When individuals are denied the right to reap the benefits of freedom it is expected from them to ask why they are denied such a right. It would then be expected for those in bondage to strive to attain their desired freedom. As seen in Douglass’s slave narrative and Rowlandson’s captivity narrative, the deprivation of their freedom lead them to exceed racial and gender boundaries in order to struggle for power that was denied to them by their environment and cultural expectations. Wherever an individual may be, their surrounding environment serves as a constant reminder of their status or role in society. Frederick Douglass was born a slave in the state of Maryland. Being a slave state, Maryland served as a constant reminder to Douglass of his status in the “peculiar institution.” His environment also depicted the suggested racial inferiority of African-Americans to their white slaveholders. This would cause Douglass from an early age to exercise his agency and question why this was so; “The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege” (Cain 1022). His location in Maryland, however, did reduce the obstacles involved with escaping from slavery. Maryland shared a border line with the northern free-states and it also had a harbor that would provide ships as a means of escape. The knowledge of the close proximity of free-states would help keep the notion of running away alive in Douglass’s mind.
An environment can also serve to test an individual’s religious faith and role in society, as was the case with Mary Rowlandson. Her faith was deeply rooted within the Puritan order and it was tested when she was taken captive by the Indians. She was forced to live a nomadic life away from her family and, more significantly, away from her husband. The Puritan religion was very much gender orientated, placing the female in a subordinate position to the male. Women were seen as weak individuals who needed to be controlled and regulated by their husbands (Daly 11/14). In captivity, Rowlandson was away from her husband therefore her ultimate goal was to get back to her husband, which she believed would happen by placing her faith in Devine Providence. Unlike Douglass, Rowlandson was very patient in allowing God’s plan to take its course. Perhaps the fact that she was not born into slavery like Douglass and the fact that she did have a family allowed her to believe that God would bless her once again. At times Douglass found it difficult to believe a righteous God existed. “When I think that these precious souls are to-day shut up in the prison-house of slavery, my feelings overcome me and I am almost ready to ask, does a righteous God govern the universe” (Cain 1069). An individual’s surroundings can also lead to various power struggles. During his life, Frederick Douglass endured numerous situations related to power. One of the first being the feeling of powerlessness. Early in his life, he remembered being awakened by the screams of pain that came from his aunt when she was savagely whipped by her master. When he had the misfortune of observing one such whipping, it caused Douglass to realize the brutality and inhumanity involved with slavery. Douglass was also able to realize that slaveholders wanted to keep their slaves incompetent in order to keep them content and maintain their racial supremacy. As Douglass matured, learned to read and write, and became wiser, he began to exercise his power to think about his unjust condition in life. He was able to realize the injustice in the institution of slavery and how it violated his natural right to be free. The turning point in Douglass’s life came when he exercised his power to fight back and made a commitment to escape the bonds of slavery. His successful fight against Covey and his vow to never allow anyone to whip him suggested that there was not a racial supremacy between Blacks and Whites. It also served to instill into Douglass’s mind that it was possible for Blacks to resist the control of slaveholders. Another significant power struggle came when he was in the possession of Master Hugh who allowed him to work for wages. Douglass would earn one dollar and fifty cents per day which would then fall into the hands of Master Hugh. Unlike Rowlandson who was able to gain compensation for her work in knitting, Douglass was not allowed to keep what he worked for. In some occasions, Master Hugh would give Douglass six cents but only as an attempt to keep Douglass content in slavery. However, it also suggested that he believed Douglass was capable of handling his own money and deciding what to do with it. Thus this would suggest that Blacks were capable of functioning in an economic society. “The fact that he gave me any part of my wages was proof, to my mind, that he believed me entitled to the whole of them” (Cain 1081). The exercise of power also indicates there is a factor of reason and thought. As Frederick Douglass’s intellect continued to grow, he began to ponder and question certain aspects surrounding him. His discontent in bondage increased when he was able to realize how Whites used Christianity in their favor by suggesting that Blacks should be happy servants. Douglass interpreted the signing of Christianity songs by slaves as a way of expressing their deep sadness. This stirred his emotions and created a need to escape the shackles of slavery. Unlike Rowlandson who wanted to be relieved from captivity in order to return to being the dependent wife of her husband, Douglass wanted to live the life of a prominent male in society. He wanted to be self-reliant, make his own living, have a “helpmeet” wife, be a man of reason and move into the mainstream male patriarchy (Cullen 11/16). He wanted to prove that Black males were not the “lazy sambos” they were portrayed to be but that they were strong and masculine. In fact, he only mentions women in very few passages throughout his narrative perhaps in an attempt to keep the focus on the Black male’s desire to reach their ideal life as they approached manhood. Douglass understood that in order to reach this desired manhood, one must make the correct choices and not only rely on fate. Unlike Douglass’s struggle in slavery, the notion of fate played a very large role in the captivity of Mary Rowlandson. She believed that every occurrence in her captivity was by God’s design and that it was a way of testing her faith. While in captivity, Rowlandson feared for her life but she always placed her faith in God. In any bad situation that she was placed, she would find similar references in the Bible that would provide her with a reason as to why it was happening and how it was all by God’s design. She was very particular about following God’s plan. In fact, when one of the Indians told her that he would run away with her if she liked, Rowlandson replied and said no. She wanted to wait for God’s time to be liberated (Cain 132). Douglass, on the other hand, relied very much less on fate and more on choice when he vowed to take matters into his own hands and escape by any means necessary. When Rowlandson’s desire to be returned to her husband unharmed was fulfilled, it provided credibility to Devine Providence and the Puritan religion. It also reinforced the gender notion of female subordination to males. In a sense, Rowlandson survived because she was a good wife who wanted to be reunited with her husband and because she was a devoted Puritan (Daly 11/9). For the majority, her story met Puritan cultural expectations while other aspects did not. Puritan culture expected women to be weak, inferior to men, and the Indians to be an inferior race. However, certain aspects of Rowlandson’s story proved otherwise. Rowlandson and the Puritans thought Indians to be uncivilized savages. Their treatment of Rowlandson while in captivity did not indicate they were a savage race. In fact, the Indians provided better care for Rowlandson than most slaveholders did for Douglass. They buried Rowlandson’s child when it passed away, they allowed her to visit her son and daughter at times, they gave her a Bible, and she was never severely beaten or sexually assaulted. Rowlandson also exceeded some of the gender boundaries established by the Puritans. While in captivity, she was able to be involved in trades with the Indians. She would knit shirts and socks in exchange for food or other goods. This would indicate that women were capable of thinking for themselves and of having interaction with society without the need of a male to do it for them. Rowlandson also exceeded gender boundaries by having her narrative published. Since Anne Hutchinson, women were not allowed to speak publicly. The reasons why her narrative was published were because it brought credibility to Devine Providence and because it was published along with Joseph Rowlandson’s sermon and Mather’s preface (Daly 11/9). Similarly, Douglass was also able to stray away from cultural expectations. Frederick Douglass’s narrative brought into question the cultural expectations of African-Americans. Male Blacks were not expected to have great intellectual capacities or a great work ethic. However, Douglass’s narrative was proof of the contrary. His ability to become literate and knowledgeable of laws along with his successful escape proved that Blacks were not merely brutes. The publication of his narrative, his knowledge of politics, and his great orator skills also suggested that African-Americans could become influential political figures. Douglass’s success in building a happy home with his wife and leading a better life than some White southerners indicated that if Blacks were given the opportunity they could be triumphant in society. While in bondage, both Douglass and Rowlandson exercised their agency to break racial and gender boundaries in order to attain their desired freedom that was denied to them by their environment and cultural expectations. Frederick Douglass became an inspiration to other slaves and Rowlandson an inspiration to Puritan women. When boundaries were broken, changes were needed to mend the situation. Cultural expectations and boundaries will continue to change with time. As long as individuals are not deprived of their freedom, there will be no need to break those boundaries.