Chapter 16
The two ride into the jungle and see two girls chased by two monkeys. Thinking he’s saving them, Candide shoots the monkeys. Shocked and confused, he sees the girls mourn the monkeys. Cacambo tells him he’s killed their lovers. Feeling awkward and disgusted, Candide & Cacambo ride on and camp in the territory of the Oreillons, who capture them and plan on killing Candide, seeing as he’s dressed as a Jesuit. Cacambo talks their way out of it, saying that Candide killed a Jesuit, their common enemy, and they are granted passage through the territory.
Chapter 17
The two travelers head for Cayenne, travel down a river and find themselves in a land of fabulous riches. Children are playing with gold and gemstones. The two are given a hospitable welcome and taken to a place like a palace and are told they are in Eldorado, a hidden, enlightened utopia that has no use for material riches.
Chapter 18
An old man explains the nature of Eldorado, which is basically an enlightenment-era paradise where deism is the religion, everybody is carefree and protected by natural borders, but the locals (descendents of a branch of Incas) are forbidden from leaving. After a fun time in Eldorado, the king gives them leave to go and, rather amused, grants them twenty red pack sheep laden with gold and jewels, all of which are worthless in Eldorado.
Chapter 19
The two leave Eldorado, have a good first day of travel, but after that are beset by many disasters that kill off the sheep until only two are left, though both are still loaded with enough treasure to buy several kingdoms. They reach Surinam, a Dutch colony, and see a miserable slave outside of town with a foot and hand cut off, waiting for his master, Mynheer Vanderdendur. The two ride into town and meet a Spanish captain with news. Candide finds out Cunegonde is the favorite mistress of the Governor of Buenos Aires. Candide sends Cacambo to Buenos Aires to get Cunegonde & the old woman, then to meet Candide in Venice. Candide sticks around Surinam for a little while longer and meets Vanderdendur, who cheats him out of most of his money and the last two sheep and sails off without Candide. Candide despairs and books passage on a French ship bound for Bordeaux and puts out a call for a traveling companion. The winner of the search is Martin, a scholar heavily embittered by the world and, despite being a loyal companion to Candide, a total downer.
Chapter 20
On the voyage, Candide & Martin debate over the nature of Optimism vs. Cynicism, neither convincing the other. The ship witnesses a sea battle where a ship sinks. A red sheep swims up to Candide’s ship and is brought aboard. The sunken pirate ship was Vanderdendur’s and Candide recovers some of his treasure. He becomes hopeful that he’ll see Cunegonde again.
Chapter 21
Candide & Martin continue to debate and discuss France, Paris in particular. Martin tells him the country is basically a crazy place.
Chapter 22
They land at Bordeaux and Candide gives his last red sheep to the Academy of Science, which eagerly studied it. They go to Paris. Candide gets very sick and, being wealthy, lots of people tried to make him better (for money) and he got worse. He recovers, but loses a lot of money in the process (its okay, he’s got more). An abbe from Perigord shows them around Paris. They discuss the theater and art in general. The abbe takes him to the home of Mademoiselle Clairon, some kind of high class prostitute/noblewoman. After a fancy dinner and conversation, she takes Candide to the back and they get it on. Candide feels guilty about betraying Cunegonde. One morning in Paris, Candide receives a letter, ostensibly from Cunegonde, telling him she’s in Paris, sick and wants to see him. He rushes to the place and it’s a setup by the abbe, and Candide & Martin are arrested for some reason (something about rounding up foreigners) and Candide bribes the arresting officer to let them go. The two safely reach Normandy and set sail for England with the eventual goal of Venice.
Chapter 23
The ship reaches the coast of England where Candide witnesses the execution of an admiral for not killing enough people in battle (to encourage the other admirals). Horrified, Candide refuses to set foot on England and books passage from the captain to go directly to Venice.
Chapter 24
In Venice, Candide unsuccessfully looks for Cacambo, but runs into Paquette (from the Baron’s castle) and a Theatine monk. She relates her unhappy life as a prostitute and the monk, Brother Giroflee, explains how much he hates being a monk, having been forced into it by his family. Candide gives both a generous amount of money. Candide hears about a Venetian senator named Pococurante, a man rumored to never know sorrow or trouble, and puts in a request to see him.
Chapter 25
Candide & Martin visit Pococurante, an educated government official who is bored with everything he owns and is down on everything; women, art, music, the classics, everything. Martin likes him.
Chapter 26
Candide reunites with Cacambo, who tells him Cunegonde is not in Venice, but in Constantinople. Cacambo is now a slave in service to a master and tells them to follow him. Candide dines with six foreign kings, Sultan Ahmed III, Emperor Ivan of Russia, King Charles Edward of England, a king of Poland, a second king of Poland, and King Theodore of Corsica. All are deposed monarchs given leave to travel and in Venice for the Carnival season.
Chapter 27
Cacambo arranges with a Turkish captain to take his master, Ahmed III & Candide to Constantinople. Cacambo explains that Cunegonde is a slave for another deposed monarch and washing dishes for him and has lost her beauty. Candide sighs and reaffirms his duty to love her, regardless of beauty. Cacambo tells him that he secured Cunegonde’s freedom from the governor of Buenos Aires, but then they were robbed by a pirate captain and sold into slavery. Candide buys Cacambo’s freedom when they reach the Bosporus & sails for the Sea of Marmora. Candide finds among the rowers two who are strangely familiar. They are Dr. Pangloss and Cunegonde’s brother. He frees them and tells the captain to sail to Constantinople. He introduces the two to Cacambo & Martin. They reach Constantinople and set sail for Transylvania to rescue Cunegonde.
Chapter 28
Candide & The Baron make amends about the whole stabbing incident. The Baron says that he was cured of his wound, captured by Spaniards, was reassigned to Constantinople, where he was caught bathing with a handsome young Muslim, which was a serious crime, since he was Christian, and sentenced to the galleys. Pangloss explains that he was going to be burned after hanging, but it rained, so that had to be put off. An autopsy was begun on him, but he was very badly hung and was still alive and he woke up screaming on the table. Pangloss recovered and became a servant to a Venetian merchant and went to Constantinople. One day, Pangloss entered a mosque and tried to hit on a female worshipper. The “priest” there called for help and Pangloss was arrested and sentenced to the galleys. Despite all this, Pangloss still adheres to his original philosophy out of sheer stubbornness.
Chapter 29
They land on the shores of the Sea of Marmora, find the Prince of Transylvania and Candide sees Cunegonde, now ugly and worn. No longer desiring her, but still bound by his honor, they embrace and it’s a happy reunion for everyone, more or less. The Baron again refuses to give Candide Cunegonde’s hand in marriage.
Chapter 30
Despite not really wanting to marry Cunegonde, Candide still wants to go through with it because the Baron pissed him off with his refusal. Pangloss formulates an argument that the Baron has no rights over his sister. Martin wants to throw the Baron into the sea. Cacambo wants to return him to the galley captain he was freed from then sent back to the Jesuits. Cacambo’s plan is carried out quietly. Now married to Cunegonde, Candide and crew, now finally running low on money, settle down to a modest, largely miserable farm life. Paquette & Brother Giroflee arrive at the farm, poor of course, and are taken in. there is much philosophizing. Martin becomes a stoic, the old woman is irascible, Cacambo becomes a grumpy servant, Cunegonde keeps getting uglier, and Pangloss adheres to his philosophy without actually believing it anymore. Candide affirms nothing, only stressing that “we must cultivate our garden.” Eventually, they settle into their new lives and the farm turns out abundant crops in an intentionally listless ending.
Impressions
Candide laments Pangloss’ death in almost every chapter where he thinks Pangloss is dead (which is most of the book)
Martin is a total downer.
Cacambo and the old woman are both resourceful, intelligent sidekicks for their respective masters.. Until the downer ending.
Candide is a real twit, but that’s the point. He’s not even that nice of a guy, since he’s got an bloodthirsty stab reflex. He’s more naïve than nice.
Cunegonde is a human MacGuffin and about as bright as Candide. Still, his treatment of her at the end is pretty damn callow.
It’s a satire, so plot holes (such as people coming back from the dead over and over) aren’t really important. it’s a commentary on (mostly) European society, and the picture it paints is not a cheerful one. Its amusing dark satire, and it accomplishes its goal quite well. If it were a serious tale, then yeah, there's heaps of holes to point out (like Pangloss repeatedly coming back from the dead), but as a satire I can't help but think that all of those are intentional. Voltaire's good at what he does.
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