The Adventurous Simplicissimus · Chapter
III: How the Other Page Received Payment for His Teaching, and How Simplicissimus Was Chosen to Be a Fool explained
The Governor, after learning of Simplicissimus's escape from the goose-pen, discusses his behavior with the pastor and guests.
What happens
The Governor, after learning of Simplicissimus's escape from the goose-pen, discusses his behavior with the pastor and guests. The pastor explains Simplicissimus's innocence and ignorance, winning back the Governor's favor. Simplicissimus is allowed to wait at table again, and the Governor pays the other page's 'school fees' by having him beaten. Through clever questioning, Simplicissimus reveals the mad ensign's visit to the goose-pen, causing great laughter. The chapter concludes with the guests deciding to make Simplicissimus a fool for their entertainment.
Themes in this chapter
Innocence and Experience
Simplicissimus's naive actions and interpretations contrast sharply with the worldly understanding of the Governor and guests, highlighting the theme of innocence versus experience.
Deception and Appearance
The mad ensign's secret visit to Simplicissimus in the goose-pen and the subsequent revelation underscore the theme of deception and the gap between appearance and reality.
Folly and Wisdom
Simplicissimus's foolish behavior is seen as a source of wisdom and entertainment, leading to his role as a jester, which explores the paradox of folly and wisdom.
Characters to notice
- Simplicissimus
Simplicissimus is the central figure, whose naive actions and revelations amuse the Governor and guests, leading to his selection as a fool.
- The Governor
The Governor interrogates Simplicissimus, arranges for the other page's punishment, and decides to keep Simplicissimus as a jester.
- The Hermit
The pastor, who acts as a mediator, explains Simplicissimus's simplicity to the Governor and guests, securing his forgiveness.
Key passages
“When my lord rose he sent his orderly to fetch me from the goose-pen: who brought news he had found the door open and a hole cut with a knife behind the bolt, by which means the prisoner had escaped.”
When the Governor got up, he sent his servant to bring me from the goose-pen, but the servant reported that the door was open and a hole had been cut behind the bolt, allowing the prisoner to escape.
This sets the scene for the Governor's discovery of Simplicissimus's escape and his subsequent discussion about the boy's behavior.
“So he had him clapt in a winnowing basket and there soundly trounced: even as I had been dealt with the day before, when I tried those magical arts and found them false.”
So the Governor had the other page put into a winnowing basket and beaten soundly, just as I had been beaten the day before when I tried the magical arts and they failed.
This illustrates the Governor's method of 'paying' the other page for teaching Simplicissimus, reinforcing the theme of punishment and folly.
“And this was the cause of a general conclusion, to my destruction; which was that I should be soundly befooled.”
This led to a unanimous decision, which would be my undoing: that I should be thoroughly made into a fool.
This concludes the chapter by revealing the guests' plan to turn Simplicissimus into a jester, marking a key turning point in his fate.