Religions Reviewed

In this exemplum, the Cistercian audience is intended to identify with Arnulf, rather than Bernard. Arnulf is at the center of the story from its start, and Bernard only makes a sort of cameo appearance towards the end. Arnulf is a good monk, who is charitable and gracious to the herdsman who becomes a lay brother. Arnulf learns not to question the penance assigned to him by the abbot, and thus illustrates the virtue of obedience. Arnulf enters the Cistercian monastic life as an adult, as all members of that order did. The Cistercians gave over the earlier Benedictine practice of admitting child-oblates. All entering monks were required to be at least fifteen years old, and to join of their own free will, rather than on the decision of family.  In fact, such a decision—as illustrated in by Arnulf in the present exemplum, and by Bernard in the Vita Prima—was often made against the wishes of family. 
 
Arnulf’s tale does parallel the life of Bernard from the Vita Prima in some other important respects. Bernard too came from an affluent family. Instead of bestowing material riches on the Cistercian Order, though, he brought actual members of his family to convert with him.  And like Arnulf, Bernard needed to learn to moderate the severity of the penalties he would demand from himself.