Two Deaths and Three Sins in The Pardoner's Tale
Chaucer's The Pardoner's Tale may seem to be, at first read, a straightforward exemplum meant to convey the Pardoner's oft-mentioned message of radix malorum est cupiditas. The enormous amount of critical commentary that exists on the topic contradicts this first impression, though; there is much going on behind the scenes that can be missed in a quick scan. For one, there is the moral contradiction of a pardoner who tells a tale warning against avarice while freely admitting his foremost concern as a pardoner is "nat but for to wynne/And nothing for correccioun of synne." There is also the enigmatic figure of the old man that the three rioters encounter on their quest to slay Death, and the question of what he is supposed to symbolize. This essay will analyze these issues, attempting to elucidate the purpose of the old man in the story and how the story's teller himself influences and informs the message that emerges by the conclusion.
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