Passus 6-9 Analysis
In Passus 6, Piers Plowman is introduced to the reader. He works as a “plowman”, which is essentially a farmer. Initially, I viewed him as a “Good Samaritan” figure, given his willingness to help the crowd find Truth, a person who he has been working for for a long time. However, my opinion of Piers changed. Instead of being a wholesome person who just wants to help people out of the goodness of his heart, his motivations seem selfish. He believes that he will be purified and cleansed of sins in the eyes of God if he helps the crowd, rather than wanting to give advice just because it is the “right thing to do”. Piers is seeking personal rectification from his sins, believing that he can die at peace once helping the crowd find Truth, “‘My wyf schal have al that I wan truly, and no more,/And dele among my frendys and my dere chyldryn;/For though I deye today my dettes beth yquytted:/I bar home that I borwed or I to bedde lede.’” (A. VII. 88-91). Therefore, Piers feels comfortable writing a will, as he thinks that God will view him as charitable and worthy of going to Heaven.
In addition, Piers views the crowd as sinful people upon seeing them resting instead of plowing. He is determined to inflict pain and “Hounger” upon them as punishment. However, he quantifies their behavior for eating on the job as “myschievous”. Does mischievous behavior, which has the denotation of causing trouble, warrant the severe consequence of a famine? Piers’s personality appears split: he is eager to be forgiven by the virtues in order to go to an eternal life (“vitam eternam”, A. VIII.94) , but he does not readily forgive the crowd for acting lackadaisically on the job. Why does Piers expect mercy, when he cannot be empathetic toward others?
The Dreamer wakes up at the end of Passus 8, and enters another dream in Passus 9. His own personality is reflected into the virtue of Thought, and there is even a physical description of him. “That evere dryght in doute drempte as I wene./A meke man, me thought, lyk to myselven,/Come and called me by my ryghthe name.” (A. IX. 61-63). The Dreamer sees himself as a “meke man”, meaning timid and anxious. Therefore, it seems that the Dreamer has low self-esteem. The Dreamer’s lack of confidence could be reflected in Piers Plowman’s anxiety about entering a heavenly afterlife. The Dreamer could be unsure of his social standing, whether he is a “good” or “bad” person. As a result, his lack of knowledge about morality may leave him confused about how he is viewed by God and other Almighty virtues.
In addition, Piers views the crowd as sinful people upon seeing them resting instead of plowing. He is determined to inflict pain and “Hounger” upon them as punishment. However, he quantifies their behavior for eating on the job as “myschievous”. Does mischievous behavior, which has the denotation of causing trouble, warrant the severe consequence of a famine? Piers’s personality appears split: he is eager to be forgiven by the virtues in order to go to an eternal life (“vitam eternam”, A. VIII.94) , but he does not readily forgive the crowd for acting lackadaisically on the job. Why does Piers expect mercy, when he cannot be empathetic toward others?
The Dreamer wakes up at the end of Passus 8, and enters another dream in Passus 9. His own personality is reflected into the virtue of Thought, and there is even a physical description of him. “That evere dryght in doute drempte as I wene./A meke man, me thought, lyk to myselven,/Come and called me by my ryghthe name.” (A. IX. 61-63). The Dreamer sees himself as a “meke man”, meaning timid and anxious. Therefore, it seems that the Dreamer has low self-esteem. The Dreamer’s lack of confidence could be reflected in Piers Plowman’s anxiety about entering a heavenly afterlife. The Dreamer could be unsure of his social standing, whether he is a “good” or “bad” person. As a result, his lack of knowledge about morality may leave him confused about how he is viewed by God and other Almighty virtues.
I really do think Piers isn't working out of the goodness of his heart and soul. He's definitely just helping others because he thinks God will save him. He's totally selfish and just wants others to plow his land. I like how you're drawing parallels between the dreamer and Piers! I definitely see some sort of connection between them too.
ReplyDeleteI think your analysis of Pier's behavior is very insightful--at first I didn't really think much about what Piers' actions said about himself but I really like your statement about how he expects mercy when he's not empathetic--that is definitely a valid question and makes me question his actions. I am also surprised that you were able to make a connection between the dreamer and Piers. It totally makes sense that the dreamer could be not confident because he is not sure if he's a good or bad person.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about Piers: he definitely just does things for his own interest and basically tries to "play God" when he calls upon Hunger. It's really impressive that you picked up on the fact that the dreamer has insecurities. I too feel like all this dreaming is due to the underlying issue of him trying to redeem himself for something bad he has done. He is way too obsessed with finding Truth and doing good in the world that there has to be a motive behind it.
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