In Indian Captivity Narratives, typically a white woman, who is of European descent, is kidnapped and held captive by American Indians who consider her to be uncivilized and of the wrong beliefs. These narratives, which typically are autobiographical, capture the interest of readers and create reactions of shock, empathy, and inspiration. Narratives as such anticipate popular fiction, especially romance, and prefigure gothic literature with the “depictions of Indian as dark, hellish, cunning, and unpredictable” (Campbell, 2015). One of the more popular captivity narratives was based on Mary White Rowlandson and her eleven-week captivity.
Mary White, later known as Mary White Rowlandson, was born in 1637 in Somerset, England.…