Was Voltaire’s piece Candid or Optimism a source of inspiration for the creation of Dora and Boot’s love affair? Or do writers just assume that females love monkeys? Ponder on that. I found chapter 16 to be quite amusing. Candide hears the cries of two naked women running away from two monkeys, so he decides to put his magical superhero cape on and save them from the villains, by firing his rifle to kill them.  Feeling accomplished, he looks over at the two ladies who were already weeping over the bodies of their beloved monkey-lovers. Come again? What just happened? Can it get anymore awkward than that? I think not. Just kidding, the next day Candide and his pal Cacambo find themselves tied down and surrounded by fifty naked men who were preparing to turn them into a feast. Yum? To top things off, Candide has the audacity to recite his favorite line “All is for the best, I agree”. His calmness at this point is ridiculous.

Funny enough, to my surprise, after a long speech, they ultimately end up being freed, treated with politeness, were offered some hoes, and were given refreshments. The chapter ends once again with Candide’s optimistic cries “But after all, it seems that uncorrupted nature is good, since these folk, instead of eating me, showed me a thousand kindnesses as soon as they knew I was not a Jesuit”.

Overall, I knew it wasn’t going to happen due to the fact that a bunch of chapters followed this one, so it wouldn’t make sense for it to occur, but am I the only one that was hoping Candide got turned into a stew and eaten? He is the epitome of boring.