Is She Back?

            What happened in the next ten pages of the book was very unexpected. So far, they have been the most interesting events. However, as I read, many questions came to my head. When the strange woman gave Candide shelter and food, the one he thought was the love of his life, when she says "It is not my hand you should kiss" (p. 38) I couldn't help but conclude that there was someone else waiting for him. Of course, Lady Cunégonde wasn't an option, after all, she had died at the beginning of the book. After this scene, I began asking myself who that woman was, ahd why was she so interested in helping Candide. What does she want from Candide? Does she want to earn his confidence in order to do something bad to him in the future? Why did she appear so out of the blue? And most importantly, who´s hand is Candide supposed to kiss?

            Of course, these questions got answered as I read more. Turns out that Lady Cunégonde was still alive! What I liked about Lady Cunégonde being back, was the thrill of knowing she hadn't died. I believe the author made it clear to the audience that she was dead in the first place in order for all these questions to pop into ones head, and be surprised by the new unexpected event. However, I found ironic how everyone important in Candide´s life dies so soon in the book. All the main characters (James, Pangloss, Lady Cunégonde) that are important in Candide's life die, or are thought to be dead in Lady Cunégonde´s case. So if these characters go through almost the same things Candide goes through, why does the author make them sound so important and then tells us they die? Does this mean that in the future more characters that will make a "difference" in the book´s ending and the character´s destiny will appear?

            However, the fact that Lady Cunégonde is back so fast makes me think that she will stay with Candide throughout the whole book and have an impact. This is so because I believe that her return has been one of the most important events in the book so far, and the author wouldn't have made her go and come back and made such a big deal out of it if it weren't important. Right?

            So what will finally happen with these two? Will they go through everything that awaits together or apart and then find themselves again? Will one of them eventually die? I love the fact that the book, even though I haven't even got through the middle of it yet, has me so intrigued. These questions that have popped into my head are what makes me want to keep going to find out what will happen next. And if it isn't obvious, the return of Lady Cunégonde has been one of the most sudden yet fascinating events that has happened so far, not to mention the death of Pangloss and James. So the only way to answer these questions is to keep on going, maybe in the next five pages they will be answered.

"Can this really be Cunégonde?" cried Candide "you are still alive then?" (p.39)