The Puritans played an important role in early American history and society. Most Puritans escaped tyrannical rule in England to gain religious freedom in America, which helped create one of the first American societies. Not only did the Puritans help form early American society and religion, but they also contributed the first stories and narratives to help create a rich literary history for America. Puritan literature helped many scholars and readers learn about early American history. One of the most famous American narratives is that of Mary Rowlandson, who was the wife of a Puritan minister. Mary Rowlandson's captivity narrative concerns her story of how she was captured and treated by Native American captors. Throughout the story Mary has intertwined her experience with her Puritan beliefs. The narrative helped gain a better historical understanding of the power struggle between the English colonies and the Native Americans, as well as providing the reader with a basic understanding of Puritan beliefs. While Mary Rowlandson's narrative concerns her survival experience with Native Americans, the narrative helps expose Puritan theology and Puritan thoughts towards Native Americans. Mary Rowlandson constantly quotes the Bible during her account of her imprisonment, as well as praising God for helping her overcome her trials. Since the captivity narrative was written after the captivity experience, it is unclear whether or not Mary was well versed in the Bible before the incident, although this was likely due to the fact that her husband was a Puritan minister. It becomes apparent that Mary was not the best or most devout Puritan before her experience with the Native Americans. Mary recounted, “I then remembered how much I had overlooked… the middle of the paper… also showed how badly the colonists treated and thought badly of the Native Americans. In conclusion, Mary Rowlandson's account of captivity is a great resource for exploring early American religion and conflict with Native Americans. Work's CitedDerounian, Kathryn Z. "Puritan Orthodoxy and the 'Survivor Syndrome' in Mary Rowlandson's Indian Captivity Fiction." Early American literature. 22.1 (1987): 82-93. Network. April 3, 2014. .Derounian, Kathryn Z. Narratives of Indian Women's Captivity. New York: Penguin Books, 1998. 12-51. Print.Weckenmann, Christian. Mary Rowlandson's Captivity Tale: Puritan Ideology Applied?. GRIN Publishing, 2007. 1-21. Net. .