Little Candide Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1:

The story’s setting begins in Westphalia, in the castle of Baron Thunder-Ten-Tronckh. Here lived his Baroness, a three-hundred-and-fifty-pound lady, their beautiful daughter Cunégonde and their son whose name is never mentioned. We cannot forget the other soul that lived in the castle, a pure heart, honest, and a boy with good judgement named, Candide. Little Candide, always listened to the lectures taught by the tutor, Doctor Pangloss. Candide would hear about the effect and cause and how everything that exists has an alternate reason. One fine day, Cunégonde was passing by the park in the castle and spied on Pangloss and the maid of her mother, who Pangloss was teaching a lecture on experimental physics to the obedient and attractive

Candide gave the man the two florins that Jacques had given him the day before. The beggar turned out to be Pangloss, and he informs Candide of the horrible events that happened at the castle in his absence. Pangloss tells him that Cunégonde was dead, she was disemboweled after being raped many times, and then they killed everyone else. The conversation later returns to Pangloss condition, and he states that he received it from the maidservant, Paquette, and then lists all the people that received it before him dating back to companions of Christopher Columbus. Pangloss even says that the illness was necessary for goods such as chocolate and cochineal to be brought to Europe. While Pangloss and Candide were talking about how to cure him, Candide implored the help from the Anabaptist Jacques, Candide talked so good and convincing that Jacques decided to take Pangloss in and helps to find a cure. Pangloss through his curing process lost an ear and an eye, but recovers well. At the end of two months Jacques had to embark to Lisbon on business and decided to bring Pangloss and Candide along. In the boat ride they had a hearty conversation about the goodness in nature. Jacques does not agree with Pangloss and states that men have corrupted nature by creating things like cannons, bayonets, and bankruptcy. Pangloss states that the private misfortunes of one’s self the better everything in general turns out to be. I believe the argument for this chapter is that while one is going through very difficult times, others are in a much worse shape, but overall everyone will rise. The author presents his argument with what Pangloss stated about one’s misfortunes for the overall good of the world and Pangloss condition. The part that was weird for me was when the author described the condition of Pangloss it was just a little explicit for me, I could see him so well in my