Wife Of Bath Argument

The Wife of Bath is an excellent example of a human struggling for equality, and experiencing the pain of love, or at least what it passes for. Allison challenges religious scholars and biblical principles for the purpose of justifying her marriage with her fifth husband. Not only does she challenge religion, but also attempts to neutralize a deviance of the norms typically held by men and women. “In championing experience, the Wife sets up a series of oppositions, between the practical and the ideal, between the private and the public, and between women and men. In particular, though, she establishes an opposition between herself as an uneducated woman and book-learned church authorities such as Saint Jerome” (Arnell 14). Even in Allison’s time being married more than once was …show more content…
Her effort and search for true love comes at high price that almost costs her, her life. She endured criticisms, rejections, physical and emotional abuse to finally meet this man whose lack of trust in women place Allison in a relationship she will never forget. Jenkins was her husband who one day punched her in the head knocking her unconscious. The irony in this relationship is that the person who Allison truly loves, is the same one who hurts her the most. After suffering the life threatening strike to the head, Allison finally obtains what she has been wanting all along; authority over a husband she loves. “After her fourth husband died (there has recently been speculation as to why this young man died and whether it was by natural causes), Alisoun broke her earlier rules of pragmatic marriage and wedded Jankyn for love. Ironically, now that the Wife was older and searching for love, Jankyn 's position was parallel to that of Alison 's with her first husbands--young Jankyn delighted in aggravating Alisoun and appeared to be in a position of power over her” (“The Wife of Bath’s”