Blind Faith In The Canterbury Tales

Throughout the Middle Ages, one was more likely to enjoy a fulfilling life if one balanced faith and education. Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Miller's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales uses three individuals from different social classes, to add to the criticism of the corruption of the Church. John illustrates how a person from a higher class will eventually fall if they continue to have blind faith and complete dedication to God without making any effort to enlighten themselves. Yet, despite being a lower-class character, Nicholas uses his wits to his advantage but regrettably allows his pride to take status as the authority is no longer just emerging from the church. Chaucer, however, does more than just highlight the gap between religion and secular

Chaucer demonstrates in "The Miller's Tale" that John, despite being of the higher class, will finally fall because of his complete devotion to religion and God. John was a traditional God-fearing man, “Blessed is the ignorant man, indeed/ Blessed is he that only knows his creed.” (Chaucer 251-2), having no regard for learning anything himself. When first introduced he is described as a carpenter and a wealthy “old oaf” (1) giving the readers an impression that there isn’t much to him besides his wealth. He does not seem to obtain the traits of a Renaissance man which makes sense since he grew up under the Church’s control. John's entire life was surrounded by the Church because it was the only source of knowledge and spiritual inspiration, leading him to place a lot of faith in the institution. Unfortunately, as society moved into the Renaissance era, perspectives were shifting, and the Church started to gradually lose its influence. However, John's religion kept him from going forward. This was shown when he saw his tenant, Nicholas, staring up at the stars as if in a gaze and immediately felt the need to help him. For one to study something that has been condemned by the church, John only wanted what was best for the kid, who was in the class below him. His immediate reaction was to call out, “Help us, St. Frideswide!” (245) to a saint for Nicholas to become holy and “right” for God. Unfortunately, John’s lack of intellect caused him to believe in a false reason as to why Nicholas was looking up at the stars. Due to John’s ignorance, Nicholas was quickly able to take advantage of the situation by saying it was “Christ’s secret…Christ forbid it, by His holy blood.” (289-300). This allowed Nicholas to get away with his plan as he knew that by using the word of God, John would never go against the divine, especially the one who determines his