A Change in Outlook (page 3)

The more that Mary became exposed to the Indian lifestyle, the more she grew accustomed to it. Statements like, "I cannot but take notice, how at another time I could not bear to be in the room where any dead person was, but now the case is changed," show that she could see a change in herself. These changes came about for two major reasons: she became used to the Indian lifestyle and the Indians slowly befriended her.

Mary did not change her lifestyle out of choice, but rather out of necessity. The way she talked about her eating habits, "with the blood about my mouth, and yet a savory bit it was to me: For to the hungry Soul, every bitter thing is sweet," displayed both her gradual adjustment to the Indians' lifestyle along with her incessant Biblical allusions. Mary was constantly looking for a Divine justification for the events that took place around her and to her. Her Biblical references actually reflected what she thought about many things; after all, the Bible provided her with a number of good and bad outlooks on every situation, whichever verse she quoted reflected how she truly felt.

Although there was not one main turning point, the event where she drops down crying seemed to have a profound effect on her. Mary talked about the event in a thankful tone, stating that, "one of them asked me, why I wept, I could hardly tell what to say: yet I answered, they would kill me: No, said he, none will hurt you. Then came one of them and gave me two spoon-fulls of Meal to comfort me" (82). At this point, she began to see a more peaceful side of the Indians. When she said, "there being no Christian soul near me; yet not one of [the Indians] offered the least imaginable miscarriage to me," it showed a subtle personal growth that she could feel somewhat comfortable around non-Christian Indians.

Continue to page 4 of Change In Outlook