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A Change in Outlook (page 2)
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 3 of Change In Outlook, 4
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