The Assertive and Vulnerable Wife of BathSociety was different in Chaucer's time; males dominated and women were suppressed. The manipulative and destructive nature of women has been emphasized by men. Just like Eve in the Bible, women were blamed for the “fall of man.” Through The Wife of Bath, Chaucer investigates the difficulty of self-realization for a woman in this restrictive environment. The Wife of Bath, Alison, represents anti-feminist stereotypes and seeks happiness and a place in a patriarchal society. Unfortunately, Alison is never in tune with who she truly is as a woman. Chaucer uses a series of ironies to ultimately demonstrate that beneath her seemingly confident exterior lies the soul of a vulnerable and lost woman. The Wife of Bath supports women. Denigrates the works of male scholars who denigrate women. Using her “wild lion” analogy, she argues that “if women had only written the stories,” then such negative representations would not exist. Therefore, at first, the Wife of Bath appears to be in favor of women's rights. Ironically, the Wife of Bath does not help women, her actions coincide with the scholars' accusations. Alison dresses cheerfully, with her "lovely scarlet" stockings. The red color is indicative of a quarrelsome and bold lady, just as the space between the teeth is a symbol, to indicate licentiousness. When he “comes out at night” and “follows my appetite, whether the guy was short, tall, black, or white.” (275), the wife turns out to be an adulteress. In relationships with husbands, the wife IS devious and deceitful, inventing accusations to prevent anything on the part of the husbands. Therefore, while on one level he tries to protest against the "negative... middle of the paper... son to obedience, and has been the dominating and controlling partner all along. His efforts to find true happiness are futile and she lives a lie. The Wife of Bath is admirable in that she is assertive and has attempted to succeed in her life. Despite being a fourteenth century woman, her ideas, beliefs and actions are more similar to those of a twenty-first century woman. She is truly a woman ahead of her time. Unfortunately, her restrictive environment prevented her from realizing herself, a lost woman who used the wrong methods to find true love and happiness truly free. Works Cited: Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The Wife of Bath's Tale." Translation by Nevill Coghill New York: Penguin, 1977.