The Book of Margery Kempe; From Venice to Rome

We learn that Kempe goes from Venice to Rome in what I would find a lonely situation due to her language limitations; she cannot understand the churchmen and woman that Richard, who is checking in on her daily, advises her to go with (Kempe 112-113). Kempe describes traveling through urban areas where she eats with “respectable wives.”(Kempe 113, 113) The people that Kempe interacts in, including her new group of co-travelers, treat her like a parent would a child, for example making sure that she had the best quality of food they could provide and comforting her during her when she is visibly very upset. Richard, despite having a hard time meeting his needs and only knowing Kempe for a short time, makes sure that she is okay twice daily (Kempe 112-113) The fact that there was clearly less of better provisions for the trio may point to good quality necessities such as food and beverages being hard to find and or afford (Kempe 113). Besides focusing on the gentle and sweet treatment that she recieves (Kempe 112-114), Kempe is also moved when she sees women she is with worship Jesus in a way that is unfamiliar to her. This ritual takes place with the image of Christ that the woman with the Churchmen travels with in a container that she has put on a donkey (Kempe 113-114).Kempe also states something that is very curious to me as someone who practices Christainity in that she feels as though she should pray to benefit people who are good to her (Kempe 113). Most Chrsitains I know would say that compassion should come from a source not connected to how someone has treated you.
The fact that the lady with the clergymen is taking a picture of Christ in order to dress up and kiss with other women does seem out of the ordinary for me today, and it was also a practice that Kempe was clearly unfamiliar with herself (Kempe 113) Something else unusual for me would be the many stops on Kempe’s way to Rome, however this was not unusual for her (Kempe 96-114) Lastly, the fact that Kempe joins a group of travelers without really knowing anything about them is not ordinary for me (Kempe 112-113). I feel like Kempe sees herself as a heroine with a dramatic and awesome story, so she feels like she is writing her story down so that people who want to read it can.(Kempe 112-114) Kempe’s distress at losing a piece of jewlry, what she considers to represent her relationship with Christ, shows that she places great value in her individualism and respect being shown towards her (Kempe 114)The fact that Kempe is on a pilgrimage means that she felt comfortable leaving England. Because of this, it is possible to assume that England did not have a society that valued individualism. The fact that the women Kempe meets are described as “good women”(Kempe 114) shows that Kempe finds traits that benefit her important, and not ones that define people at a deeper level.(Kempe 113-114) This shows a side of Kempe that is focused on survival. Her brain is perhaps too preoccupied with worrying about her needs to get to really know people (Kempe 113-114).
Margery Kempe, The Book of Margery Kempe, Translated by BA Windeatt, Chapters 26-31 Penguin Books, 1985.