CDF 3-4

One thing that I didn't understand while I was reading this book was why the Vicario twins told everyone that they wanted to kill Santiago. Why wouldn't they keep that to themselves? Also, because everyone knew, including the police, why wouldn't someone have tired to stop this problem before it got to killing Santiago? However, I do understand where they are coming from when they say that they thought the twins were joking. If someone came up to me and said they wanted to cut someone's guts out, I wouldn't really believe them either.

I was thinking that because Santiago and Mrs. Creves had the affair, if everyone in the town had knew about it, that was the reason that Angela had named Santiago as the person who had taken her virginity, because it would have been more believable.

One thing I do not like about this book AT ALL is that it jumps from scene to scene - from past to future and it gets on my nerves and confuses me a lot . I think if its going to be on one topic, stay on that topic for the whole chapter. It gets really confusing.

One thing I do like, however, is that it is so descriptive. When I was reading the part about the autopsy, I could, even if I didn't want to, imagine it in my head. I really like that in books.

However, in this case, the bad outweighs the good for me.

Chapters XXIII-XXX

XXIII Summary

Candide and Martin are still on a boat about to pull up to England, while Martin is telling Candide that England and France are fighting over Canada. While there, Candide and Martin witness a shooting of an admiral because he didn't kill enough people himself. Candide decides that this is enough for him and he bargains with Martin not to stay any longer and go to Venice, and Martin is ready to leave in two days.

XXIV Summary

Candide and Martin pull into Venice. Martin, being a pessimist, is telling Candide that he is too comfortable. He thinks that Cacambo ran off with the money and Cunegonde to have a life without Candide. They see a man and a woman who appear to be "happ" and they bet that the two aren't really happy. Martin ends up winning this bet. 

Can we really truly know if someone is happy?

XXV Summary

Candide and Martin spend time at Pococurante's gondola on the Brenta and have dinner with him. Candide, like usual asks questions, because he is so niave. At the end of the chapter Candide makes the decision that Pococurante is one of the happiest among men, while Martin says that he is only hiding behind his possesions, and he, also isn't happy.

XXVI Summary

Cacambo and Candide bump into each other. Cacambo leads Candide and Martin to a dinner set up with six strangers. The strangers all have slaves come and tell them that they need to leave because their time is up. When Candide hears of this, he thinks someone is playing a joke on him. He tells them that, and the six strangers reveal themselves, each their own king of a country, who was overthrew from their throne and were allowed to travel. All, with the exception of the six stranger, who was a king, but is now treated as common folk.

XXVII Summary

Candide and Cacambo are discussing on the boat about the misfortunes that Cacambo has faced in his search for Cunegonde. She is now washing dishes in Turkey for a prince. Candide pays a ransom for Cacambo to be freed from the dethroned sultan. Then he sees the Baron and Pangloss on the other boat, and askes to be shipped over there.

XXVIII Summary

The Baron and Pangloss start to tell Candide about their troubles. The Baron, after he was stabbed by Candide, was taken to a surgeon and "revived" in a way. There he got into some trouble because he was taking a bath with a Mussulman and it was against the law for a Christian to take a bath with a Mussulaman.  Pangloss, who was supposed to be hanged, was alive because they had done a really bad job hanging him and a surgeon had purchased the body to dissect it. While doing that, he made a major incision which in turn revived Pangloss. 

XXIX Summary

Candide and company finally find Cunegonde and the old woman. Cunegonde is very old and ugly, however she does not know of it because no one has told her. Candide pays the ransom for Cunegonde and the old woman, and reiterates to the Baron that he intends on marrying his sister. However the Baron pretty much said, over my dead body.

XXX Summary

Here, Candide realizes that he didn't love Cunegonde as much as he thought he did. He does not wish to marry her anymore because of how ugly she is. However, he does so anyway in spite of the Baron. In the end, everyone finds a job that is suitable to them. In closing Pangloss and Candide are talking and yet again, Pangloss points out everything is good no matter how much of a horrible situation they are in.

Candide Homework Number 1

Candide is a very older book. With the language they are using I didn't understand much of it. What I did understand was that him and Cunegonde had stolen a kiss when they weren't supposed to. They got caught and Candide was not allowed to see Cunegonde again. Then, Cunegonde's castle was invaded and from what we know right now, Cunegonde and her mother father and brother were all killed. Later on, the old woman took Candide to Cunegonde and reunited them together. She was telling Candide about how she was raped and stabbed, but she had lived as a servant for a while. Cunegonde and the old woman had gotten into a temporary fight and Cunegonde said that the old woman had no idea how Cunegonde felt having to give up her status and family and riches. Then, the old woman had told her life story, which I thought, was worse than Cunegonde's.