Decameron 6

Story 9.2

In my interpretation, the nun’s actions reflect basic human actions and needs, while the Abbess’s actions reflect the church/religion. The Abbess, a complete hypocrite, basically states that a ‘sin’ can be excused if t would benefit her; she also states, “everyone should enjoy herself whenever possible, provided that it be done as discreetly as it had been until that day” (662). The ending of this story is truly an unresolved one, because the Abbess doesn’t realize that if this so-called ‘sin’ is alright as long as it is done discreetly, she should re-think if it really is a sin in the first place. Clearly, the story is saying that there are some actions and emotions that are a part of human nature, and people of the church can’t be expected to live without these basic human qualities and needs. Why, then , does the Abbess, who succumbs to something she considers wrong, still advocate an unrealistic standard? The narrator also mentions that the other nuns are envious of Isabetta; this could further illustrate the idea that unhappiness is the result of there being no compromise between humanity and the church.

Story 9.3

I think that this story says something interesting about how men react when in a woman’s social position and the kinds of social roles that they can or cannot fulfill. In previous stories we have seen women easily getting away with pretending to be a man (e.g. the story about the ‘Abbot’ who falls in love with Alessandro); they take on the role gracefully. However, in this story, Calandrino does everything he can to get out of filling the role of ‘nurturer’ that would normally be assigned to females in that society: “… just as long as I don’t have to give birth, because I don’t know how to! … If I had to put up with that pain, I’m sure I would die before I gave birth” (666).

9.6

First of all, this has to be the funniest of all the Decameron stories so far.

In answer to the question, I think that the wife’s perception of the events comments on the idea that we as humans are wiling to believe anything, even something completely absurd, if it means freeing ourselves or others from guilt. At the end of the story, “the woman was convinced that she alone had been the only one awake” (686). This is obviously absurd, but all she needed was the faintest suggestion that something else could have happened in order to make up a completely different scenario in her head. Ironically, the wife ends up being convinced by her own lie, which suggests the power of lies, a theme that has been often seen on earlier Decameron stories.