'In driblets fell his locks behind his head Down to his shoulders which... ... middle of paper ... ...ide, but on the inside, too. He sells pardons to cleanse people's souls of sins and carries around 'sacred relics' in his bag to show to people who will pay to see them. In the prologue to the pardoner's tale, he admits to being a hypocrite; preaching against sin yet being a sinner himself. He also confesses his detachment from his congregation; he cares not for how such a big contribution of money will leave them in financial ruin, as long as he has the money. In contrast, his tale is the complete opposite of his personality.
The Pardoner makes a lucrative living preaching "mockeries" in his "sermon, for it frees the pelf" and his purpose is to "win" and not to redeem people of "sin." The Pardoner himself is an embodiment of irony and contradiction by not only his practice of corruption but his tale being a moving parable that would strike shame within a person. The main characteristic of his personality and his tale is summed in his biblical statement in Latin, "Radix malorum est cupiditas," translated as "the love of money is the root of all evil." His irony derives from his wealthy-beggar status, corruption of the Church, and his tale denouncing all of his practices. The tales three main characters of three young men drinking at local tavern and stumble upon the rumors of a thief named Death that began killing ruthlessly around a local village.
The other members of the congregation felt that the sermon “had such a powerful lot to say about faith, and good works, and free grace, and preforeordestination” (183). Twain demonstrates how sermons were no longer effective at converting sinners or motivating saints; instead they had been reduced to a series of... ... middle of paper ... ...ned those who helped slaves achieve freedom. Huck rejects the salvation offered to him by the religion of his society, and instead chooses to “go to hell” (246). Huck rightly observes that “you can’t pray a lie” (246). This was the state of religion in Huck’s society.
The Pardoner thinks himself to be a very holy and righteous man but does not realize that his own greed is seen by all the pilgrims after he admits selling fake relics. That makes his sermon of how "Greed is the root of all evil" a total hypocrisy. Chaucer purposely chose a member of a religious community to write a tale on because he wanted to write about unfaithful who sold indulgences to people.
As seen in the portrait of the Monk in The General Prologue, Chaucer allows the Pardoner to condemn himself. He purposely reveals his methods of extracting money from” the povereste widwe in a village” his contempt for his usual audience of “lewed peple” and complete disregard for the doctrines of the Church. The Pardoner’s blatant hypocrisy is most evident in the theme of his sermons: “Radix malorum est Cupiditas.” The irony of this is fully evident when he later announces “I preche nothing but for coveitise.” During the Middle Ages pardoners were infamous for being “frauds, libertines and drunkards” (Charles Moseley). At first glance Chaucer’s Pardoner seems true to type, he is the one called upon for “som mirthe or japes,” the worst is immediately expected of him; we see the “gentils” beg “lat him telle us of no ribaudye.” However, Chaucer’s pardoner is more psychologically complex. The Pardoner is neither a preacher nor a priest yet he usurps these roles.
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Chaucer's Pardoner is unique within the group travelling to Canterbury. While the Parson, the Wife of Bath, the Clerk, and others would love to sway the group toward their respective opinions and views, the Pardoner intends to swindle the group out of its money. His sermons are based on sound theology, but they are rendered hollow by his complete lack of integrity in applying them to his own life. He is a hypocrite - his root intention is to accrue money. Curiously, the Pardoner is openly honest about the nature of his operations.
In Tartuffe, Moliere uses situational, verbal, and dramatic irony to dispute religious hypocrisy. Tartuffe represents the religious hypocrite or imposter that is surreptitiously a criminal and demonstrates immoral behavior, but he was so convincing that Orgon, Madame Pernelle, and other followers worshiped him. I see, dear Brother, that you’re profoundly wise; You harbor all the insight of the age. You are our one clear mind, our only sage, The eras’ oracle, its Cato too, And all mankind are fools compared to you. (Molière 27) Orgon used verbal irony to his brother Cleante because Cleante was expressing negative views of Tartuffe, telling Orgon that people who are really holy do not go around flashing it, but Orgon returned the favor by insulting Cleante’s intelligence.
His social status as a pardoner is true in name only. An authentic pardoner would live like the apostles and care about helping sinners, but the Pardoner admits to wanting “money, wool, cheese, and wheat, even if it is given by the poorest page, or the poorest widow in a village, although her children will die of starvation” (513). Chaucer reveals through the Pardoner that people are not who they seem. The relationship ... ... middle of paper ... ...not what they appear. They are deceiving because they do not reflect the opinions of the narrator; they reflect the people whose stories are told.
In the story, “The Pardoner’s Tales”, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the character the Pardoner in descriptive way. He describe the Pardoner’s corruption teaching and the way the Pardoner act in the tale. The religious that the Pardoner teaching is corrupted and very selfish, greediness, and gluttony. This thing are all opposite to what the real church religious is teaching. In the story, he tricks the people to buy his fake relics and other things by using the church’s believe.
I make my living out of—avarice. (97-98, 102) He tells them mind boggling tales to persuade the people he encounters. Then he promises for their sins to be forgiven if they purchase some of his relics which are completely false: My holy pardon frees you all of this, ……………………………………. Into the bliss of heaven you shall go. For I’ll absolve you by my holy power, ……………………………………….