Canterbury Tales-outward appearence tells of inner character

             Clothing can tell a lot about a person. Of course, a tuxedo would most likely indicate a wealthy and influential individual, where old dirty clothing might indicate poverty stricken individual. These are effortless to see, but what about a Prioress's be-jeweled rosary, or a humble Knight's fustian tunic? These are not deciphered so easily, but they do tell of the inner reality of the beholder. Authors do not always come out and tell the reader what he/she is saying, somethimes the readers own intuition is required to extract the true meanings inside of a literary work. In the Case of ''The Canterbury Tales'', Chaucer uses superficial descriptions of a characters' dress as a depiction of his/her personal characteristics. .
             The Nun is one of the prideful and ultimately flawed characters; seeming to prefer the aristocratic to the devotional life as discussed in ''The Canterbury Tales''. Though she has sworn loyalty to God and to the church, she displays charms of wealth which might show where her loyalties really lye. Chaucer tells the reader of her cloak "I noticed, had a graceful charm" (Chaucer 161). The charm itself is not a sure sign of dishonesty, but since it is being worn by a Nun it tells the reader to look a little more closely at this character. A devout and humble nun would never wear such an item, would never attract attention in that way. This Nun also has been described wearing "a coral trinket" and a "set of beads, the gaudies tricked in green" (Chaucer 162-163). These articles do not seem to fit the income of a so-called humble nun. Furthermore, hanging from the ostantacious rosary beads is a golden broach, not a crucifix. This is the final indication, the Nun has clearly shown her inner character by displaying this flashy jewelry in place of her crucifix. Instead of this nuns heart being with the church, her love is of the more earthly pleasures. Instead of Chaucer directly coming out and saying how he felt about seeing these jewels on the Nun, he allows the reader to make his or her own assumptions of what exactly these items mean.