Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales reveals the realistic version of society of his time by descriptively creating the image of a character from each social class. He does this in a way suggesting that there was no utopian society and the pilgrims of Canterbury actually contradict their "title." Cosmopolitan influences and the usage of irony enabled Chaucer to develop the Canterbury Tales into stories of different social classes both challenging and honoring the system.
Before Chaucer set out on the holy pilgrimage to Canterbury, he had been exposed to different cultures as a diplomat under the royal command. Through this sensible journey, he was able to experience and meet a diverse group of people, ranging from the low class to royals, to discover a structure other than what society had set forth. His worldly awareness also had a great impact on the themes he wrote about: life vs death, supernatural vs reality. His background of "climbing the social hierarchy" also gave him insight of the social system.
The Canterbury Tales revolves around the theme of irony. Beginning from the journey itself, various members of society set forth on this pilgrimage as a holy revival, yet the whole act was more of a competition. When analyzing the cook, the character himself is an irony. As an apprentice he should be obedient and respectful, but instead he does not listen and drinks his problems away. Gambling also follows and soon he is addicted to these poisonous acts. The cook is fired and oppositely, he goes from "riches to rags." The usage of irony conveys the message that the cook lacks morals, and ends up losing the battle against himself (man vs himself).
The major literary technique of irony and the theme of irony itself tie together to create a balance between a "for and against" of the structured social class. Chaucer never clearly states his position on the overview of the hierarchy but he also never strongly rebels against the idealistic system.
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