Evaluation of the Miller's Tale

1. Does the story reflect principles of truth, goodness, and beauty?
The Miller's Tale tells the truth about hypocrisy, adultery, and lying. It has a good portrayal of fallen mankind in sin. Another truth one could pull from this story is the line which says not to inquire or question the things of God. Jealousy is also a sin which is mentioned in the beginning when describing the carpenter. A man cannot know the mind of God, and he should trust what the Lord says or does. This tale glosses over the sins of adultery and lying. The reader does not see any judgment in response to these sins. The judgment for Absalon, the hypocrite, is clearly seen. In the tale, the author seems to consider a man marrying a very young wife is a type of sin. This sin is clearly judged by the carpenter being cheated on and being made a fool. I would consider the story to be pessimistic. The story was unified, but it was not as complex as other literary works. The language is very artful and stylistic. The images are also shown beautifully. A few principles of truth, beauty and goodness are shown.
2. Is the story honorable?
The tale is clearly told for the baser thoughts and emotions of man. It does not encourage a man to have a moral life or to take the religious calling very seriously which Absalon clearly shows. So, no the story is certainly not honorable.
3. What difference can the story make in our own lives?
The story does not have that much positive impact for the reader. This story in my opinion is basically junk food. The reader will not be enriched in their daily lives by this story. One can examine the words and style and imagery of this story which are beautiful. Other than that this story might create a husband to be suspicious of his wife which would cause a lost of trust. The only point it could possibly show is that God's knowledge is beyond us, and we should trust Him. One has to really look hard to make that out. So, overall, it does not make a huge positive difference in our own lives.
4. How effective is the story at accomplishing what it set out to do?
The story was is intended to cock the knight's tale which was noble, elegant, and dramatic. This tale completely mocks the elegant courtly love which is in the Knight's Tale. This story also wants to be a comedy to the baser thoughts and people of mankind which it is. The content clearly show the base humor which is displayed. It is effective in accomplishing it's purpose.
5. Is the story worth our time and effort to read and discuss it?
This story is not worth much examination unless one is examining the form. The form and style and imagery is worth looking at. Also how it mocks the Knight's tale is worth looking at. The content or moral values are not worth looking at in depth. The content is less important than the form because it is immoral.
6. Did you enjoy it?
I got some laughs from it, but it's not something I would take seriously or imitate in my daily life. I would rather read other stories which have more meaning and can have more application to my daily life.
Grade: C