It's Miller Time

Short paper analyzing one of the characters or "portraits" from The General Porlogue in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.

In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales he describes in detail many of the various Pilgrims that are traveling with him on his journey to Canterbury. One of his most colorful descriptions is that of the Miller. The miller has one of the most physical descriptions of all the characters. Unlike the parson's introduction, where Chaucer focuses more on his philosophies, ideologies and preachings, the Miller's introduction, where Chaucer focuses more on his philosophies, ideologies and preachings, the Miller's introduction to the story focuses more on his outward appearance. Hen he is describing the Miller it seems as though Chaucer does not interject the description to give his opinion of this particular character. Chaucer uses this technique in his introductions of the Knight and the Friar where he calls the Knight "worthy" and defends the ideas of the Friar, but with the Miller it is all about how he looks. This is not to say that Chaucer doesn't insert his opinion of the Miller at all, rather, his opinions are conveyed through the adjectives he uses and comparisons he draws.

Stout, big, brawny, large boned, broad and thick. These are the adjectives Chaucer uses in the first five lines of the Miller's description. Already one can draw the conclusion that the Miller is a big and touch man even before Chaucer points out that "Ther nas no dore that he nolde he heve of harre / Or breke it at a renning with his heed" (GP 550-551). (This description may not only say something about his largess but could suggest something about his intelligence as well.) Or that "At wrastling he wolde have alwey the ram" (GP 548). Here, Chaucer makes it clear that he is a large and strong man who likes people to notice that he is so large and strong. Chaucer then describes the Miller's facial features in detail. He focuses particularly on a wart on the top of his nose with red hairs protruding from it. He compares the tuft of hairs to the "bristles of a sowes erys" (GP 55). By doing so he makes the already disturbing image of a hairy wart even more disturbing by bringing to mind the image of a hairy cow's ear.

Chaucer also portrays the Miller's personality through the use of descriptive colors. "His berd as any sowe of fox was reed" (GP 552). Chaucer could have used a lot of other animals or objects to represent the color red, but he chose a fox. The fox is the animal representation of sneakiness and slyness. To reinforce the idea of the Miller being sneaky, Chaucer brings up how the Miller knew how to steal corn and charge threefold (GP 562). Gold is another color Chaucer uses in his description. "And yet he hadde a thombe of gold" (GP 563). This refers to a common story in Chaucer's time about merchants laying their thumbs on the scales so they could charge more to unsuspecting patrons. When Chaucer described the Prioress and the Monk he explained how they both had gold pins that each represented an idea of love that they held important. Chaucer is drawing a comparison from what the Prioress and the Monk hold important to what the Miller holds important, and that is money.

At the end of the stanza Chaucer explains how the Miller is a great teller of tales and jokes as long as they are vulgar ones (GP 560-561). The physical description of a large, ugly, cheating man matches perfectly to his loud, bawdy and disgusting persona. His physical looks are disturbing and so are the words that spew from his “greet forneys” (GP 559) of a mouth.

The character of the Miller is large and tough and never misses an opportunity to show that off. He may look (and act) stupid, but that is just a front to hide his sly fox, cheating ways. No one would suspect that the dumb big merchant would be smart enough to know how to cheat people out of their money. He is also loud and vulgar which is an individual trait for this character. The Miller is the most unique and fun character in The Canterbury Tales. He is used as the comedic relief amongst this pack of religious and uptight characters. And even though Chaucer spent less time describing him, the Miller is his most exciting and vivid character.

copyright 2002 Megan Tharpe