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Book Review Of The Sovereignty And Goodness Of God By Mary Rowlandson

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A Preface to the Reader: The Sovereignty and Goodness of God is a factual captivity narrative of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. She has authored and narrated her days of captivity by the Narraganset Native Americans for about three months in 1675 during King Philip's (Metacom's) War, in her point of view. The work opens with a preface and introduction and then categorized into twenty removes, which clearly explains the removal of Rowlandson by the group in which she is held captive from place to place. The preface was written by an anonymous Puritan minister Increase Mather. He had provided the motives of the Narragansett’s attack in that preface. On February 1, 1675, the Narragansett in Nipmuc country were attacked by the United Colonies of New England …show more content…

Rowlandson clearly describes the Narragansett’s' attack on Lancaster, which took place on February 10, 1675. She says that they arrived at sunrise and killed men, women, and children and burnt houses as they move on. Thirty-seven people were in the Rowlandson battalion or garrison. As the garrison was set on fire, Rowlandson and her children were forced to run away into the gunfire. Rowlandson and her youngest daughter Sarah were injured by the bullets. Her brother-in-law, nephew, and sister all were all killed in the trial. Twelve out of the thirty-seven in the garrison were killed, one escapes, and twelve, including Mrs. Rowlandson and her children, were taken captive. Mrs. Rowlandson was separated from her other two children and taken away with the wounded Sarah she carried. Rowlandson and Sarah were made to spend their first night in a dumped house near the town. When Mrs. Rowlandson asked if she could stay in the house for the night, the Native Americans replied, "What will you love English men still?"- Pg - 8. The Native Americans have told her that they would kill her husband on his return to Lancaster, and her life might be taken at any moment. As the culture and the lifestyle of the Native Americans were new to Rowlandson, she compared their singing, dancing, and cooking of plundered animals like horses, cattle, sheep, swine, calves, lambs, roasting-pigs, and fowls to hell. She worried over

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