Is the climax of the Miller's Tale simply an example of bowdy humor or does it have a deeper message of Chaucer and his time.

The ending of the Tale is quite vivid. It figures Absalon, Nicholas and John as well as Alison. What befalls Nicholas is quite funny at first glance as a hot poker is shoved up his arse ‘And he was redy with his iren hoot, And Nicholas amide the ers he smoot.’ By Absalon, due to the fact that Nicholas tried to trick him again with the same trick as before. This is funny but shows an element of surprise as ‘Hende’ Nicholas is a ‘scolar’ and a learned person but it prompts the question Why didn’t he be original and tries another trick that may not have been so easily foreseen by Absalon.  This shows that Chaucer may have just incorporated the idea that learned people at the time could also be fools and could have been bettered. Also the fact that John has already been bested and is made out to be an ignorant person he is also made out to be a crazy person who the whole town see as a fool. ‘The folk gan laughen at his fantasie’

Now in those times we would expect different stories to be about the sacrifices if great honorable heroes for God, which was displayed in The Knights Tale. The fact that the two endings contrast as being opposite means the Chaucer has cleverly used the different concepts to shows what the people were really like in those days. As a difference to those in service to God the other people did enjoy a kind of sexual desire that most people experience these days. And the ending shows that a kind of humorous society lived that would accept some things that we might not have expected at the time. They would accept some kind of humor as long as it did step over the limit that most people expected at the time.

This tale actually shows Chaucer as a kind of adventurous person who would like to show what qualities and talent he has, as he has done so in the Canterbury Tales. This shows that Chaucer as a person is not restrained by public opinion and especially makes this a reality with The Millers Tale. The ending in my opinion has a deeper meaning and shows that what we have stereo typed the old ages with is wrong and Chaucer has allowed us to see what reality was really like during his time. The fact that I mentioned earlier that applies to the position of the Tale in the book shows that Chaucer has contrasted a noble story with a kind of opposite with deceit and dishonorable actions and Chaucer has deliberately does this to show us that The Millers Tale was accepted then and is a kind of ‘pub joke’. The tale itself and the ending show that these ideals are true as the people then had found this amusing even though it was offending to some. The hot poker trick may have been included to show that no sin is not punished, as Chaucer may have been deeply religious at the times.