Explore Activities Related to Hawthorne's "The Duston Family"

"The Escape of the Duston Family," illustration from "The Duston Family" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. (courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA)

1.) THE PURITAN IMAGINATION

A.) The following texts reveal much about the Puritan imagination and view of history. Mather's account, in particular, is a good example of Puritan theology and methodology at work. As you read and analyze these selections, answer the following questions: How does Puritanism affect the presentation and interpretation of the events? How does it affect the style of the writing? What assumptions are evident? What purposes? (Look closely at the portrayal of the Abenaki Indians, the English, and Hannah Duston, especially.)

Twenty-seven years after her escape from the Indians, Hannah Duston sought full membership in the Second Church in Haverhill. As required, she came before the elders of the congregation to relate her conversion experience and prove her regeneration. As you read her brief and moving statement, speculate upon the following: What seems to be Hannah Duston's interpretation of her captivity experience? What personal, psychological consequences did she experience? What general insights do we gain about the personal uses of Indian captivity experiences by Puritan survivors?

B.) The following images of title pages from Puritan-era books provide visual evidence of the Puritan view of Indian conflicts and English captives. Look closely at the language and particular word choice. What words and phrases are recurring and/or emphasized? What tone is communicated through the language? What emotions? What viewpoints are stated or implied? Several of these works are described as histories. Do you see these texts as histories or as fictions? Explain.

C.) The following websites provide additional information and visual resources related to Captivity Narratives and Puritan theology.

2.) THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE DUSTON STORY

A.) The following retellings of the Duston story span one hundred and fifty years of New England history. Read each version and describe the overall transformation that occurs in the presentation of Hannah Duston. Then, look more closely at each text and describe the author's point of view towards the Indians, the landscape, the English, and the Dustons, both Thomas and Hannah, where applicable. What does each author emphasize in his treatment of the story? What moral issues or questions does each raise? What overall changes in cultural values and assumptions are evident by comparing these texts?

B.) The following websites provide useful links to information and visual resources related to American literature and the specific cultural and historical contexts of the Duston stories.

A.) Images of Hannah Duston

Make some observations on the portrayal of Hannah Duston in the following art works and illustrations. What is emphasized in the work? What values and ideas are evident? What emotions does the work appeal to or communicate?

Make some observations on the portrayal of American Indians and the Indian-White relationship in these 19th century illustrations and art works. Categorize the ways Indians are presented during this period. As you view the images, it's important to remember that they present Indians through Euro-American imagination and ideology. Consider the following questions while analyzing individual illustrations or art works: What is emphasized in the work? What ideas and values are evident? What emotions does the work appeal to or communicate?

C.) The following websites provide additional American art images and articles on American art history.

D.) Artwork by American Indians of the Northeast

In the oral cultures of American Indians, artwork serves as a visual language that expresses the lives and worldviews of the people. Through signs and symbols, function and form each work speaks or tells a story rich in history and belief. Study the following images and make observations on the form and design of each; consider the materials, as well. Describe what you find aesthetically pleasing or interesting. Explain how the object provides insight into the lifeways and culture, the beliefs and values of the creator. Make note of symbols or decorative motifs that you see as important or puzzling. In the 19th century, Euro-American ideas of "art" defined American Indian creations as "craft"-expressions of the primitive or naïve-not as sophisticated as the "high" art of the Western world. Do you agree? Collectively, how might these works, tell a different story, and offer an alternative view to the "official" white explanations of Indians and early American history?

E.) The following websites and links provide additional images of American Indian art and articles on American Indian traditions and artistic expression.

4.) CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITY

The Indian cultures of early New England were oral cultures. Indian narrative traditions were rich, but they did not produce written texts. The written accounts of Euro-American colonists became the "official" story and record of early New England history. Native voices were marginalized or silenced. For this activity, consider the Indian point of view on the Haverhill Raid of 1697 and on Hannah Duston's captivity and escape. Write an Indian version of the Duston story from the point of view of the Abenaki Indians or, in particular, the Indian boy or woman who escaped alive from Contoocook Island. Consult Cotton Mather's account and some of the websites /links below for facts on the event and historic information on the Abenaki Indians and "King William's War."