Job and The Pardoner’s Prologue

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Job and the Pardoner’s Prologue
The Pardoner’s Prologue was written by Geoffrey Chaucer. In the Prologue, the Pardoner outlines his immorality, and ultimately the lesson learnt from the same. The prevalent theme in the Prologue is the effect of power in relation to evil. To be precise, the Pardoner terms greed as the cause of all forms of evil (Sutton 169). Similarly, the story of Job gives insight on the effect of power apropos of evil deeds. This paper will critically analyze the effect of power in the Story of Job and the Pardoner’s Prologue.
In both stories, there is evidence of Satan’s power. It is salient that God allows Satan to use his power to test Job’s faith toward the former. Through Satan’s power, Job loses his property and his children, and he also contracts sores on his skin. Job’s friends are certain that he must have committed a terrible sin for him to receive those punishments. Unbeknownst to them, Job’s suffering is as a result of an agreement between God and Satan (New Jerusalem Bible, Job. 1. 6-22: 2.1-10). Similarly, Satan’s power is observed in the three men apropos of the Pardoner’s Prologue. Satan is responsible for tempting the three men to engage in immoral practices. The three men open the door for Satan’s temptations thus like in Job’s story, God’s power allows the prevalence of Satan’s power.
Additionally, the power of God is prevalent in both stories. In Job’s story, God offers the final word concerning Satan’s power and temptations.

God reminds Job about His formidable power by showing that He is much greater than human beings. In fact, He describes His greatness during the debate between Job and his friends regarding Job’s punishments. God reminds Job of His creation, and the latter acknowledges God’s immense power. Regardless of His disappointment with Job’s friends, God uses His power to forgive them. With his great power, God cures Job and offers him property as well as a new family. God also uses His power to extend Job’s life on the land (New Jerusalem Bible, Job. 3-42). Similarly, the power of God is salient in the Pardoner’s Prologue. Irrespective of Satan’s temptations, God’s power surpasses all other elements. God’s power is much greater thus the people’s indulgence in sin ultimately leads to their death (Sutton 197).
In contrast, both stories exhibit the power of God in a different manner. The Story of Job shows an all knowing, powerful, but merciful God. Irrespective of His anger and disappointment in Job’s friends, He forgives the three men when Job intervenes for them. He uses His power to improve rather than punish the people. On the contrary, God uses His power to punish the three men in the Pardoner’s Prologue. The Pardoner clearly describes that sin has no place in the Kingdom of God. For this reason, God outdoes Satan’s power by punishing the three men through death (Sutton 197).
The paper has examined the effect of power in Job’s story and The Pardoner’s Prologue. There are clear similarities between the power of God and Satan about both stories. Additionally, there is insight about the differences in God’s prevalent power in the two stories. Both stories depict that the effect of God’s power is much stronger Satan’s power. It is evident that the temptations of Satan’s power do not override the power God. He is the ultimate creator thus all things on earth bow down to Him and His greatness.

Works Cited
Sutton, Marylyn. Chaucer’s Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale: An Annotated Bibliography, 1900 to 1995. Toronto: Published in association with the University of Rochester by University of Toronto press, 2000. Print.
The New Jerusalem Bible. Ed. Susan Jones. New York: Doubleday, 1985. Print.