The Pardoner as Representative of the Church

The Pardoner as a Representative of the Church The Pardoner is a disreputable representative of the church. The “General Prologue” describes him as being a lying, swindling hypocrite, and he does not hesitate to tell you this himself. The main theme of his sermons, and “The Pardoner’s Tale,” is “love of money is the root to all evil,” yet his primary motivation in life is money. He dupes his listeners, and gains their acceptance …

…of God although he does not live for him. The Fig tree is symbolic of God’s children, and the Lord curses hypocrites, such as, the Pardoner, who claim to be his but do not bear any fruit for him. The Pardoner is supposed to be a holy and trustworthy man but he is neither. He lives to serve himself and no other and that is what makes him a terrible representative of the Church.