Tritram Shandy

A detailed Summary of Tritram Shandy

Chaucer's Wife Of Bath, Allison, is a very interesting character. She almost seems

to be an early feminist, but is not by her own words. She has her own authoritarian views

on marriage, Scripture, and husband domination. Alison is one of the only characters who

actually reveals herself openly, through her prologue. She has a personality, and that

personality consists of her authority over her husbands, her own ideals on religion, and she

Allison establishes her authority on marriage and husbands through experience.

Because of her aggressive outset to prove authority, some may see her as a wicked

woman, and she is proud of this. "Experience, even if there were no other authority in this

world, would be grounds enough for me to speak of the woe that is marriage". She has

been married five times, the first at age twelve. Many people have criticized her, using as

proof the fact that Jesus only went to one wedding. But she feels that her five marriages

have only helped to build experience, and thus support her views. Those views being that

women want to have dominance over their husbands. So she us

more importantly, since by letting the old hag have dominance and make her own choice,

Allison has her own view on Scripture and Gods plan. She claims that God wants

sex and money. She at first tries to justify her actions by appealing to the higher truths of

authority are her own experiences and marriages. Her speech carries undertones of

us to multiply and increase, and therefore being married more than once is okay. And

obedience to a woman, and by finding out what women really want: dominance. But she

have her own needs satisfied. She may rely on her certain "charms" to establish authority,

to establish her authority by experience, so she can justify her actions simply by having

But the real message of the story, regardless of her apparent lack of real life cynicism, is

done them. Not only is she able to control her husband, justify it, but also reveals a kind

both of them come out happy. By also including this sub-moral into her story, Allison

the way in which churchmen assert their authority-by quoting Scripture and works of

men thought of women. She proves that women can, and will dominate and dictate their

also

Approximate Word count = 782
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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