LITR 4231 Early American Literature Research Posts 2014 (research post assignment) Research Post 1

Isabella Nunez

John Smith: Captivity Victim or Hero?

When I first began researching the topic of captivity narratives it was becoming apparent that colonial captives were usually, but not always, adult, white women. In class we discussed both Mary Jemison and Mary Rowlandson. However, we were also introduced to John Smith and his narrative of Powhatan and Pocahontas. Everyone knows the story of Smith and Pocahontas: the romantic tale of a hero, illustrated in Disney film nonetheless. John Smith’s tale, however, was very much a captivity narrative, comparable to the likes of Mary Jemison or even slave narratives. There is a unique dichotomy between the two when they are inherently two very similar situations.  Why then, is his story often dismissed as a tale of heroics and romanticism? Was John Smith truly as much a victim as Jemison or Rowlandson? Or rather, does he choose not to portray himself in such a way in his writings?

Throughout my general research of captivity narratives, most scholarly journals first list Indian captivity narratives and follow up with slave narratives. The general pattern in most of these texts is to introduce the most popular narratives of that era: Jemison and Rowlandson. Few mention John Smith and if they do, it is brief. It is apparent that John Smith’s writings do not capture the same themes found in women’s or even slave captivity narratives with as much tragedy or oppressiveness. Instead, rather emotionless, Smith describes his captivity in the third person, while also making himself out to be a character of much resilience and heroics. It seems as though the tragic and heartfelt themes of popular captivity narratives are what make them so prevalent.

One blatantly obvious difference between Smith’s narrative and that of Jemison or Rowlandson is gender. One can agree that women in the Puritan era were regarded as delicate and submissive.  They were virtuous and committed to housework. Because of their roles in Puritan society, women captives saw their captivity as even more of a prison because they were unable to fulfill their duties.

I have found that most scholars agree, it is hard to decipher fact from fiction when it comes to Smith’s writings. Discrepancies in dates and facts make some of what Smith writes questionable, leaving historians to fill in the blanks. Smith was without a doubt, captured by Powhatan. What remains debatable are Powhatan’s true motives: Was he trying to capture Smith with true intentions to kill him or were his reasons much more innocent, such as to learn English and/or trade with the Englishmen with Smith’s help? This is what differentiates Smith’s narrative from that of Jemison and Rowlandson or other captivity narratives of that time. Most capturers had much more sinister intentions for their captives, such as for ransom or slavery.

Through my research, I have concluded that most questions are still up for debate. It is hard to interpret Smith’s writings as concrete fact or embellished fiction. He was definitely held captive, but I am still uncertain whether he was as much of a victim as women captives, or the hero that legend (as well as he himself) builds him up to be.

Works Cited

Degen, P. (n.d.). Smith, pocahontas, and powhatan. Retrieved from http://smith.npschesapeakebay.net/native-americans/indians-smith/smith-powhatan-pocahontas

White, Craig. “A General History of Virginia (1624)”. <http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/LITR/4231/ >. n.d. Web. 27 March 2012.

Hawkes, S. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ushistoryscene.com/uncategorized/captivitynarratives/

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Smith_(explorer)