Previous
Chapter 15
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Candide, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Optimism and Disillusion
The Enlightenment and Social Criticism
Religion and Philosophy vs. The World
Love and Women
Wealth
Summary
Analysis
Candide and Cacambo flee from the Jesuit camp into the unknown territory. They come across two women being chased by two monkeys. Candide shoots the two monkeys, assuming that he is rescuing the two women, and also that this is appropriate penance for having killed the Inquisitor and the Jesuit Commandant. To his great surprise, the women begin weeping over the slain monkeys, who turn out to have been their lovers—as well as a quarter human. The next morning, Cacambo and Candide have been tied up by the Oreillons, natives of the area who intend to punish the “Jesuits,” for their crimes against the Oreillons.
Though Candide has good intentions, his ignorance of the land causes him to kill the lovers of the two women. He resembles European missionaries who intended to help indigenous peoples, but ended up doing terrible harm because of their ignorance of local customs.
Themes
The Oreillons are making preparations to boil Candide and Cacambo alive. Candide despairs. However, at the last moment, Cacambo makes a speech to convince the Oreillons that he and Candide are not in fact Jesuits, but rather enemies of the Jesuits. He manages to convince them, and the two are freed. The Oreillons give them refreshments, women, and lead them out of the territory in good cheer.
