At every party there is always that one person who happens to get out of hand. Whether he had too much to drink or is just likes to antagonize others, everyone seems to recognize that particular person and his faults. Well in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales that role is filled by the Miller. He is rude and disrespectful drunk who aggravates the rest of the pilgrims. Throughout Chaucer’s frame tell narrative, the Miller is never seen in a good light. He invokes crude humor into his tale which distinguishes it from all other tales. The Miller is a multifaceted character in this tale, who begets conflict on the pilgrimage to Canterbury. The Miller’s physical appearance deeply reflects his personality. His fiery red hair is much like his outlandish personality. Much like his hair, he is a very noticeable member of the pilgrimage, but unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. The Miller does not hold back in conversation and speaks his mind to the point of cruelty. He has a brawny physic that parallels to his intense and over-bearing persona. The Miller overwhelms conversations and stories told throughout the pilgrimage. He consistently interrupts others and takes advantage of those not willing to stand up to him. An obscene wart on his nose with red hairs protruding out of it, demonstrates the Miller’s human characteristic of annoyance. His wart was so repugnant that one could not stop staring at it. His personality has connection to this thought by the way that the Miller was so out there that one was forced to be aware of his presence. He is constantly harassing people by way of story telling, snotty comments, and theft. The Miller played the bagpipes which to some are thought of as loud, obnoxious. He was an all around sinful and sinister man whose main objective was to put down others around him. His grotesque nature is consistently imposed on the pilgrims, most likely adding to his dislike by all on the pilgrimage. Before the pilgrims begin revealing their tales, the narrator apologizes for any transgression the reader might feel from each tales. He also states that it is his duty to relay the stories word for word because it would be lying if he didn’t. After reading all of the each character’s tales, it is obvious that the narrator was previously apologizing for the Miller. The Miller’s tale is rudest and most insulting work told by a character. He uses vulgar language, adultery and disturbing bodily functions to make the rest of the group and the reader feel disgust. The narrator’s apology is pre-shadowing the impolite story of the Miller. The Prologue of the Miller’s Tale is the first time the reader can perceive the hierarchy of the pilgrims on the trip. The story telling begins with the highest rank guest, the Knight. After he tells his moral story the Host immediately looks to the next ranked, the Monk. In a drunken state the Miller interrupts and demands to tell his story. After a squabble with the Host and threatening to leave the pilgrimage, the money hungry Host finally agrees. The Miller reiterates the obvious and tells everyone that he is drunk and cannot be accountable for his tale. Similar to the Canterbury Tales as a whole, the Miller, like the narrator, apologizes for his story. He also gives a detailed introduction and description of each character in his tale.
In the Prologue, the Miller derides the Reeve by saying that his legend was one of a carpenter and his cheating wife. The Reeve becomes defensive, for he was once a carpenter and he takes the Miller Tale as a direct insult toward him. The Miller is constantly offending people and he has not even started to tell his story. Although he is inebriated, the Miller takes pride in his public mockery of the other guests. This may be due to an inferiority complex, in which he feels like his is substandard to the other pilgrims. He therefore feels the need to focus everyone’s attention on himself through his own intoxication and insulting of others. As a man whose sole purpose is to operate a flour-making factory, he is easily able to recognize that he is not as honorable as the Knight or the Monk. He is in fact looked down upon by the other guests. In realizing this, the Miller understands that it would be almost impossible to become ranked socially higher and proceeds to jeer and mock the pilgrims in an effort for more attention. His undertaking is accomplished by the time of he tells his out of the ordinary story.
The Miller’s Tale is the complete opposite of the previous tale told by the Knight. The Knight’s Tale is one of love and change for the betterment of a person. The Miller’s Tale on the other hand is one of trickery and deception. Although told in beautiful language and verse like the Knight, the Miller uses lower class people as he characters who are involved in adultery and fraud. They take pleasure out of the disgust and public humiliation of others. This tale is fabliaux, which is a humorous and lewd account based on an outrageous and intricate climax from a prank. In the Miller’s Tale, the well educated Nicholas is the trickster who misleads his superintendent with the intention of sleeping with the carpenter’s young wife Alisoun. Although the object of the scheme was to ploy John the carpenter into leaving his wife and Nicholas alone, John becomes the butt of the joke and in turn is seen to have mental insanity. This tale of deceit tells the moral the John should have married someone his own age, not a young teenage who is bound to commit infidelity.
One can see this tale as an antidote to the Knight’s Tale of honor and moral. Similar to the previous story told by the Knight, it is a romantic effort which in the end translates into each character getting what they are worthy of. Absolon, the lowly suitor with loving feelings for Alisoun, is the Miller’s example of chivalrous love previously seen in the Knight’s Tale. Absolon gets tricked into a repulsive act and seeks revenge. He burns Nicholas’ rear end as punishment for using the same tactic of trickery two times in a row. John is seen as a mad man for he is deceived by his wife and boarder. Only Alisoun gets away without harm because she is sly and astute. The Miller’s Tale is the quintessential fabliau that sole purpose is to ridicule the Knight’s Tale and the Reeve. It perfectly reflects the Miller in that it involves mockery and deception.
The Miller is a man with an imposing physique and personality. He is consistently interrupting others and taking over the story. The Miller is an attention hungry, low class man, who publicly ridicules the others on the pilgrimage. Similar to his story, he thinks he is larger than life. He is uses others downfalls to his advantage.