Candide, Chapter 16 summary
Chapter 16 of 30 · 5 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 16, Candide kills two monkeys he thinks are attacking girls, but the girls mourn their lovers and report the travelers to the Oreillons. Mistaken for a Jesuit and threatened with being eaten, Candide gains his freedom when Cacambo proves that he kills a Jesuit rather than serves as one.
What happens
- Candide and Cacambo cross the border, stop in a meadow, and eat while Candide mourns his separation from Cunegonde.
- Candide shoots two monkeys chasing girls, then learns from Cacambo that the dead animals are the girls’ lovers.
- The travelers sleep in a wood, where the Oreillons bind them after receiving the girls’ report.
- The Oreillons prepare to eat Candide because his clothes make him appear to be a Jesuit.
- Cacambo asks them to verify that Candide kills the Jesuit whose clothes he wears.
- After confirming his account, the Oreillons release both travelers, entertain them, and escort them to their border.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Cacambo replaces a moral appeal with an argument about shared enemies. His explanation turns Candide’s killing of the Jesuit into grounds for release.
Quick check
How do the Oreillons check Cacambo’s explanation?
Cite this page
“Candide, Chapter 16 summary.” Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/pages/candide-chapter-16-summary.
Library of Alexandria. (2026). Candide, Chapter 16 summary. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/candide-chapter-16-summary
“Candide, Chapter 16 summary.” Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/candide-chapter-16-summary.
@misc{candide_chapter_16_summary_2026,
title = {Candide, Chapter 16 summary},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/candide-chapter-16-summary}
}
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