Does Alison represent an understanding or untold concept of what it is like to be a Christian facing temptation? And what role does she play in the essence of Christians behaving immorally?
A psychoanalytic perspective seemed appropriate for the discourse between characters in the tale. Many perspectives were viable however, an analysis of the roles and psychology of the characters such as John, who was fooled by his wife, an 18 year old and Nicholas. It is said that in times of the past, astrology was forbidden because the study of the stars is said to have superior knowledge and therefor God was the only one to be acknowledged and abided, therefor astrology was forbidden. However, Nicholas, in The Millers Tale studies astrology and convinces him to build a raft using three tubs. It can be argued that the tubs symbolize in religion, The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit and when Nicholas connects the prediction to Noahs Arc, John is then fooled, because being that he is a man of faith.
Chaucer plays with a very deep idea that a person who believes in Christianity must accept that in order for there to be good there must be evil. Alison Represents a symbol of Holiness and when she begins to be moved by Nicholas, a person who in times back then must be seen as unholy for his studies of the stars.
It can also be argued that Absalon, the incense swinger at the church (Alter Boy), represents what happens when you don’t accept that if Christian, evil or sin is natural in human nature. For he worked at the church and swung around incense, it would have been appropriate for her to maybe have had a somewhat condonable affair with Absalon, for he believed in God and worked at the church. However instead, he is fooled by the sinning couple and ends up kissing her “arse”(Ass).
In accordance, a hot steel rod then burns Nicholas in his arse after the prank went wrong, the connection I made here is that due to the deep mindset of unredeemed sin he instant is struck down upon and convicted. Its arguable that Chaucer before his death wrote a retraction and is asking of forgiveness for his sins and poems he wrote. He acknowledged he sinned and asked for forgiveness, in accordance to my point for such elaborate tales is of his understanding of his concept that he knew he must be redeemed.