The miller

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s, The Canterbury Tales each of Chaucer’s characters relates to one of the seven deadly sins. In the story Chaucer and twenty-nine other characters, go on a pilgrimage to seek the place where Saint Thomas Becket was martyred. The tales are the pilgrims’ stories, two on the way there and two back. Each story itself relates to one of the seven deadly sins, mocking the church’s corruption. Through the prologue of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer creates a fictional character the miller to illustrate the sin of wrath.

The miller is described as a large young man in the story. When one think’s of an angry person they tend to think of a larger person, which is why Chaucer illustrates him this way. At this point is the prologue Chaucer’s character, as the narrator is describing the miller to the reader. Chaucer writes “The Miller was a chap of sixteen stone, a great stout fellow big in brawn and bone.” (561). The miller being described as a large man and the fact that he was big in brawn illustrates to the reader that the miller was not afraid to fight.

Generally speaking, large men have no fear of fighting. As Chaucer continues describing the miller he writes,” He did well out of them, for he could go and win the ram at any wrestling show.”(563). Chaucer explains that the miller was an exceptional wrestler. In wrestling participants exhibit anger by fighting with others. The men are usually strong, and show little pain.

Many men that exhibit wrath can be show offs and not think things through all the way. In the story Chaucer illustrates the miller as a bit stupid and very conceited.” Broad, knotty, and short- shouldered, he would boast He could heave any door off hinge and post, Or take a run and break it with his h...

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...he miller is stealing from his own customers illustrates to the audience that he is an angry man; he could be stealing because he feels that they owe it to him. In the millers head he could see himself as if on a pedestal.

The miller’s anger is illustrated to the audience when he is illustrated as a man of large stature, and intimidating. Chaucer continues to vividly describe the miller to the reader by writing that, he wins all the wrestling shows, carries weapons, and uses words to fuel his anger, and takes his anger out on others. All of these traits that the miller has illustrate to the audience that he is an intimidating character that is full of anger and demonstrates it well in the way that Chaucer describes him. The Canterbury Tales are important to study now days, because the audience can learn from the bad traits that that each character has and portrays.