Which member of the emerging middle class does Chaucer portray in the most favorable light? In what way does his description of this character differ from other members of this class or estate? In your response, cite specific text-based evidence. Your answer should be at least one hundred words.
Answers
Out of the middle-class characters described, the Wife of Bath gets the most favorable description. Chaucer describes her as "good" and "worthy," even if she has a temper. Compared to the other characters, who are corrupt in some way, there is an openness to the Wife which makes her more likable.
Firstly, she is described as skilled in cloth-making, outdoing many of her peers. She does not get her money from exploiting people or from inheritance, as the upper class and clerical pilgrims usually do, but from her own work.
Secondly, she is an experienced woman in the ways of love. She has been married five times. Chaucer does not paint her in a negative light because of this but rather as a wise woman who understands love and sex better than most other people.
Thirdly, she is independent. She travels alone, which would have been strange for a woman to do in the Middle Ages. It was also dangerous for a woman to travel alone, which suggests the Wife is confident and brave.