"Reverend Father, all the quarterings in the world signify nothing; I rescued your sister from the arms of a Jew and of an Inquisitor; she has great obligations to me, she wishes to marry me; Master Pangloss always told me that all men are equal, and certainly I will marry her. " (Voltaire, 1918) These were the words of Candide when he argued with the Baron why he has all the rights in the world to marry Cunegonde, the Baron’s sister.What is so apparent in this section is the cause why the two quarreled and eventually resulted to the death of the Baron.
“Pride and discrimination“ are the human characters that had been so defined even in the earlier days. What caught my attention with this chapter is its reference to the killing, how the main character of the story can kill the brother of the person he loves? It was because he was challenged and he was provoked, that, if he did not make that move to kill, he himself would have been killed by the Baron.I referred to the Baron’s pride with his insults to Candide and discrimination when Candide mentioned about the Jews, referring in this chapter, that Jews are some groups whom women need be rescued and discrimination against women as seen in the quote above. In fact Candide have considered the Baron a friend, a brother in law and a master. And the source of the incident was Candide’s confession of his plans to marry the Baron’s sister, Cunegonde.However, the Baron.
objected and insulted Candide and thought that the latter is after the honor of his sister because she has seventy-two (72) quarterings (the coats of arms marshaled on a shield to denote the marriages into a family of the heiresses of others). This chapter is not so long yet everything is there. How the interesting and close conversation between two close friends can turn into a tragedy at the expense of one’s life.
