The most prominent theme through out this text, not unlike previous texts in the class, is the theme of love. In the first story a terrible man who lived a terrible life ends up being loved after his death because he lyes to a priest and is made out to be a saint. Because the impression he leaves is not a true one, people worship the false memory of him and thus his image is even more false then a true memory. This brings up another point, and focuses the theme even more. Love of an image, is a large part of this text.
The second story deals with a Catholic man who tries to convince a Jewish man to convert. The Catholic man makes out a false image of the Vatican in order to convince the Jew. The Jew is finally convinced but when he visits the Vatican, he sees who terrible the holy men's lives are (in being unjust). He still however converts, amazed at the force of Christianity, despite the earthly corruption. The corruption in the Vatican, by the way, is all based on love of an image. The holy men are told not to do something (like have sex or gamble) so they want to do it even more. They fall in love with an ideal image of a lifestyle that contrasts their own.
Similar can be said about the next story where two monks have sex with a beautiful women despite the fact that they are forbidden. In addition to the temptation of breaking the rules, they also have sex with this women because her image is very attractive. They don't really ever get to know her. The lust is skin deep.
The next story deals with the love of those thought to be family members (although it was a lie), and the love of wealth. Everyone in this town seems to be dying to steal wealth from somewhere. The story ends with a grave robbery, where the main character who is at first a victim, gets a way with a stolen valuable ruby.
The last story teaches a valuable lesson about being in love with the image of wealth and love of the image of beauty. It shows that although many people wish to be beautiful, or rich, both can be an unimaginable burden. A women traveling alone has many man kill each other throughout her whole life, fighting over her beauty. She witnesses murders that have changed her for ever, and is very often kidnapped. On a different note she has sex "perhaps ten thousand times" because so many men instantly "fall in love" with her. What they really love is her outer beauty. Most of the men hardly get to know her.
This is just a brief introduction to all these stories portray the theme of love of an image. I could go on and on in greater detail, and I hope to in tomorrow's class.
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