The use of characters as a way to portray an author’s view on society and its values is a common theme in literature today. Disdain in a character’s tone or actions can be a reflection of the author’s actual views of such characters in society. One example of this thought comes from Geoffrey Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales, where he uses the narrator to reflect or contradict his opinion of characters and characteristics in society. In The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, Chaucer illustrates his admiration and disdain for certain Chaucer’s opinion on the estates is brought up through his narrator and the way in which he treats them. Chaucer in the tales treats the estates in separate ways to reflect his dislike or liking for them. For example, the narrator expresses his clear disdain for characters such as the pardoner to which he only describes: his physical qualities rather than …show more content…
Chaucer uses the narrator in the Tales to reflect his thoughts on the different pilgrims and their tales. For example, thenarrator uses the Miller’s Tale to provide an example of his thoughts and characteristics of the lower class. Describing the miller, who in this case represents the peasantry, leading a very vulgar story with little to no sophistication at play, even leading one of his characters to kiss a butt and be farted on in the process. This vulgarity was a common stereotype of the peasantry and lower class and Chaucer takes advantage of this to provide a humorous play on the ideas of society. Contrary to this, in describing the knight's tale, which in this case represents the nobility and higher classes, as very epic and grandiose even larger than life illustrating Chaucer’s opinion on upper classes and the manner as to which they act. Chaucer uses both stereotypes of society as well as his own ideas to shape his