The Adventures of Pinocchio · Chapter
XVIII: Pinocchio Again Meets the Fox and the Cat explained
After the Fairy reduces Pinocchio's nose to normal size, she tells him Geppetto will arrive that night.
What happens
After the Fairy reduces Pinocchio's nose to normal size, she tells him Geppetto will arrive that night. Pinocchio goes to meet him but encounters the Fox and the Cat, who trick him into believing he can multiply his gold coins by burying them in the Field of Miracles. Despite his initial hesitation, Pinocchio follows them to the town 'Trap for Blockheads' and buries his coins, watering the ground as instructed, then waits for the promised money tree.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Gullibility
The Fox and Cat exploit Pinocchio's desire for easy riches, using false tales and flattery to trick him into burying his gold, despite his earlier warnings.
Consequences of Bad Companions
Pinocchio ignores the Fairy's care and the Talking Cricket's warnings, choosing to follow the Fox and Cat, leading him into a new trap.
Transformation and Identity
Pinocchio's nose is restored after his lesson about lying, but his continued poor choices show his struggle to become a truthful, obedient boy.
Characters to notice
- Pinocchio
After his nose is restored, Pinocchio is eager to meet Geppetto but is swayed by the Fox and Cat's promises, leading him to bury his gold coins in the Field of Miracles.
- The Fairy
The Fairy allows Pinocchio to cry over his nose as a lesson against lying, then summons woodpeckers to restore it. She tells him Geppetto will arrive that night.
- The Fox
The Fox and the Cat encounter Pinocchio in the wood, feign sympathy, and convince him to bury his gold in the Field of Miracles, claiming it will multiply overnight.
- The Cat
The Cat is lame, having lost a paw; the Fox falsely claims she sacrificed it to feed a starving wolf. She accompanies the Fox in tricking Pinocchio.
Key passages
“The Fairy allowed the puppet to cry for a good half-hour over his nose, which could no longer pass through the door of the room. This she did to give him a severe lesson, and to correct him of the disgraceful fault of telling lies—the most disgraceful fault that a boy can have.”
The Fairy let Pinocchio cry for half an hour over his nose, now too big to fit through the door, as a harsh lesson to cure him of lying, the worst habit a child can have.
Highlights the Fairy's disciplinary approach and the moral emphasis on truthfulness.
“Pinocchio thought of the good Fairy, old Geppetto, and the warnings of the Talking-Cricket, and he hesitated a little before answering. He ended, however, by doing as all boys do who have not a grain of sense and who have no heart—he ended by giving his head a little shake and saying to the Fox and the Cat: 'Let us go: I will come with you.'”
Pinocchio briefly remembered the Fairy, Geppetto, and the Cricket's advice, but like any foolish, heartless boy, he shrugged and agreed to follow the Fox and Cat.
Shows Pinocchio's internal conflict and his ultimate failure to resist temptation.