Corruption

Honesty is a relative thing. Some say that honesty is just telling the truth, some say it is acting in a certain way. Honesty, to put it simply, is being true to one’s self in dealings with others. Geoffery Chaucer, in the "Canterbury Tales," discusses many characters who are dishonest with themselves and other people, and contrasts them with a few who are truly honest people. Through his characterization of the Summoner and the Parson, one can easily see how Chaucer feels about honesty, especially within organized religion.

The first way Chaucer characterizes both characters is through their work in the church. The Summoner works for the church. His job was to summon sinners to church. "But for a half a quart of wine, he’d let a man keep a concubine." The Summoner let his own personal desires, alcoholism, get in the way of his doing the honest thing. The Summoner was not being true to himself, he, in essence, was living a lie which defined him all the way down to his profession. The Parson, on the other hand, worked well in the church. "[the Parson] neglected not in rain or thunder,… to pay a call/ On the remotest, whether great or small…this noble example to his sheep he gave…" (l. 501-506). The Parson would walk all through his parish helping everyone and anyone. This is what a good Christian and an honest man would do. Chaucer makes the Parson an example of good Christians and honest people to show the great contrast with that of many church officials.

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In conclusion, honest is really something more than simply telling the truth or having an "honorable" title or job. Honesty, coming from the same root as the word Honor, means living one’s life and portraying one’s self in an honorable way and in Chaucer’s prologue, the Parson is one of the only characters who does so.