated, without the contributor’s consent.