Carpenters are traditionally seen as sturdy, hard-working men, with calluses on their hands and dirt under their fingernails. They are strong and silent; they take pride in their work and are generally self-confident. One of the main characters in “The Miller's Tale” from Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, however, breaks the typical carpenter mold. John the carpenter falls prey to the cunning Nicholas who, by planning an elaborate one-night stand with John's wife, convinces John that the world is ending the Old Testament style of the Flood. At Nicholas' request, John attaches three bathtubs to the rafters of the barn so that Nicholas, John, and his wife can escape a watery grave. As John embarks on this adventure of hanging bathtubs in anticipation of the "prophesied" flood, he periodically falls into a state of despair, caring only for his wife's safety and fulfilling the classic role of cuckold. In this part of the tale, Miller uses specific language to characterize John's actions and attitudes as effeminate, insinuating that the irrational behavior is unequivocally linked to feminine sentimentality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The term "feminine" can be subjective and, therefore, problematic, but Chaucer graciously provides an example of appropriate femininity when the narrator speaks of the Prioress in the General Prologue. He obviously admires her grace and delicate calm; the narrator speaks at length about the Prioress' refined gastronomic behavior ("General Prologue" 127-135) and marvels at her sensitivity to small, defenseless things (GP 144-150). The Prioress exemplifies femininity in The Canterbury Tales, with her wise and emotional character. In contrast, John's wife, Alisoun, is crude and heartless, hanging herself in front of windows in obscene positions ("The Miller's Tale", 624) and harshly cheating on her beloved husband, without remorse or emotion (541-546 ). John, however, behaves more like the Prioress than his wife, engaging in unconstructive bouts of tunnel vision that leave him emotional, much like a woman would. The segment begins with the mention of “affectioun” (503) and “imaginacioun” (504), describing John's thought process and his source of motivation. The entire scene is the result of John emphasizing his immense affection for Alisoun and his engagement in imaginative thought as well as his blatant disregard for his own well-being. He moves away from reality for a moment, envisioning Alisoun drowning in a flood comparable to that of Noah (508-509), while remaining oblivious to the danger that could very likely befall him. In short, John is whipped by his love for his unfaithful wife and is therefore considered effeminate. The Miller also bombards the reader with a multitude of traditionally feminine verbs to describe John: he “trembles” (506), “He cries.” , moans, makes dear sad; / He cries with great regret” (510-511). The word “earthquake” can mean “to shake involuntarily; to tremble, shiver, shudder with fear, anger, or any other strong emotion” (OED 2b). John lets the emotion take over his body: he loses control and his loss of self-control manifests itself in an emotional thrill. Such behavior, similar to fainting or fainting, is commonly considered feminine, but John experiences these sensations and surrenders his body to the emotion. Just thinking about the possibility of his lovely Alisoun drowning is, apparently, enough to make John cry. Crying is “the expressionnatural, audible, and visible expression of painful emotion” (OED 1a) and is generally considered an uncommon action among men. Furthermore, these actions are neither constructive nor proactive, but internal and self-indulgent. Any expression of emotion is considered a predominantly female action, but crying, in particular, is commonly attributed to women, and yet John cries. John also does not remain silent in the face of his distress. According to the passage, he "groans" and "siketh" as well. It's almost as if the carpenter couldn't contain his distress, that his emotions were so intense that they had to come out, making his body "shake" and forcing him to cry out in moans and sighs. Although all of these reactions are crude and over-the-top – after all, John hangs a bathtub for Alisoun and fully intends for her to survive the fictitious flood – John nevertheless worries for his wife, ignoring the possibility of her own demise. . These are all actions that characterize John as a more effeminate character rather than the masculine carpenter he is supposed to be. Before engaging in constructive actions, such as hanging bathtubs from the rafters as he was told, John gives in to his sentimental and emotional urges, reacting much like a traditional woman. This impractical and arguably unnecessary activity is not characteristic of the traditional male role. Men take matters into their own hands; they do, they build, they manufacture. Men don't sit on their haunches with their heads in their hands, crying out of fear or emotion. The Miller nevertheless attributes these actions to John at this point in the narrative, perhaps to establish connections between irrational behavior and female sentimentality. Only after John expresses himself emotionally does he actually take action and accomplish what he believes is necessary to protect him and his wife: and put the roof on privacy; With his own hand, he made three ladders, to climb by rods and rods to the tubes suspended in the balkes, (515-518). With the fictional deadline looming, John wastes precious time worrying about Alisoun, for little reason. He ignores the harm that could happen to him and focuses entirely on Alisoun and his safety. Additionally, the Miller spends quite a few lines exploring John's emotional escapades, but limits the bathtub hooking – the central action of the segment – ​​to a single line (515). Therefore, the reader may assume that John's emotional reaction to the impending flood must be considered more important than his action. This emphasis on emotion rather than action could result in an emphasis on John's feminine qualities rather than his masculinity. Even John's proactive actions can, at times, read as effeminate: And gooth and gets a trough on his knees... And hemmed vitalized, both trough and tubbe, With race and cheese and good ale in a judge. Enough for a day. (512, 519-521)A kneader is “a wooden trough or vat in which to knead dough” (OED). Kneading dough and making bread are traditionally female roles, but the image of a dough mixer is associated with John. Additionally, John packs bread, cheese, and beer into the troughs and bins, much like he is packing a picnic basket. These preparatory actions are reminiscent of female and domestic relationships, not actions a man would take. To some extent, very little of what John does in this passage can be considered purely masculine and, in short, the Miller subtly portrays John as an effeminate man. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our writers..