History Main / TheCaptivityNarrative

* And one which plays it straight, only to subvert it, is Catharine Maria Sedgwick's ''Literature/HopeLeslie'': the young sister of the titular character is kidnapped along with Hope herself and her sweetheart Everell. At first it seems as if Hope and Everell will be executed by the evil Indians, until in a moment [[ShoutOut swiped right out of the Pocahontas story]], the Indian princess Magawisca saves both their lives, resulting in their eventual release. Later, Hope's sister Faith is allowed to reunite with her family--but while she has proven unable to resist Indian culture, so that Hope and her family feel they have lost Faith forever (no one ever said the story wasn't {{Anvilicious}}), the fact Faith returns to be with the people she's come to see as her family and is much happier for it is played out with surprising sympathy and generosity.

A ForgottenTrope in which [[MissingWhiteWomanSyndrome a good, Puritan girl]] is captured by Indians and has to resist their culture, the Captivity Narrative was pretty popular in America from the 17th-19th centuries. These were often folktales that were made up long before the printing press and other forms of culture were readily available in remote settlements. These, often times, exploited TheSavageIndian archetype for the sake of RuleOfCool or RuleOfDrama. Many of the early examples were based on true-life stories, fictionalized a bit to tell a more exciting story, but later they became more overtly fictional.

* A modern subversion: in ''Film/TheSearchers'' (1956), the plot motor is whether John Wayne's bitter protagonist will [[AdoptTheDog rescue]] or [[KickTheDog shoot]] his Indian-kidnapped niece once he finally finds her, for the fear that she has been assimilated and tainted by evil savages. ''The Searchers'' is based on captivity narratives written about (and grossly objectifying) [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Ann_Parker Cynthia Parker,]] mother of Comanche leader [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanah_Parker Quanah Parker.]] Cynthia was not only happy with the Indians, she was HappilyMarried to one, with several kids. Which does not alter the fact that Indians killed her family and kidnapped her. StockholmSyndrome anyone? To be fair her husband came from quite a different band and had nothing to do with the raid on her ranch.

* A modern subversion: in ''Film/TheSearchers'' (1956), the plot motor is whether John Wayne's bitter protagonist will [[AdoptTheDog rescue]] or [[KickTheDog shoot]] his Indian-kidnapped niece once he finally finds her, for the fear that she has been assimilated and tainted by evil savages. ''The Searchers'' is based on captivity narratives written about (and grossly objectifying) [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Ann_Parker Cynthia Parker,]] mother of Comanche leader [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanah_Parker Quanah Parker.]] Cynthia was not only happy with the Indians, she was HappilyMarried to one, with several kids. Which does not alter the fact that Indians killed her family and kidnapped her. StockholmSyndrome anyone? To be fair her husband came from quite a different band and had nothing to do with the raid on her ranch.

* ''[[Literature/ANarrativeOfTheCaptivityAndRestorationOfMrsMaryRowlandson A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson]]'', by Mary Rowlandson, is pretty much the chief example of this trope. It's a true story, too. And a very interesting one at that. It's a must read for anyone interested in King Philip's War or early Anglo-Indian relations.

* This trope still lives in American society in subtle forms, according to socio-historical writer Susan Faludi. Her book about the September 11 attacks, ''Literature/TheTerrorDream'', specifically references ''Film/TheSearchers'' and its source narrative. She explores in detail how the trope influenced some of the media images and political attitudes with which America responded to the tragedy.
* A modern example: Lucia St. Clair Robson's romance ''Literature/RideTheWind'' is a popular example.

* A book called ''[[Literature/TheRansomOfMercyCarter The Ransom of Mercy Carter]]'' is about a group of Puritans (adults and children) kidnapped by Indians and waiting for ransom from their families. Subverted, because in the end [[spoiler: nearly all of the children decide to stay with their Indian families.]]
* ''Literature/IAmRegina'' by Sally Keehn, published in 1991, is about this. The main character Regina is taken by the Allegheny Indians and lives with them for so long that she forgets the English language, except for a few Bible verses. This is definitely a subversion of the original trope, mainly because it portrays the Indians sympathetically, and they become Regina's family.
* The YA novel ''Literature/CalicoCaptive'' has the main character, among others, kidnapped during a raid on their settlement during the UsefulNotes/FrenchAndIndianWar. They're eventually sold to the French in Montreal.
* ''A narrative of the captivity of Mrs. Johnson : containing an account of her sufferings during four years with the Indians and French.'' is exactly what it says in the OverlyLongTitle.
* Rachael Plummer's ''Narrative of Twenty One Months Servitude as a Prisoner Among the Commanchee Indians'' was based on her real-life capture and is now considered a valuable look at native Commanchee culture.
* ''Narrative of my captivity among the Sioux Indians,'' by Fanny Kelly, a pioneer woman who was captured by Indians for 5 months.
* The ridiculously-titled ''An account of the captivity of Elizabeth Hanson, now or late of Kachecky, in New-England : who, with four of her children and servant-maid, was taken captive by the Indians, and carried into Canada : setting forth the various remarkable occurrences, sore trials, and wonderful deliverances which befel them after their departure, to the time of their redemption / taken in substance from her own mouth, by Samuel Bownas.''
* ''[[{{Literature/Gor}} Blood Brothers of Gor]]'' recycles this trope in a FantasyCounterpartCulture of the Plains Indians InSpace, applying it both to an Earth-woman brought to Gor and to a native Gorean woman from a more "civilized" culture, both of whom find themselves as captives of the red savages. Gor being Gor, they (and all the other female captives) end up finding HappinessInSlavery.
* Subverted in "Literature/WhenTheWorldIsAllOnFire": The main character, a Native American, takes the white girl home to her family when he catches her trying to rob a store.
* Literature/MartinFierro: Even when is placed at ThePampas (Argentina) instead of North America, the idea of a white woman kidnapped by TheSavageIndian is present at this NarrativePoem: At song III in Book I, Martin Fierro says that the women of ThePioneer and {{Determined Homesteader}}s at the Frontier are captured by the Indians attacks. At the songs VII to X of the Second Book, Martin Fierro narrates how he helped a captive woman to escape the Indians and come back to the Frontier.

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* Literature/MartinFierro: Even when is placed at ThePampas (Argentina) instead of North America, the idea of a white woman kidnapped by TheSavageIndian is present at this NarrativePoem: At song III in Book I, Martin Fierro says that the women of ThePioneer and {{DeterminedHomesteader}}s at the Frontier are captured by the Indians attacks. At the songs VII to X of the Second Book, Martin Fierro narrates how he helped a captive woman to escape the Indians and come back to the Frontier.

* A modern subversion: in ''Film/TheSearchers'' (1956), the plot motor is whether John Wayne's bitter protagonist will [[AdoptTheDog rescue]] or [[KickTheDog shoot]] his Indian-kidnapped niece once he finally finds her, for the fear that she has been assimilated and tainted by evil savages. ''The Searchers'' is based on captivity narratives written about (and grossly objectifying) [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Ann_Parker Cynthia Parker]], mother of Comanche leader [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanah_Parker Quanah Parker]]. Cynthia was not only happy with the Indians, she was HappilyMarried to one, with several kids. Which does not alter the fact that Indians killed her family and kidnapped her. StockholmSyndrome anyone? To be fair her husband came from quite a different band and had nothing to do with the raid on her ranch.

A ForgottenTrope in which a good, Puritan girl is captured by Indians and has to resist their culture, the Captivity Narrative was pretty popular in America from the 17th-19th centuries. These were often folktales that were made up long before the printing press and other forms of culture were readily available in remote settlements. These, often times, exploited TheSavageIndian archetype for the sake of RuleOfCool or RuleOfDrama. Many of the early examples were based on true-life stories, fictionalized a bit to tell a more exciting story, but later they became more overtly fictional.

A variation of this trope�a white woman is kidnapped by Indians, but chooses to stay with them because they are the NobleSavage who is CloserToEarth, has become common in modern romance novels.

A variation of this trope—a white woman is kidnapped by Indians, but chooses to stay with them because they are the NobleSavage who is CloserToEarth, has become common in modern romance novels.

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* This genre is parodied in a skit entitled "My Captivity by Savages" by the band Music/{{Rasputina}} on the album ''Frustration Plantation''.

A variation of this trope—a white woman is kidnapped by Indians, but chooses to stay with them because they are CloserToEarth, has become common in modern romance novels.

* This genre is parodied in a skit entitled "My Captivity by Savages" by the band Music/{{Rasputina}} on the album ''Frustration Plantation''.

* A modern subversion: in ''Film/TheSearchers'' (1956), the plot motor is whether John Wayne's bitter protagonist will [[AdoptTheDog rescue]] or [[KickTheDog shoot]] his Indian-kidnapped niece once he finally finds her, for the fear that she has been assimilated and tainted by evil savages. ''The Searchers'' is based on captivity narratives written about (and grossly objectifying) [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Ann_Parker Cynthia Parker]], mother of Comanche leader [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanah_Parker Quanah Parker]]. Cynthia was not only happy with the Indians, she was HappilyMarried to one, with several kids.

!Examples

* A modern subversion: in ''Film/TheSearchers'' (1956), the plot motor is whether John Wayne's bitter protagonist will rescue or shoot his Indian-kidnapped niece once he finally finds her, for the fear that she has been assimilated and tainted by evil savages. ''The Searchers'' is based on captivity narratives written about (and grossly objectifying) [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Ann_Parker Cynthia Parker]], mother of Comanche leader [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanah_Parker Quanah Parker]]. Cynthia was not only happy with the Indians, she was HappilyMarried to one, with several kids.

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boone_abduction_4315.jpg]]

* The YA novel ''Literature/CalicoCaptive'' has the main character, among others, kidnapped during a raid on their settlement during the FrenchAndIndianWar. They're eventually sold to the French in Montreal.

A ForgottenTrope in which a good, Puritan girl is captured by Indians and has to resist their culture, the Captivity Narrative was pretty popular in America from the 17th-19th centuries. These were often folktales that were made up long before the printing press and other forms of culture were readily available in remote settlements. These, often times, exploited TheSavageIndian archetype for the sake of RuleOfCool or RuleOfDrama, regardless (or because) of its UnfortunateImplications. Many of the early examples were based on true-life stories, fictionalized a bit to tell a more exciting story, but later they became more overtly fictional.

* Rachael Plummer's ''Narrative of Twenty One Months Servitude as a Prisoner Among the Commanchee Indians'' was based on er real-life capture and is now considered a valuable look a native Commanchee culture.
* ''Narrative of my captivity among the Sioux Indians,'' By Fanny Kelly, a pioneer woman who was captured by Indians for 5 months.

* ''A narrative of the captivity of Mrs. Johnson : containing an account of her sufferings during four years with the Indians and French.'' is exactly wha it says in the OverlyLongTitle.