Question

Why does Rowlandson allude to Genesis 42:36 when she sees her surviving daughter, Mary?

"Me have ye bereaved of my Children, Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin also, all these things are against me."

A) She is grieving the loss of her child.
B) She is distraught that her home has been destroyed.
C) She has one child dead, another in the wilderness, and the other she can't get close to.
D) She has decided only God has the power to save her and her children from the natives.

Answer 1

Mary Rowlandson’s reference to Genesis 42:36 when seeing her daughter Mary captures her intense sense of loss and inability to reach her children, paralleling Jacob's despair in the Bible. The correct option is C) She has one child dead, another in the wilderness, and the other she can't get close to.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage where Rowlandson alludes to Genesis 42:36 reflects the intensity of her emotions upon seeing her surviving daughter, Mary. This biblical allusion is drawn from the story of Jacob, who felt overwhelmed by the belief that everything was against him after losing his sons Joseph and Simeon and facing the potential loss of Benjamin.

In the context of Mary Rowlandson’s narrative, the correct option is C) She has one child dead, another in the wilderness, and the other she can't get close to. By referencing this scripture, Rowlandson expresses her profound grief and the sense of loss during her captivity. Her choice of biblical allusion connects her personal suffering to a broader human experience of loss, despair, and the testing of faith, which adds depth to the narrative and makes it compelling to readers.