The Parson

Character Analysis

A parson is a parish priest, and with this Parson we get an exemplary one. Unlike the Friar or
the Monk, who fail to practice what they preach, the Parson lives the Gospel he teaches by
being holy and virtuous in all things, giving to the poor while he himself lives a life of poverty,
and visiting his widely-spaced parishioners, rain or shine. The Parson is explicit about the
motivation for his behavior: he must serve as a good example to his parishioners, for "if gold
rust, what shal iren do?" (General Prologue 502). That is, if a religious figure can't live a holy
life, how can he expect a layperson to do so?

In the Parson's portrait we see a lot of pastoral imagery, or language about sheep and
shepherds. The Parson sees his parishioners as his sheep, and says that he cannot leave
them stuck in the mud. He reinforces his reasons for living a holy life by saying that it
wouldn't be right for a flock of white sheep to be watched by a "shiten" (dirty) shepherd,
someone bespattered with sin. From this language we get the impression that the Parson
truly views himself as the caretaker of Christian souls. He takes his responsibility extremely
seriously.

Many parish priests at this time period chose to take a "benefice," or position far away from
their parish, in which their only job might be to say mass for one departed rich person once a
day. This was a way for a priest to make much more money, but it required him to live far
away from his parishioners. By rejecting this option, the Parson shows that he is willing to
sacrifice his own comfort to do his job as a shepherd of souls.

Comparing the Parson with characters like the Friar, Monk, Prioress, Pardoner, and
Summoner makes those characters look even more selfish and sinful. The Parson's
presence on the pilgrimage is necessary for precisely this reason: without him, we have no
idea of what a religious figure ought to be, while, with him, we have an almost Christ-like
point of comparison.