Final answer:
The Miller from 'The Canterbury Tales' is characterized by Geoffrey Chaucer as a bawdy, irreverent commoner, with the placement of his tale within the pilgrimage indicating his mockery of social norms and highlighting his status as a commoner.
Step-by-step explanation:
In The Canterbury Tales, the author's choices regarding the Miller's character indeed reveal much about his place in the society of the time. The Miller's tale is characterized by its crude humor and bawdy subject matter, which is a significant departure from the more refined and noble stories that precede it, such as the Knight's tale. This contrast in content between the Miller's tale and those of the higher social order characters reveals the Miller's status as a commoner. Moreover, his story is disruptive and irreverent, indicating his propensity for mockery of social norms.
The Miller himself is described as a stout and brawny man who is somewhat lewd, with a wart on his nose and a mouth like a furnace for his tales. He is also depicted as playing the bagpipes, suggesting a jovial and irreverent nature. Geoffrey Chaucer, the author, uses the placement of the Miller's tale and the character's attributes to provide social commentary on the rigid class distinctions of the period and to critique, through satire, the mores of medieval society.
In essence, the Miller's character and the order of his tale within the larger framework of The Canterbury Tales shed light on the dynamic and often satirical treatment of different social classes in medieval England. Thus, in the context of the options provided, the most fitting answer to the student's question would be that the author's choices suggest the Miller's status as a commoner and his mockery of social norms.