A Literary Analysis of Mrs. Mary Jemison by James E. Seaver Essay

In my reading of A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison, written by James E. Seaver and edited by June Namias, I discovered many things I did not know about not only the Seneca Indians, but also the other Iroquois tribes within upstate New York. I enjoyed the perspective this book gives the reader. The story is told from someone that was introduced to the Indians, not as an original member of the tribe, but from someone that was captured by these Indians at an early age and assimilated into their culture. It serves as a direct source of information from a person that was taught everything about being an Indian. The information comes from someone that wasnt born into the culture, and I think that is what gives the book so much life. The fact that she came from a whole different culture shows us the comparisons she makes, between the people she was once with and the people she resided with till her last days. Mary gives the book a feeling like you are almost there, like being a part of the story. Her strength is something that I thought was a crucial part of the story. The ordeal she went through and how well she dealt with everything ,in my mind, really made the story. The fact of how well she adapted to the Indian culture itself is simply amazing. It says a lot about this culture when you look at the countless number of times she was offered a chance to free herself from them and be liberated back to her own people. Through all the hardships she had to go through, when captured by the Indians and French, her family being murdered, and the unseen future she was to face, she still stood by her new-found family. The scope of this book and the time period it covers is incredible. From the readings in class and the narrative,...