Mary Rowlandson’s Captivity and The Pit and The Pendulum

In the movie “Sovereignty and Goodness Of God”

In the movie Sovereignty and Goodness Of God describes the captivity of Mary Rowlandson experience as a captive. The event took place in 1676 during the King Philips war where the captors were raiding different areas, especially in Massachusetts. Further, Rowlandson illustrates the accounts through her diary from her capture to the return of the captivity. The attackers began by burning down houses and open fire on the settlers, killing and wounding several of them as well as taking the survivors as captives. Mary Rowlandson becomes one of the injured with her youngest child Sarah, and other members of Rowlandson’s family are outright killed in the event. Additionally, as the time goes on, the Indian captives began to lead their prisoners into the surrounding wilderness. At this point, Rowlandson is separating from her two elder children but allowed to remain with the younger one.

The attackers spend a night within the abandoned town

The attackers spend a night within the abandoned town where the colonists had fled away in fear of the Indian attack. Rowlandson and her daughter are seen wounded, and as they continue with the journey, it becomes painful and difficult until they reach an Indian settlement in Wenimesset. Notably, in this settlement, Rowlandson meets with another British captive who offers them new comfort within the settlement (Rowlandson 440). They remain here for sometimes and later Rowlandson is sold to another captor known as Quannopin who is also related to King Philip by marriage. The wounded child of Rowlandson becomes iller and then dies in this settlement. Further, mary Rowlandson despairs over the fate of her family by meeting her son in the settlement.

The journey continues later to the north side

The journey continues later to the north side, and the captives cross Baquag rive to meet with King Philip. In this settlement, Rowlandson begins to work for them making clothes in return for food. Meanwhile, the Indians continue with attacks by raiding Northampton and returning with spoils such as horses. Once again the Indians move the captives to cross Baquaug river to the north side for the new settlement. However, some messengers meet them on the way and reports that Rowlandson must go back to Wachusett where they will discuss her freedom. Interestingly, this becomes hopeful for her even though the journey becomes more tiresome. As the discussion continues, the council continues to deliberate and asking the amount her husband could pay as ransom. Later the Indians allowed Rowlandson to leave after negotiations for several days to meet with her husband. As Rowlandson finally meeting her husband, her sister and children are also released, and the family moves together in a new set up household in Boston.

In the short story “The Pit and the Pendulum”

In the short story, The Pit and the Pendulum begin with a narrator who receives a death sentence from the court of inquisition. Further, he illustrates the implacable horror of the judges after the narrator is overwhelmed with the possibility of fear to understand their words. As a result, this makes him faint while longing for his death. The narrator later awakens in the darkness which makes him wonder how much he remembers from the event. In the beginning, he swings between the confusion and terror and tries to remember the past events before opening his eyes. Notably, the narrator realizes that he is unbound and in a dark dungeon where he reasons that there must not have been an auto-da-fe. This is a typical manner where execution of individuals who ran afoul of inquisition are taken (Poe 15). Additionally, this is the place known for punishments and cruel torture in dungeons of Toledo. Being fearful, the narrator again faints and wakes up later, for the second time to explore the dungeon while wondering how his fate will become out of this situation.

Further, he discovers a stone wall

Further, he discovers a stone wall and tears it off from his robe to mark a starting point for circumnavigating the room. Before, the narrator trips and fall, then overtaken by sleep before making the full circuit. Upon waking up, he finds a loaf of bread and water and eats to continue with the channel by counting his steps. The essence of this is to estimates the circumference of the cell to be fifty yards although he was unable to determine the shape of the prison. The narrator decides to cross across the room and fortuitously trips at the edge of the circular pit where he discovers that it is profound and filled with water at the bottom. Primarily this experience on the surprise pit is in exact line with horror stories of inquisition punishments (Poe 20). Therefore, he decides to wait for his death at the edge of the pit. As the narrator falls asleep again, he wakes up and notices a ceiling having a plated metal that appears to be holding an image of a pendulum.

The pendulum is a fact

The pendulum is a fact and is sweeping slowly side by side over a small trajectory making him confused. The narrator discovered that he is now bound to a trap after realizing the construction of the pendulum is like a scythe made of a sharp razor in its descent towards him. The movement of pendulum becomes intense as it swings, and thereby the walls of the prison become heated up and begin to move towards the pit. The narrator notices that the enclosing walls seem to force him into the pit and a possibility of an escape would mean his death as well. As a result, when there was not an inch of the foot remaining the walls suddenly retracted and cooled down. A mysterious person reaches to him and prevents the fall into the pit. This is the French general LaSalle who’s army have successfully overtaken the control of the prison.

The similarity of these two stories accounts for the memories made at the ideal circumstance of the narrators

The similarity of these two stories accounts for the memories made at the ideal circumstance of the narrators. In the Sovereignty and Goodness Of God, Mary Rowlandson suffers from the brutality of the captors where they were attacked, some of them killed, and she eventually loses her daughter. Further, she accounts for memories of every event from the beginning of the capture to the return to his family. At first, they are captured as the remaining wounded individuals, moves through to different settlements. Rowlandson is then sold to a new captor who later takes her to meet with King Philip before the death of her daughter. Additionally, she serves the king by sewing closes in exchange for food while in the settlement. Later she is released after many negotiations of the amount of ransom to be paid.

On the other hand, The Pit and the Pendulum

On the other hand, The Pit and the Pendulum, the narrator of the story recall the memories of events he faced from the time he was sentenced to the rescue point. Moreover, he begins with fainting after the court ruled his sentence and taken to the prison. The narrator falls asleep several times and explains every event of imprisonment. At first, he realizes the penitentiary to be darker than expected and begins to circumnavigate to estimate the room. The narrator also observes the surrounding of the prison and recognizes the existence of a pit and a pendulum which intensifies his fear. Surprisingly when the narrator is at the verge of death gets rescued from the general.

There is much different in the memories

There is much different in the memories which are expressed by the stories. For instance, in The Pit and the Pendulum, the narrator tells his story on prison experience. The ultimate point in this aspect is the nature of the prison description. The narrator learns about several features within the room as he tells the story. Further, he discovers a pendulum and a pit that he could not escape while in prison. The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, the difference is that the story describes the abduction by the attackers during the colonial war. The captives are treated like prisoners but not taken into a room like in the narrative account of the Pit and the Pendulum. The captives suffer through the long journey with the wounded pain they experience. Primarily this begins from the point of attack where the survivors are taken as the captives irrespective of their injury. To add on, there is also the separation of families and friend, and some even die during the movement. Another difference in the memories is the form of rescue wherein the Sovereignty and Goodness Of God; a ransom had to be paid to get free while in the Pit and Pendulum, the victory of the rivals would only save the narrator.

Works Cited

Rowlandson, Mary. “The Sovereignty and Goodness of God... being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.” An Early American Reader, 1974, pp.436-467.

Poe, Edgar Allan. The pit and the pendulum. Edgar Allan Poe, 2015.