The Theme Of Relationship In The Reeve's Tale

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What would it feel like to be treated as an interchangeable piece of property? In The Reeve’s Tale there is no way to escape the undeniable theme of ownership. There are many situations in the tale that strips the two female characters of their identity. Symkyn’s wife and daughter, Malyne, lack their own voice making it easy for them to become victims of the patriarchal ideology, that females have to be obedient and subordinate. In The Reeve’s Tale, ownership is used to objectify the two female characters by forcing them to be viewed as property instead of human beings. Malyne and her mother are subjected to many forms of mistreatment by the men in this tale further proving how powerless they are when seen as something owned. In their assumed, …show more content…

Symkyn makes it perfectly clear that he makes the decisions pertaining to his spouse, “For Symkyn wolde no wyf, as he sayde, / But she were wel ynorissed and a mayde” (3947-3948). Symkyn wants to control every aspect of his wife: mind, body, and soul. Therefore, he does not marry a woman who is tarnished, neither intellectually or physically, ensuring his wife is his in every way. In this ownership through marriage, Symkyn inherits the social status of his wife’s family which pleases him, “A wyf he hadde, ycomen of noble kyn; / The person of the toun hir fader was. / … / For that Symkyn sholde in his blood allye” (3942-3945). Her lineage is equally as important to Symkyn as her intelligence and purity. These qualities are easily dominated and owned by Symkyn since his wife is without a voice. If he wants to maintain the patriarchal image, his wife must be kept under control which may be why she is not given a name. By leaving the wife nameless it prevents her from gaining a personal identity, making it clear that the only role she has is to be Symkyn’s wife. This act of ownership does more harm than

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