A prominent theme in Rowlandson's narrative (and Puritan writing in general) is the sense of fear and revulsion she expresses in regards to the wilderness. When taken captive after the attack on Lancaster, Rowlandson was forced to face a threatening environment and endure the treatment of her Native American captors, people whom she refers to as "barbarous creatures," "murderous wretches" "heathen," "ravenous beasts," and "hell-hounds."