Summary: Chapter 5
A furious storm overtakes Candide’s ship on its
way to Lisbon. Jacques tries to save a sailor who has almost fallen
overboard. He saves the sailor but falls overboard himself, and
the sailor does nothing to help him. The ship sinks, and Pangloss,
Candide, and the sailor are the only survivors. They reach shore
and walk toward Lisbon.
Lisbon has just experienced a terrible earthquake and
is in ruins. The sailor finds some money in the ruins and promptly
gets drunk and pays a woman for sex. Meanwhile the groans of dying
and buried victims rise from the ruins. Pangloss and Candide help
the wounded, and Pangloss comforts the victims by telling them the earthquake
is for the best. One of the officers of the Inquisition accuses
Pangloss of heresy because an optimist cannot possibly believe in
original sin. The fall and punishment of man, the Catholic Inquisitor
claims, prove that everything is not for the best. Through some
rather twisted logic, Pangloss attempts to defend his theory.
Summary: Chapter 6
The Portuguese authorities decide to burn a few people
alive to prevent future earthquakes. They choose one man because
he has married his godmother, and two others because they have refused
to eat bacon (thus presumably revealing themselves to be Jewish).
The authorities hang Pangloss for his opinions and publicly flog
Candide for “listening with an air of approval.” When another earthquake
occurs later the same day, Candide finds himself doubting that this
is the best of all possible worlds.
Summary: Chapter 7
Just then an old woman approaches Candide, treats his
wounds, gives him new clothes, and feeds him. After two days, she
leads him to a house in the country to meet his real benefactor,
Cunégonde.
Summary: Chapter 8
Cunégonde explains to Candide that the Bulgars have killed
her family. After executing a soldier whom he found raping Cunégonde, a
Bulgar captain took Cunégonde as his mistress and later sold her to
a Jew, Don Issachar. After seeing her at Mass, the Grand Inquisitor
wanted to buy her from Don Issachar; when Don Issachar refused,
the Grand Inquisitor threatened him with auto-da-fé (burning alive).
The two agreed to share Cunégonde; the Grand Inquisitor would have
her four days a week, Don Issachar the other three. Cunégonde was
present to see Pangloss hanged and Candide whipped, the horror of
which made her doubt Pangloss’s teachings. Cunégonde told the old
woman, her servant, to care for Candide and bring him to her.
Summary: Chapter 9
Don Issachar arrives to find Cunégonde and
Candide alone together, and attacks Candide in a jealous rage. Candide
kills Don Issachar with a sword given to him by the old woman. The Grand
Inquisitor arrives to enjoy his allotted time with Cunégonde and
is surprised to find Candide. Candide kills him. Cunégonde gathers
her jewels and three horses from the stable and flees with Candide
and the old woman. The Holy Brotherhood gives the Grand Inquisitor
a grand burial, but throws Don Issachar’s body on a dunghill.
