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Analysis: The Unredeemed Captive by John Demos

In The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America, John Demos illustrates the complexities of the relationships among the puritan settlers of New England, the Roman-Catholic French of New France (Canada), and the Native Americans both nations forcefully displaced. He also shows how undercurrents of racism and moral superiority often muddy these relationships, especially with the Native Americans. With the narrative style of a novel, Demos tells the story of Eunice Williams, captured daughter of revered minister John Williams, to show the blurring of lines between the roles of master and prisoner. This narrative is a far different tale than the autobiographical narratives written by returned prisoners. It provides an honest look into the “captivity” of prisoners by Native Americans, an honesty clouded by prejudice in the typical captivity narrative.
Demos asserts that once captured the victim can take one of two roads. He or she will either be ransomed and repat...

Posted by: Geraint Watts

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