The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, were written in the 14th century during the Hundred Years' War. Each of the characters was created to represent one of the 7 sins. In Paradise Lost, written by John Milton, every character has a direct connection to an earthly comfort. Both stories are written with the intent to teach readers; however, Paradise Lost was written in the 17th century, which means that the writing style and social standard of what the difference between right and wrong is and how salvation is received are very different. In the 14th century, war and violence were prevalent. The Canterbury Tales were written during the Hundred Years' War, when the Catholic Church was facing the Western Schism and "Against the darkest period of its life..." (Bloom 14). The story centers on a group of thirty pilgrims traveling to the shrine of St. Thomas in Canterbury (Bloom 14). The pilgrims are all focused on a theme supported by the underlying religious tone of the story. The characters are on a pilgrimage, which is a clear indicator that the text is of a religious genre. The Catholic Church, at the time, was losing many followers due to the Black Death and a lack of faith in the importance of the church. The Summoner and the Pardoner, both representing the Catholic Church, are both depicted as greedy, corrupt, and violent. This is a direct correlation to what Chaucer and many others thought about the Catholic Church during this time. The Monk and Prioress are not depicted as corrupt like the Summoner and Pardoner; however they are described as falling short of what is considered ideal for people in their position. Both are described as being in a depressive state. Even both...... middle of paper... Eve are able to feel repentant and pray for forgiveness” (Nutt 225). Milton is also very interested in the correct process of man's salvation. “…how, through the divine gift of grace, humanity can seek salvation” (Nutt 66). Both works argue their ideas and opinions on salvation, the hypocrisy of the church and hypocritical and selfish gains, disguised as the 'pious' work of man, in the Canterbury Tales. The time difference shows the level of depth with which each author can challenge the norm and discuss their ideas. In Paradise Lost it is obvious that temptation can come in very attractive forms but only by the grace of God are we saved. Both authors agree that humanity is imperfect, but the knowledge of such flaws and the study of what is right is what makes life interesting and worth living and this is what brings about salvation: fighting the good fight