"Greed is the root of all evil"

Reading the Pardoner’s Tale made me feel as if I was getting a lecture from my mom. Every time that she wants to tell me what I call a life lesson, she starts off with the point of it and then tells a story that relates to it. It would go something like this:

The main point of the lecture:

“Isabella cae primero un mentiroso que un cojo.”

Then she would say:

I did not raise you to lie, people that lie may get off easy at first but then they get caught, always. I will not accept it.

And then she would tell me the story:

One time, when I was about your age I told my mother that I was going to my best friend’s house. Instead of going there I told my driver to take me to Juan’s house, my boyfriend. Thinking that she would never find out I stayed there a while and then came back home. When she asked me how it went I told her we had seen a movie and then we ordered pizza. That night she sat me down and told me that she would give me one chance to tell her the truth. I was confused but still insisted that I had gone to Virginia’s house. She looked at me with disappointment and told me that her friend Maria had told her that she had seen our car parked outside of Juan’s house. So she would say then, even though my plan was perfect, in the end my mother found out because lies always go out in the open so it’s better not to lie in the first place.

I take in the lesson but then can help but think why she tells me that when she also lies.

The Pardoner’s Tale is similar. In this case the pardoner does the same thing as my mother and the pilgrims like me listen to the lecture and the story.

The main pint of the lecture:
“My theme is always the same, and ever was --
'Greed is the root of all evil.” (333)

Then the Pardoner says that he does not agree with three main things that people take a lit if time doing.

“In Flanders once was a company
Of young folk who practiced folly,
Such as debauchery, gambling, brothels, and taverns,
Where with harps, lutes, and guitars,
They dance and play at dice both day and night,
And also eat and drink beyond their capacity,
Through which they do the devil sacrifice
Within that devil's temple in cursed manner
By abominable excess.” (467-471).
“O gluttony, full of cursedness!
O first cause of our ruin!
O origin of our damnation,” (499-500)
He disagrees with drunkenness and gambling:
“ A lecherous thing is wine, and drunkenness
Is full of striving and of wretchedness.”(550
“ Now I will forbid you gambling.
Dicing is the true mother of lies,
And of deceit, and cursed perjuries,
Blasphemy of Christ, manslaughter, and waste also
Of possessions and of time; and furthermore,
It is a disgrace and contrary to honor
To be considered a common dice player.” (589-596)

And then he told the story.

The tale begins with three friends and how all of them carry out the practices that he just mentions he does not agree with. While they are drinking together someone tells them that a friend of them has just been killed by a mysterious person named Death. Annoyed and angry they set out to kill Death in revenge of their friend. While looking for Death they come across an old man that has been waiting for Death to kill him, the three friends ask him where they can find Death and the old man tells them that behind an oak tree. When they get there, Death is not there but instead they see gold coins that have no owner. They want to steal it but know they can’t do it during the day because they will be taken as thieves. And to make a long story short, once of them goes to town to get food and the others plan to kill him when he came back. He returns, they kill him and drink the wine he had brought but also die because the other one had put poison in the wine so that he would end up with all the money.

We learn a lesson through this tale and in fact “greed is the root of all evil”. As we see here, three friends plan evil things against each other because they want all of it, be it whatever for themselves. What I can’t seem to understand is why the pardoner and also my mother told me this story, with this lesson when they don’t even follow it. My mom lies and the pardoner accepts that “for my intention is only to make a profit, and not at all for correction of sin” (403-404). So even though we know greed is not a correct thing we always do it because it is easier to say to someone not to do it rather than not doing it yourself. Maybe we should all do as the pardoner and give the lesson just accepting that we don’t live by it.