Decameron

           The story of Saint Ciappelletto was hilarious. It was very fun to read, I was smiling the entire time. It was also a shining example of an unjust man that get away with persecution by pretending to be a just man. I am reading "Plato's Republic" and there is an argument in the book about the nature of justice and one character in the book argues that the unjust man lives a more profitable life than the just man. Socrates says that a just man will require a soul that is pure and well functioning, like a well-oiled machine. What Socrates means by "soul" is not religious or super natural, he means soul as in the mental condition of a human. A good soul would be a rational, skeptical, empathetic, compassionate mind. When Ser Ciappelletto confesses to the friar, he appears to be this and more. The owners of the house he is staying in can hardly contain their laughter, and for good reason, they know his true nature, and the fact that the friar believes his story is even more hilarious. Ser Ciappelletto is a wicked man, an unjust man, yet his mind is sharp and clear. His soul would appear to be good souls in that that it is high functioning, The only fault would be his disposition towards wicked behavior.Even better, his final act is a helpful, good act, and whether he gained selfishly for it the fact remains that he helped the two guys that let him stay in their house. He didn't have to, but maybe he had spark of empathy. I also noted how the friar and his monastic peers were so eager to believe the story, and it's because they want to believe that people are fundamentally good. They want to have faith in their fellow man. Its much easier for them to believe lies they like.
            The fifth story of the second day was equally amusing. The main character, Andreuccio, goes through a lot, and in the end came out richer than before. It is a combination of luck and misfortune that gets him through the night. The people in this story are vie\le creatures who care for nothing but themselves. This man, Andreuccio, is in a strange place, where deceit and treachery is the name of the game. IT is the example of a state where no one is just, but everyone in actually unjust, in the guise of being just. Just like how in Plato's Republic a state of unjust is disorderly and law as we know it serves the stronger. There is a reason why the place he was in translates to "evilhole". It is fitting, then, that the well that Andreuccio bathed in became contaminated with the filth from the house where his fake sister was. They don't deserve water. It is as Zeus says in the Odyssey, humans blame the Gods for their troubles but it is really their own behavior that further magnify their suffering. I life how Andre learns his lesson from earlier in the day and lies about the archbishop's ring. The two robbers that were with him thought they were going to get all of the treasure, and never from the start intended to share any loot with Andre. The story is just a cycle of deceit, like how doing good fo one person might create further good fro someone else, it is the opposite here. One gains off another, that other than gains through lies off someone else.