The leverage she has over men is evident when the pardoner says to her, "Telle forth youre tale, spareth for no man/And teche us yonge men of youre praktike" (Chaucer, 106, 186-187). The pardoner knows that the Wife of Bath has a way with men, and he wants to know all of her tricks because he wants to be prepared when he gets married. However, this implies that all women are as manipulative as the Wife of Bath is. During this time period, it is very unlikely that there are a lot of women as domineering as she is.
The way her character is with men is what makes me like her so much. I think she uses her sex appeal as a way to be on a level playing field with the men. At this time, women had very little influence in anything, and I think she uses sex as a way to be in control of something.
Some people in class said that they do not like her character because they have a hard time looking at her from the time period the tale is set. I, however, enjoy her no matter what the time period is. I understand that women have more power in modern society and there are so many ways to get what you want without using your body, but in the end she still has results. If her body is what she has to use it, why not take advantage of it? She was not cheating on her husbands, all of her sexual activity involved the men she married.
I hate that there is a double standard regarding the Wife of Bath in modern society and men in modern society. Most people would look down on her today because of that fact that she has had so many husbands and her current one is twenty years younger than her. However, if her character were a man, things would most likely be different. Men tend to get praised for being with multiple women -- especially if those women are younger than they are.
The only problem I have with her character is that she stayed with Jankin when he beat. I understand that during the time period, men were allowed by law to beat their wives, but her character seems so head-strong that I thought she would find a way to leave him. The one part I did enjoy regarding this was when she hit him back. She explains that she rips his book and makes him fall in the fire, and after he hits her, she "hitte him on the cheke" (Chaucer, 120, 808). Yes, he does hit her, but she fights back and I appreciate that very much.
I think that the Wife of Bath, would not have had an option to leave Jankin. I also think the fact that she hit him back was pretty monumental. She was technically his property, so she would not have been allowed to leave him. I think her hitting him back did challenge his power, and forced him into seeing her as a person not property (maybe because if you hit a table, It is not going to hit you back; if you hit your, wife she can). I think she ends being seen as a person, so I think her response wose effective and appropriate.
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