Analysis Of Mary Rowlandson And The Foundational Mythology Of The American Hero

In her 2005 essay, “Mary Rowlandson and the Foundational Mythology of the American Frontier Hero,” Denise MacNeil contends that Mary Rowlandson is one of the original heroes in American Literature. This claim is particularly interesting because the typical “American hero” is most often associated with a masculine character, but MacNeil suggests that one of the earliest heroes was female. She uses Joseph Campbell’s universal “heroic cycle” as evidence that Rowlandson does in fact go through the necessary stages to be qualified as a hero. MacNeil notes that in the first step of the cycle, the “hero” must be summoned from everyday life to take part in a special quest. She also explains that the hero is typically hesitant to embark on the journey,

She states that the boons Rowlandson must bring back are some aspects of Native American life, particularly their toughness and survival skills. Specifically, MacNeil cites a section of Rowlandson’s novel when she and the Native Americans cross a river. The Native Americans are able to easily move women, elders, and children across the river, while their young, male, American pursuers are halted by the same river. MacNeil claims that through this experience Rowlandson gained an understanding of one of the major shortcomings of her American counterparts which she must address when she is released from

Or at least not for the reasons MacNeil gives. Rowlandson doesn’t author her book to call attention to the lessons she learned from Native Americans, she writes her book to call attention to the lessons she learned from God. In her novel, Rowlandson states time and again that she believed her journey was directed by God, and even cites scripture numerous times to get her point across. Besides choosing another way to interpret Rowlandson’s story, MacNeil doesn’t even acknowledge the story’s religious theme in her