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The Reeve's Tale And The Honor Of Men Analysis

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Author Stewart Justman discusses the honor of the three male characters in his essay, “The Reeve’s Tale and the Honor of Men.” This analysis appears to evolve from the insult the pilgrim Reeve receives after The Miller’s Tale, causing, “…males whose obsession with their own repute, and corresponding dread of derision, reduce the ‘noble’ value of honor to an absurd and violent mania” (21). This leaves Malyne and Symkyn’s wife the recipients of this violence. One might say that Justman continues with the previous essays by Plummer and Woods even though they discuss money, honor is closely related to the overall shaming of Symkyn after his daughter and wife are sexually assaulted. It is power, greed, and pride that, “…the result that women are …show more content…

The violence experienced by the women, Malyne and Symkyn’s wife, was bluntly addressed by Weisl, “The women are there to be had, to be taken, because they are merely props in a humorous story without any real identity” (120). When looking at Nussbaum’s objectifications, Weisl addresses instrumentality and denial of subjectivity. Moreover, Weisl references Gravdal’s Ravishing Maidens, elaborating more on the former’s discussion of male power (121). It is clear that Weisl is a feminist author, referring directly to Gravdal’s and utilizing Nussbaum’s ideas, shows the impact and progression both women had on future scholars. She continues to explore the ways in which The Reeve’s Tale objectifies women, “In this male game, the women who help the winner are merely chess pieces ready to be captured” (120). Weisl’s honest assessment of the objectification Symkyn’s wife and Malyne are exposed to creates an even more open discussion that the humorous tale is not so funny. Weisl’s ideas are integrated well into my paper since her arguments align with Gravdal and Nussbaum, further supporting the corruption of the patriarchal society and how it impacts the two female characters within their

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