Sarah Haskins' Discussion Question 11/27-11/30
Remember to have read Charlotte Temple for this week's discussion. There will be a quiz over the book and be sure to bring questions about the next paper to class as well.
Compare the experiences of Charlotte Temple and the purpose of the author Susanna Rowson with the captivity narrative of Mary Rowlandson we read earlier this semester. What are their similarities and differences and how can you account for these? Some themes to think about might be: experiences of women in early America (account for different time periods), role of religion or "morality," theme of women in danger, "moral" of the narrative, etc. Be creative with this--I'm not necessarily looking for a specific answer. I just want you to think about how the American experience had (or had not) changed from King Philip's War to Revolutionary America.
Compare the experiences of Charlotte Temple and the purpose of the author Susanna Rowson with the captivity narrative of Mary Rowlandson we read earlier this semester. What are their similarities and differences and how can you account for these? Some themes to think about might be: experiences of women in early America (account for different time periods), role of religion or "morality," theme of women in danger, "moral" of the narrative, etc. Be creative with this--I'm not necessarily looking for a specific answer. I just want you to think about how the American experience had (or had not) changed from King Philip's War to Revolutionary America.
posted by shask at 6:24 PM
39 Comments:
Looking at the experiences of Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson, there can be quite a few things interpreted from them.Depending on one's viewpoint, the number of similarities and differences may vary between the two women.In my opinion...The similarities in the two women's experiences is that they were shown to be struggling in their lives, and the hardships they were having could be traced back to men.In Charlotte Temple, there are numerous times that we see women suffering.Charlotte,for instance, was coerced to move to America with a man named Montraville who claimed to love her.Running off with this man, Charlotte left her family and her comforts in Britian behind(Chapter 11), risking it all for the one who "loved her".Unfortunately, Charlotte found out the hard way that men could not be trusted.She ended up pregnant(pg 85) and alone in a strange country after Montraville decides that he has a deeper affection for Mrs. Franklin.In Mary Rowlandson's narrative, as recalled, she is taken as a captive and suffered horrible experiences in a foreign place.And who can we expect to be the culprit?Of course noneother than men;the Indians.This is yet another similarity of the women's hardships.
Religion was also a similarity in their experiences.Both women were women of faith.Charlotte, however, wasn't as solid in hers as Mary Rowlandson was as seen when she abandons everything, including her family, to run away with a man she barely knew.Rowlandson was quite contrary.It was recorded that she had a strong faith in God and prayed constantly.
The melodramatic nature of both of these stories is also yet another thing they have in common.In Mary Rowlandson's narrative, it is almost captivating and entertaining how descriptive and sorrowful she makes her ordeal seem.Charlotte Temple often uses melodramtic phrases like, "Oh!never!never!whilst I live can my heart's anguish cease."
The differences seen in the these are the time periods that they were written in.Charlotte Temple was published in 1794, when women were starting to have a voice and expressing themselves and their opinions in revolutionary times.The captivity narrative of Mary Rowlandson was published in 1682, years before Charlotte Temple,but still, I believe, was written to bring awareness to a certain cause.In Rowlandson's case, that Indians were not the only ones becoming forced to conform to the ways of a foreign culture,but whites like herself were as well.In Charlotte's situation, I believe her story was written to bring awareness to women in that time period and to all that they had endured.
In a sense, the American experience had not changed very much from the two different times.They both involved writings that sought to spark awareness among the people.As we've learned, that awareness was carried a little further with the revolution as women and other undrepresented groups began to speak up.
Overall, I do believe both stories are similar for the most part.They both have a purpose to bring awareness to a cause, and are stories about women and the hardships they've faced.
At the time when Susanna Rowson wrote Charlotte Temple, women's roles in society had not really changed that much since Mary Rowlandson. Their lives pretty much relied on and revolved around men. Charlotte was a good girl with a lot to offer and a lot of potential. She was told by Montraville that he loved her and wanted to take her to America so they could get married. Charlotte not knowing if she would get another chance to meet another man like Montraville, decides to leave her family and friends and go with Montraville to America. While she is in America, her life totally revolves around him. He gets to go out, work, and socialize while she stays at home by herself. Her only other source to talk to is Montraville's sleezy friend Belcour. After being in America for awhile, Montraville finds another girl named Julia Franklin whom he falls in love with. He is now in love with Julia and he leaves Charlotte so he can marry her. This is horrible because now Charlotte is left all to herself in a strange land. You can compare her story with that of Mary Rowlandson. They were both put into a situation where neither one of them had any power or choices. Mary Rowlandson's case is different because she was malnurited and wasn't given everything she needed to live a healthy life. However, both women were in a territory which they knew nothing of. This went on to hurt both of them because Mary couldn't escape easily and Charlotte could barely live on her own after Montraville left. In the 1790s when this book came out women were still thought of as property. When they grew to a certain age, they were expected to give up everything they had and follow the man. Today women have alot more opportunities and are given the chances to prove themselves in life.
Mary Rowlandson and Charlotte Temple both led unfortunate lives. Mary Rowlandson was a puritan who was captured by Indians during King Phillip’s War. During her captivity she lived in horrible conditions and suffered starvation and depression. She saw the murder of her friends and the death of her daughter Sarah. Mary stated, “ I had often before this said that if the Indians should come, I should chose rather to be killed then to be taken alive but when it came to the tryal my mind change; their glittering weapons daunted my spirit.” Mary lived through these awful conditions due to her faith. Mary believed her faith in God would eventually set her free. Unlike Mary, Charlotte was not able to go back home. Charlotte Temple was a young girl who fell in love with a man. She followed her love to America along with her friend. When she did this she left behind family and friends that loved her dearly. When they arrived in America, her friend was married away. She was left with her love. Eventually, her love left her for another woman. Charlotte wound up pregnant with no money. She eventually had no place to stay because she was so poor. She lived horrible conditions. Charlotte ended up getting really sick, and eventually died. Her baby survived and was given to her father who made it to see her before her death. Both of these two women endured great hardship. Mary lived, while Charlotte did not. Mary was a puritan, where the role of religion played a big factor in her life. Puritans wanted to spread their religion onto everyone. Puritans did not marry based on love. Unlike Mary, Charlotte was able to choose who to love. The role of religion did not have a big factor in deciding who she was to marry. Charlotte was treated unfairly by the man she loved. He left her in this unfamiliar country, which ultimately led her to death.
During the time from King Phillip’s War to the Revolutionary America women’s roles have changed slightly, but not enough to make a drastic change. Women were given rights, but they didn’t get everything. It wasn’t until 1920, that women were allowed to vote. During King Phillip’s War, Puritans believed that women should not marry for love. They were forced to marry whoever was best suited for them. When Puritan women were married, the man was the head of the house. The idea of patriarchy existed. As time progressed to the Revolutionary America, women were able to gain more freedom. They were able to do this by being able to marry for love. Charlotte had lots of freedom and chose who to love. Charlotte however, was tricked and seduced. Women in general were still not treated with respect yet, but I think that Susanna Rowson was trying to get the word out to women that they have rights and can have freedom.
Both Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson have similar and differences experience that they went through. They both went through hardship, Charlotte Temple was abandoned by and man while she was pregnant and Mary Rowlandson was held captive by the Native tribes. They both were lost in places that were not familiar with and they both had no one that was looking for them. Both Charlotte and Mary went through hardships of women suffering. There faith in God was the same, while Mary Rowlandson stayed close to God while she was captive. She thought that God was the reason why she was there; he was challenging her to stay alive and do the best that she could.
One difference that I can see is theses stories happen at different time periods, it’s weird to me that two women can go through similar experience and it was such a different time. They were almost one hundred years apart. Even though theses two stories are a time period apart, they still write about the terrible events that they went through, and teach about the awareness they learned. I believe that these two stories are more similar than different.
The experiences of Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson are portrayed both similarly and differently. They are alike under the theme of "women in danger". Both women are in a sense, "trapped" and cannot go back to their home and their family. Also, neither of the women really tried to escape. Both stayed and acted miserably during their time of captivity despite being treated fairly well. Neither of them were hurt during their time spent away from home. Charlotte Temple went through hard times with her pregnancy and being dumped but she got through it and was able to finally see her father. They were different because of the time periods in which they were written. Mary Rowlandson's story was much more action-packed with her stories of fighting off Indians. There is even a common picture showing her with a gun! Even though she most likely did not have a gun with her for defense, it shows the kind of drama that was added. Charlotte Temple was less filled with action and more filled with girly drama. It had a lot more to do with her relationships with people she met and how she acted.
Overall, the stories coincided very well with one another even though they were written at very different times.
Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson were both important novels back in the early years of America, designed to sway the readers into believing greatly exaggerated versions of the truth. These two books were based on completely different topics, yet strived for the same effect on their readers. Susan Rowson, the author of Mary Rowlandson, wanted her audience to fear the Indians and see them as savages and menaces as a political statement against the Natives. Charlotte Temple was a less brutal book designed, like Rowlandson, to attack something except it wasn’t a physical thing, like Indians or Brits. Instead Charlotte Temple was written around the time that young Americans were engaging in premarital sex throughout the country. Sons and Daughters were not receiving land from their fathers so families could not keep a strong grasp on their children like previous families could and kids began having sex outside of wedlock because there were no consequences. Charlotte Temple was written as a way to combat premarital sex by completely exaggerating all the consequences of this unspeakable crime. In the book, almost every character who was involved in the story line died a slow tragic death when everyone knows in real life, you don’t die and kill everyone around you from having sex. But the idea was the same as Mary Rowlandson, scare everyone into believing what the authors wrote. These books were both references to what was going on around the time periods these were written. Rowlandson showed the national scare of the Indians in early America, while Charlotte Temple showed the problem with the forming of Liberal America and changes in society.
In general, not too many things changed from the time of Mary Rowlandson to Charlotte Temple. Both of these stories are similar. They both ran off with the people they "loved" expecting to be happy forever. Charlotte Temple ran off with Montraville after knowing in her heart that is was not the thing to do because she was not brought up that way. After many evenings with her lover she went to America with him and was left by the very person she thought loved her so much. Rowlandson's story is almost the same...ran off with her "lover" to be together forever and was abandoned like Charlotte. Both women lived in extreme poverty and nowhere to go. One difference is at least Rowlandson was more a woman of faith; having a Puritan background.
However, Rowlandson did not die in the end unlike Charlotte. At this time in history (even though there is over 100 years between the books) it seemed as if kids were starting to want to "challenge" the way they were brought up. Go with what they think would be good for them instead of their parents. They wanted to explore the world on their own, not simply be told what it was like. Women at this time did not really have that many rights. Of course, women had more power (Such as Mrs. Clayton in Charlotte's Temple) depending on who they married and how wealthy he was but still did not have much say. So we can see that during this time period nothing really changed about women's rights. They were supposed to follow the man and whatever he said was right.
Charlotte and Mary both had a similar experience. Both women were thrown into a situation that they had no control over and were forced to deal with the circumstances of the lifestyle that was thrown at them. Charlotte did slightly lead herself into her horror by leaving her comfort zone with Montraville even though she knew she was not raised in a manner that would support her decision. Both women ended up in poverty with nowhere to go or a single person looking for them. However, Charlotte did not have the same religious views as Mary did. Mary was convinced her experience was a test given to her by God. Another difference was that Mary managed to survive her hardship as apposed to Charlotte who did not make it.
Even though the stories happen almost a hundred years apart during a time in history when only a few years mean many changes, the woman had extremely similar experiences. The times were different in many ways but the fact that women were still not respected or given the rights they are today was the same.
Charlotte Temple’s story is very similar to that of Mary Rowlandson’s. Both women were in essence kidnapped from their homes and families. Mary was actually taken against her will while Charlotte went willingly after being seduced and led under false pretences. Once they were delivered to their destinations both met with despair and sorrow. Mary had to bear the losses of her family members including children. Charlotte had to bear the plague of solitude with no friends or family to comfort her. Both tales are strewn with misery and tears.
Although these stories are written in different time periods there are many things that are similar about them. They are both over dramatic and neither one of these situations happened very often. Women didn’t just run off to America with a man they had just met a week or so ago and although there were many recorded cases of Indians taking prisoners into their tribes it was still not very common. This though is probably what made both of these books so popular. In both books the women are being mistreated and have a lot of problems that they have to overcome. Charlotte went to a boarding school and had church everyday (when they found she was missing it was because she was not attending prayer). Mary was also a very religious woman. I believe this was because in that time period that is the type of women that most who would be reading the book could relate to. In both stories the women have to save themselves. I think both books essentially have the same message about women getting themselves into trouble and the drama that goes along with it.
The stories of Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson have similarities and differences. The major difference I observed was that Mary Rowlandson was captured and forced to leave, and Charlotte Temple left on her own will. Even though Charlotte had large influences on her decision, it was ultimately her choice to go to America. With that said, there are also some similarities. Both Mary Rowlandson and Charlotte Temple were influenced strongly by their religion and kept living a moral life in high regards. Both women were in some form of danger as they were each in new places, with little possesions and no companions to comfort them through hard times. The moral of each narrative is also similar. Morality is seen as a theme in each story and both women try to lives their lives to in the most moral way possible.
The novels "Charlotte Temple" and "Mary Rowlandson" both centered around female characters who were taken captive. Mary Rowlandson was taken captive in a more literal sense, while Charlotte Temple was taken captive in a figurative way by her infatuation with Montraville. Both of these women were helpless in their situations and incapable of taking care of themselves. Charlotte depended on Montraville to take care of her, and when he left she was alone and in a foreign land with no one to protect her. Mary Rowlandson was taken captive by indians and counted on them to provide her with the essentials to live. She was in a foreign place with unfamiliar people too, and she was unable to take care of herself. The portrayal of women in these stories is essentially the same. Though they were written in different time periods, the stories show the general view of women as weak and needing of a man to look after them. The differences in these stories has to do with the morals. The moral of Rowlandson's story is not to trust the indians, while the moral of Temple's story is not to trust men. Also, religon plays a much larger role in Rowlandson's story than in Temple's.
There are many similarities bewteen Mary Rowlandson and Charlotte Temple. Both women chould trace the majority of their problems back to the men in their lives. Both women were taken against their will and forced to live in a strange place. Charlotte Temple was fooled into following her seducer, Montraville who, in the end got her pregnant and then left her to fend for herself while he married another women. Charlotte was far away from everyone who cared about her, her family and her friends. Mary Rowlandson was also taken as a captive by the Indians and forced to live in a strange place, under difficult circumstances. Both women had lived very religious, faithful lives. However Charlotte bean to fall away from the faith the further from home she got. When both of these stories were written, women were not in high positions in society. Men had complete control over women and women were given no voice, no chance to stand up for themselves. This is completely different from our world today. Women are now able to be in positions over men, rightfully speak their ideas and women have been given a voice in society.
The two stories about Mary Rowlandson and Charlotte Temple have similarities and differences. The similarities are that both women were taken by force and put in situations they didn't want to be in. Mary was taken captive and forced to live with the Indians. Charlotte was forcably seduced into leaving her family and friends with a man she barely knew and taken to America and left to fend for herself. The differences are that Charlotte had some control over her situation in that she knew what she was doing was wrong but let herself be convinced into doing it anyway while Mary had no choice in the matter and was just taken prisoner. Both women went through hardship but while Mary survived, Charlotte's hardship cost her her life.
In one way the book Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative are very similar. For one they both deal with young women who are learning to live on their own in a new cultural. In both cases this new culture is totally foreign and they don’t know what to do. I feel that both authors were trying to warn young ladies to watch out when they come into these new cultures of Indian life and early America. They are however, different in that in Charlotte Temple, Charlotte ends up dying at the end and the book is much more emotional than the narrative of Mary Rowlandson as she was pretty much telling how it was. Both authors exaggerated some stuff and items to help sale more copies and to get fans.
Both of these stories are focused on young ladies because in this time period between about 1650 and 1820 females often struggled in this developing society trying to find their place. Along with this new society were the questions of morality and how they should act among others. For example, in Charlotte Temple, Charlotte is struggling with the idea of going to America because she does not believe it is completely right. In both cases the moral of the story is for young women to be cautious in the decisions they make in the new society that was evolving in America at this time period.
Really overall the situation had only changed a little in terms of the American experience between King Philip’s War in the 1670’s and the Revolutionary War in the 1770’s. I mean society had grown and evolved a little, but in both time frames young females often struggled with their place in the society and what exactly they should do with their lives. By the American Revolution females were starting to stand up for themselves and come up with their own identity. However, there was still a need and a want to read about the horror stories in order to be prepared for what could happen. Really this was the beginning of how modern novels are written in which the author tries to pull you in and then have a climax near the end or a surprise.
The development of American society was slow as it had many aspects that had come together from different cultures and areas all over the world. Due to this it was often a difficult area for young people and all people alike to come to and adjust to. It is not as evident in our society today as America is more of a melting pot and women have found their niche in society. Plus, they have more rights than they did during the American Revolution. It is through these authors’ works that women started to express themselves and push for rights.
Although Charlotte Temple and the Mary Rowlandson narrative are about different things, there are many similarities between the two pieces of literature. One of these main similarities is the theme of women being in danger, and these women coping with new lives in very new and different cultures. They are both, in a sense, warning women of the dangers of abandoning what you believe in. After falling in love with Montraville, Charlotte Temple proceeds to move to America, leaving behind her friends, family, and everything else she had grown up with. However, this central idea of abandonment is portrayed once more when Montraville has a new love and abandons Charlotte and their unborn child. She experiences hardships and sorrow basically until the time of her death. These ideas can be related to Mary Rowlandson, also, but the main difference being the free will of Charlotte’s decision to go to America versus Rowlandson’s unwanted captivity. She was taken by the American Indians and also experienced much trauma. They beat Rowlandson and her children, and made life basically miserable. The similarities between the works stress almost a warning for women to be cautious with their decisions. Disregarding other themes in Charlotte Temple such as sexuality, the idea of women in danger is a main concept that is shared between the novel and the Mary Rowlandson narrative.
The characters of Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson were both similar and different in many ways. The most obvious similarities were the their emotions. Both were overcome with emotions when encountering hardship. Rowlandson almost over-exaggerated her situation it seems because of her effusive grief at being captured. Charlotte expressed excessive grief at falling into dissipation. I believe this shows the portrayal of women in early America; sometimes irrational creatures who when left without proper guidance or lost or ruined. This view comes from the patriarchal society of the time. The other obvious similarity is their closeness to God. Though Charlotte strayed, both saw God as their salvation in the end. Rowlandson believed God would save her and bring her home to her family and Charlotte looked to God for forgiveness as she lay on her deathbed and asked to see a clergyman.
The most obvious difference between to two was the role of free will. Rowlandson viewed her capture as entirely not her fault and placed the blame entirely on the Indians. This indirectly shows the lack of free will women were supposed to have in colonial America. Still being part of the British culture, Rowlandson was probably used to submitting to all authority figures, especially male. Temple displayed a somewhat more free person, though still restricted. Her choices in life were ultimately her own, those she was still guided by her parents some of the time and Montraville when she eloped. This shows a slow growth of woman's rights that came about especially after the Revolutionary War.
Though Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson are both victims of bad situations due to events they could not control; I see very little else in common. Charlotte Temple chooses to leave England and come to America with a man she thinks she loves; although America is foreign to her, she still chose to leave her home and come with her love. It is only after he leaves her for another woman that she feels truly alone and is therefore lonely/in a foreign place because she has been abandoned after making a poor decision. Mary Rowlandson however, was a captive and was forced into a foreign situation with foreign people. She was not the victim of a failed romance and resents her captors, putting all her will into her faith. Overall, Charlotte Temple had her mind more on romance while Rowlandson had her mind on her faith.
The experiences of Charlotte Temple as told by Susanna Rowson and the captivity narrative of Mary Rowlandson share many similarities. The most evident being that they were both taken from their family and friends into an unfamiliar place where they knew almost no one. The means by which they left, however, differed. Temple left with Montraville, the man whom she thought she would marry upon arrival in America. Rowlandson was taken prisoner by the Indians during King Philip’s War and was treated horribly during her captivity. Both women also faced the role of religion and morality, Rowlandson more than Temple. Temple felt guilty for leaving her beloved parents and as though she had betrayed them. She felt that they could never forgive her for her elopement. She sobbed constantly because of this and also because of Montraville’s denial of love towards her. Rowlandson felt as if God was punishing her in some way. She was constantly praying and urging others to do the same. It was this faith that ultimately helped her survive the captivity. In addition, both narratives were overly dramatic. Both women were so grief stricken that the reader observes an overly dramatic story – one that is sometimes difficult to not see the biasness of the women and makes the reader question if he is getting the full and correct story. The reader also observes the time periods in which each narrative takes place. During Temple’s time, women are beginning to earn more rights, especially in Revolutionary America. They can make more decisions for themselves and things that would have been seen as “morally corrupt” in Rowlandson’s time are more common, such as Temple and Madame La Rue’s open conversations and defiance of authority. Overall, the two women share many similarities that make the reader question, once again, just how much America had changed in a century.
Both Mary Rowlandson and Susanna Rowson were women who were in “danger” and in peril. Through different ways and instances, these women had to endure hardship during completely different time periods in American history. While Rowlandson’s interpretation and writing of the Indian captive narrative is seen as a mold for all other action novels, Rowson’s life has many similarities. In early America, times were portrayed as very rough for women and in most cases they were treated as unequal to men. In Rowson’s story readers see first hand how her premarital pregnancy led to her getting viewed even more poorly by society. Because of her situation she had to endure even more hardships. Rowson is trying to get people to realize the rough times some women had to go through due to oppression. In Rowlandson’s narrative, she speaks heavily of how she was scared and felt uncomfortable with the acts of the Indians. The way these women were oppressed at these important times in American history reflect the views of some even today.
Susanna Rowson wrote the story of Charlotte temple for a completely different reason than Mary Rowlandson wrote her captivity narrative. I see that most people believe that the two were mostly alike but I see that they are very different. Mary was forced out of her home and taken away whereas Charlotte was given a choice to go with the man that "loved" her or stay with her family. And she did exactly as any other naive young person would've done in her shoes and went with the man. She eventually found that to be a mistake and ended up pregnant and alone. Susanna Rowson's intentions for writing this book were along the lines of arming the women of the world with the means and knowledge to flea themselves from the confines of the evil men out there. She thought that if she showed the world what happened to her that maybe someone would learn from her mistakes and not take the route that she had. Mary's captivity narrative had been more of a summary of her captivity and a way to show her "inner-light" to everyone of her readers. The role of religion was more evident in the Rowlandson story. She had only stayed in the village because she believed that it was God's way of testing her faith, whereas Temple had nowhere else to run to.
The situations of Mary Rowlandson and Charlotte Temple are quite similar. Mary Rowlandson was captured by the Indians and brought to a place that she was not familiar with. The same situation took place in Charlotte’s life. Charlotte gave up her life for the love of a man, Montraville, believing that she might not find love like that again. Montraville persuaded her to leave her family in Britain and set sail with him to America. Montraville ended up falling in love with another girl by the name of Miss Franklin. Montraville left Charlotte pregnant with no money. She was left by the protection of only herself in an unfamiliar setting. Charlotte and Mary both had to fight for their survival.
However, Charlotte and Mary do share some differences. Both of the women were religious, but Mary seemed to commit to her beliefs more than Charlotte did. Mary was also forced to go to an unfamiliar place. Charlotte, on the other hand, made her own decision. She followed her instincts in believing that Montraville could very well be the love of her life, which she didn’t want to miss out on. Unfortunately, these dreams didn’t work out for Charlotte.
I don’t believe that the roles of women really changed much between King Philip’s War and Revolutionary America. However, the roles of women in today’s society are definitely different from these two time periods. But even though the roles may have changed, women still battle struggles from the treatment of men. A woman getting pregnant then left to depend on herself has become quite popular in today’s time. Despite Mary’s and Charlotte’s different time periods, they still struggled for their survival because of the treatment of men. Now, it is merely the question if these struggles will eventually change or continue throughout our American History.
For Mary Rowlandson, there was perhaps less freedom, but Charlotte Temple was still not especially able to do whatever she pleased. She was free enough to leave her country and travel to America, but she was never independent enough to really do what she may have wished. Her entire story almost centers around the fact that she was always dependent on someone, and when they neglect her or betray her, she is helpless. Rowlandson was by no means entirely independent, but she was certainly more independent than Charlotte Temple, in that she sought to change the situation she was in by escaping.
Another important difference is how they got into their bad situation. Charlotte Temple does it by choice, whereas Rowlandson is forced into it. This is important because it goes along very well with how they got out of their situations. Rowlandson was forced into a bad situation, and then forced her way back out. Perhaps being forced into the situation made her into a more independent person, or maybe she already was an independent person, and the only way she would get into a bad situation like that would be by force. Temple, on the other hand, was easily convinced to embark on a journey that she even knew was a bad idea, and then did almost nothing to try to get out of it. If she had been forced into the journey, she might have felt some drive to escape.
Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson had many things in common when it came to the difficulties they had to face in their life, how they had set their life based around men and how they were truly tested to see if they could survive the obstacles life through at them. As mentioned earlier in the semester Mary Rowlandson lived in a time of King Phillip’s War in which women had absolutely no say in what happened in their life. They were to listen and obey everything their husband said with no arguments. In that time women only married for economical reasons and never for love as Charlotte Temple did. Religion also played a big factor in the life of Mary as she was a wife of a preacher and was a fully devoted Puritan she spent much of her time praying. Mary faced many hardships as she and her family were ambushed by Indians and she was eventually kidnapped by the Indians and spent many years with them in very poor conditions, she had opportunities to escape in which I don’t think the Indians would have minded as she was a very hard person to live with but, she took this imprisonment as a test/challenge from God. She thought that God would set her free eventually as long as she would stay faithful to him. On the other hand you have Charlotte Temple, a young girl who lived in a very loving family and had many caring friends got mixed up in the love at first site and soon left all her family and friends to follow her true love to America. He promised her unconditional love and happiness…but, really all he did was make her life a miserable. Soon Her “true love” left Charlotte and said he was in love another women. Charlotte was soon alone and without a job and now was pregnant…she faced many hardships as she was left in the unfamiliar new world alone and barley surviving. In Charlotte’s time period women really started marring for love and not just for better economic reasons, religion was also not a huge factor in who you could marry. Both of these women were left in unfamiliar places tested to survive alone, Mary eventually made it back to her civilization but unfortunately Charlotte was not as luck. Charlotte did give birth to her child but ended up dying.
Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson were in some ways similar, but in a lot of ways different. First and foremost, Charlotte was a fictional character and Mary Rowlandson was a real European woman forced to give up her life of comfort. The author of Charlotte Temple wrote this novel as a way to teach young women of the decietful charachters in the world and to stay true to real people who cared for them. Charlotte and Mary were also different because, though Charlotte was seduced and betrayed, still she made her own choice to leave her home and the people who cared for her. Mary Rowlandosn was kidnapped by Indians and was forced to learn her way among a culture she didn't understand and in an unfamiliar setting. Mary found ways to be strong and never gave up hope that she was going to return home some day. Charlotte on the other hand let Montraville fend for her and once he cut her off she lost herself and gave up hope as if no one loved her.
Both women were similar as far as religion. Both women had faith in the creator, but then again Charlotte strayed from her religion when she let Montraville seduce her out of wedlock. Mary Rowlandson spoke of her faith and how she prayed constantly, her only fear was that the Indians might kill her, but she still kept the faith for her son, daughter and husband. In many ways, considering the time difference, these two women were expected to be angels and follow the word of the Bible, which is why Charlotte was looked down upon by other women, because of her status of being a mistress. Mary had a totally different struggle, the struggle for her life. These two situation were similar because two women were out of their comfort zone and weren't sure if their lives would ever be the same, but Charlottes decision was by choice and could have been prevented and she never found her way home. Mary
Rowlandson kept the the faith and religion in tact, and eventually was strong enough to return home.
When comparing author, playwright, and actress Susanna Rowson’s late eighteenth century novel entitled Charlotte Temple with the captivity narrative of Mary Rowlandson, one can find they are able to make comparisons and yet find differences as well. Though these two documents were written approximately one century apart, there are similarities between the two women’s lives that may be linked to societal expectations and the roles of women in society, two aspects that had not seen much change during the time in which these documents were written. The more apparent similarity, however, is the one that is found with regard to the life circumstance that both Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson were put in when they were young women. Though their lives were very different, both Charlotte and Mary were put into unfortunate situations, and had no choice but to rely on themselves and use the strength that they had to improve their respective situations. Mary Rowlandson was a captive of a Native American tribe, one that brutally murdered many of her friends and family, and she was forced to live with them in an unfamiliar place as a captive for fear of her life. Always a woman of religion, Mary relied heavily on her faith to get her through the many difficult days and nights. Charlotte, on the other hand, left her family by choice to go to America with the man she loved, and who she believed would provide for her and care for her. Unfortunately, things did not turn out as she thought they would and she ended up abandoned by Montraville and expecting a child. In contrast to Mary, Charlotte did not depict a strong sense of morality as she left her family behind in search of a new life with Montraville. In both of these stories, the theme of superiority of men is evident as the men that came into their lives put both women into difficult situations. I also see both of these stories as empowering to women, as both Charlotte and Mary find their inner strength in times of hardship and create the best situations that they are able to make despite the unfortunate events they have had to endure.
Charlotte Temple, and Mary Rowlandson seems to be the same story, same girl different times. In Charlotte Temple, Charlotte leaves her family and friends in the pursuit of lust. She left all financial and social stability to leave for America with her one true love Montraville. Around 1792, when Charlotte Temple was written, marriage for love was becoming more common and companionship and mutual love was becoming more common rather then the family deciding with whom you engaged ralations with. The book seems like an extemist way of demeaning marriage for love. By leaving for America with Montraville Charlotte essentially gave herself to him, and became so dependent on him that when he left her for Franklin she could not support herself.
Mary Rowlandson on the other hand married based on Puritan beliefs and most likely left with her husband in the pursuit to be a good wife. She was also heavily dependent on her husband, but when she was captured she sulked, but relied on her faith to bring her through. Puritan's believed in pre destiny so she believed that was God's punishment for her.
However both of these books kind of point to the fact that woman should not rely on men, and that it's alright to be independent and strong.
Mary Rowlandson and Susana Rowson both wrote important novels regarding the struggle of women in America, but Rowlandsons was about here being tken by the natives and held in their captivity. Charlotte Temple left under her own will for America, where she was chasing her new love, Montraville. Whereas Charlotte was a believer in God but strayed from her beliefs as time went on, Rowlandson stayed close to her faith during her time of captivity, and this is due to the different circumstances that faced each woman. Overall, these two women provided their readers with good idea of what it was like to be a lost and confused woman during this time.
During the times that these stories were written, women’s roles in society revolved mainly around men. Charlotte, for example, left everything and everyone she knew to go off with Montraville because she thought that she would never see him again. While in America, she stayed at home while Montraville went out and fell in love with another woman. Then he leaves Charlotte to be with this other woman. Now Charlotte is on her own and can’t provide for herself. This is similar to the story of Mary Rowlandson in that neither of them had much power over their lives at this time and they were both in new lands with which they were unfamiliar.
The captivity narrative of Mary Rowlandson and Charlotte Temple were both pieces of work, as Alex Reinert says, meant to leave an impression on people. They both relate to changing a lifestyle radically to engage in something wanted. In the case of Charlotte Temple, it was 'spontaneous love' that forces her to leave her own country for a man she hardly knows. As for Mary Rowlandson, she believed her faith was testing her, and pushing her to see if she was worthy of salvation.
Another important similarity in both pieces is the sense of morality that is learned from the consequences of the characters' actions. In both cases, the books are meant as a way to improve ones self--by showing the ill consequences of illegitimate relationships, and by demonstrating the important of faith. The works are written in a fashion that attracted more than just the scholars and men, and these ideas spread through the general population.
While these themes existed throughout both time periods of the novels, the means by which they were conveyed differed. During the King Philip's War, the major religious beliefs were based in puritanism. In this way, Rowlandson's narrative was almost a scare tactic to force readers to believe, "or else." By the time Charlotte Temple is written, many traditional views have become more liberal, and the idea of the Enlightenment became the intent of the novels--to enrich the reader through the senses and by more supportive, inviting methods than the forceful puritan writings.
The stories of Charolette Temple and Mary Rowlandson were written years apart however, the same way of life existed. During the seventeenth and eighteenth century woman primarily focused on the men in their life. Women took care of their husbands and often depended on them to rule their lives. The two women had entered their situations in two completely different ways. Mary Rowlandson was taken out of her environment by indians and forced to completly change her way of living. Whereas, Charolette Temple chose to pick up and leave. In her quest two follow her love, Montraville to America she left behind her family in Britain. Mary Rowlandson had the drive to get out of her forced living situation in hopes of getting back to her old life. Temple does not do a thing to go back to britian once Montraville left her while she was pregnant. Temple revolved her life around the man in her life like many of the woman during the time and unfortunately was left to fend for herself, which she was not capable of doing. Both of these woman had strong religious views however enter their situations and left them in different ways.
After analyzing the life and times of Mary Rowlandson and Charlotte Temple, it is clear that women during both times went through many hardships. Women’s lives during those times revolved around men. For instance, Charlotte Temple left her family and moved to America to follow and marry a man whom she thought was the best man she would ever come across. She left everything she knew to do this and her life revolved completely around what Montraville did. While he was out, she stayed at home by her lonesome. Montraville ended up meeting another woman and marrying her, leaving Charlotte to tend for herself in a place she knew nothing of. Mary Rowlandson was taken captive by Indians and taken to a foreign land that she knew nothing of. Both of these women were put into impossible situations but in the end they were able to make the best out of the situations they were put in.
In Charlotte’s Temple and Mary Rowlandson’s narrative both the women have a life full of hardships. Though the situations are different they have many unfortunate happenings upon them. Charlotte was a young girl who with the pressure of her so called friend Madam La Rue, leaves he parents with a man she is not sure she loves. Charlotte had a great love for her parents and had much respect for them. It saddens her to have to leave them with just a letter to why she has left. Montraville was the man that convinced Charlotte of his unconditional love for her which leds her to leave her home. Upon their arrival Charlotte had many doubts as to marry Montraville because lose of never seeing her parents and friends which were her true love. Since Charlotte did not give him an answer Montraville had his doubts and met Mrs. Franklin who then married leaving Charlotte with nothing but a broken heart. Montraville not only left her but she had not received word from her parents and she was kicked out of her home to the streets of New York. Doting on her old friend for shelter she was turned down. Charlotte was with child and sick so she given shelter from La Rue’s servant. After convincing a child she saw her father who had finally come to her then sickness took its effect and she passed on.
Mary Rowlandson had many misfortunes as well. She was captured by the Indians and instead of being killed and tortured they made her their prisoner, she in time in a sense became one of them. Even though she had become one of them she was not happy she had children just to have something to call hers. Many times she tried to escape. The Indian tribe was very brutal and many times she witness many of their killings. They only thing that kept her going strong was her faith in God who she prayed many times to throughout the day.
Both on these women faced many hardships that they just could not escape. Many of these hardships led to their deaths. The only differences that lie in between these two women were their situation and the time it had taken place. Charlotte Temple took place in 1980’s while Mary Rowlandson narrative took place 1680s.
Mary Rowlandson and Charlotte Temple were very different in my eyes. Mary Rowlandson was a woman devoted to her family and God. Charlotte Temple was a young lustful girl looking for an adventure with family low on her list of priorities. Charlotte reminds me of Lydia from Pride and Prejudice. She’s near sighted, silly, and leaves her family for romance. She runs away from something stable and hurts her family. I know it’s supposed to be every young girl’s dream to marry for sweep you off your feet, take your breath away love but most the time it’s just lust. Some say pessimism but I would have to say it’s just realistic. Mary and Charlotte were completely different women with something in common. Both women were caught in situations that were totally unexpected. Mary complained and drove the Natives crazy and Charlotte found herself pregnant and alone. Both women struggled and survived, and no matter how annoying they were at times, were inspirational. They dealt with their problems and showed women’s strength.
Charlotte Temple was a naive girl who fell for a man that didn't love her, at least he didn't seem to care about her once she was his. Once Montraville takes Charlotte into unknown territory she is left inside as a housewife. The typical role of all women at this time was to obey the man. Even if the husband, in this case, left his wife for another woman, there was nothing she could do.
Mary Rowlandson lived around the same time period where women had no say in society. Comparatively speaking, both women lived in a time where their ideas and freedom of speech made no difference.
However, during and after the American Revolution, women began to gain roles in society; roles which mattered. For example, daughters of the revolution was an organization created by women for women to speak up against what they thought was wrong.
Women's roles in society have come a long way. Being a woman, I am grateful for every act which has brought women to this point in time.
Charlotte Temple and Mary Rowlandson are both women who lived in America and when they lost their “husbands” they felt totally helpless. Rowlandson’s home was attacked and she was separated from her husband, and Charlotte was abandoned by her seducer due to a new interest. Both women had many difficulties throughout their experiences, and they both found their own ways of dealing with their misfortunes. Mary spent her time praying that God would save her and protect her. Mary’s main concern was to keep herself pure from the evil Native Americans culture. Charlotte wanted her life to be cured and forgiven from her parents and friends. She wanted their blessings before she died. She knew that all of her misfortunes were her fault and responsibilities, yet she tried to seek forgiveness from those whom she loved.
Both women are living in the same era when they were expected to be perfect house wives and obey their parents, they would each be passed from their parents care and then to a husbands care. When they were left on their own, neither one knew how to act. Charlotte knew nothing about the cruelties of the outside world. Mary didn’t know much more than Charlotte about how to survive. Both women waited for someone to save them. They both waited for their men to come back and rescue them. Both women prayed to find some hope in their perilous journeys.
Mrs. Temple and Mrs. ROwlandson both suffered through similar experiences. Both were left on their own to face the horrors of the outer world when their husbands left them. The feeling of stupidity is more the emotions that they both felt than anything. Yes they were scared and helpless, but what ultimately terrorized their souls was the fact that they were now alone, that the love they had instantly vanished and that they couldnt see this disaster coming early on. both mary and charlotte were far too naive and unknowledgable at the time to be on their own and suffered the consequences, not that it was their fault, but that it came by surprise, and surprise is what causes the demise of many great things, leaders, heroes, empires, and in this case... love and life.
although they are pretty similar, it is still safe to say that charlotte got the bad end of the stick. She was not necessarily warned but she gave her self clues which she refused to follow. She didn't know the value of her love with Montraville and because she was unsure, Montraville was unsure. It takes time for a relationship to accumulate, but unfortunately she did not have a background of support strong enough to help her make the right decision (that is, her parents advice as well).
Both these stories in the end provided an example for how to lead a life. Humans are ultimately the same, even though appearances may be different, emotions are quite alike. If unsurity is felt between two lovers by atleast one person, the other person feels the same. It is simply just a humans perception of reality that allows them to make decisions the way they do. some things turn out too good to be true, you just have to pay attention to emotions more than words, because anyone can say something and lie about it or be unsure, but it is the relfection upon what is said or what is done that shapes fantasy and reality.
In the good old days women were supposed 2 be proper. They had to follow all of the rules and they had to be innocent. If a women was not a virgin they were not considered a worthy wife. Women of this time period were supposed to be pure and look for the highest class of guys. Women were not valued as equal as men in this time period. They had to work twice as hard as men if they wanted to be viewed as equal. In this time period women did not have an equal view as men and were not taken seriously! Times have changed and women have taken a stronger role but unfortunately it is still not equal to men.
There are many similiarities and differences betweeen the two books. The most noticeable difference was that in the narrative of mary rowlandson she didn't have a choice because she was separated from her husband unlike Charlotte Temple who was brought to America through her own will with Montraville. Mary Rowlandson also spent her days parying and trying not to let the native american culture corrupt her. Charlotte Temple spent her days crying over Montraville who would leave day after day in order to go to work, with no intention of ever actually marring her. While there were many differences the similarities were that the two books both delt with men and they were both in foreign territory that they new little about. The last similiarity is they both did not have a good way of getting out of the foreign land they were in, Charlotte couldn't even function properly without Montraville and Mary Rowlandson had no way of escaping.
The experiences of women in early america is different to what it was in England with reference to Charlotte Temple. In England it seems like all women are treated with the upmost respect and to shower them with compliments, to treat them any other way was considered unmoral. In comparison with America, it was much more liberal in treating women, the men were much more free spirited and talked more freely as did the women.
The role of morality plays an enormus role in Charlotte Temple because she was a women of very high morals, even to the extreme and to give her mother a simple letter that a boy gave to her because that is what her parents wanted. Then she meets Montraville who corrupts her into thinking that they are going to get married once they move to America and that this was ok to go against any morals that she had already had in place. Once they got to America it was very obvious that Montraville wanted nothing more to do with Charlotte, then she referred back to her morals and began to understand what she had done wrong and how it was probably affecting her parents. Without morals this book would have very little understanding and who be completely based off of desire, with a simple plot that would have made the book somewhat boring to read
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