Lost in translation (Part 7)
My original plan was to continue to discuss the rest of Albert’s letter to Candy in the epilogue of Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS), but Avon’s recent comments to my previous post, Last Episode of the manga, inspired me to jump ahead and write a post about Candy’s words near the end of her letter to Little Bert (aka her last letter to Albert in the epilogue). If you’re interested, you might want to read Avon’s brilliant questions / comments about the translation of these two sentences, starting with her analysis.
そう、アルバートさん、
今が、わたしの幸せです。
It so happened that a while ago someone else wrote to me in private and asked about the translation of the same sentences too. 🙂 She told me that some fans had translated the sentences to “Yes, Albert, now I am happy”, and some others had suggested, “Yes, Albert, my happiness is now, I am happy.”
Her question to me was, “Which one is the correct translation?”
Guess what I told her back then? I wanted to tell her neither one was entirely correct, 😛 but I wrote back, “Both were slightly off from the original meaning.”
The point is, I can hardly explain why in a few words. First, there’s no equivalent word for 幸せ in English (those readers who can read Chinese would know the Chinese equivalent is 幸福). The word 幸せ may be a noun or an adjective (thus translated to different English words), and “happiness” is only one of its meanings. In some cases, indeed 幸せ can simply mean “being happy” or “happiness”. However, sometimes the word can be translated to “joy, satisfied, contentment, good fortune, fortunate, or lucky”. You might want to click the above link for some possible meanings in English. 🙂
Yet, often times the word 幸せ refers to the long-term state of being happy (the happiness not due to a stimulus) — a feeling that lasts and makes one feel whole and content because of what’s happening in life. For example, one can be both happy and satisfied because of a fulfilling career or a stable, loving relationship, etc.
If the happiness is somewhat spontaneous or not expected to last, one would use the other words like 喜ぶ, 楽しい or 嬉しい. FYI, this link explains their differences. Examples in CCFS when these terms are used include: Candy expressed how happy she was to see Stewart and Mary in Miami after the war, Candy ended her letter to Dr. Martin with high spirits (flying high), Candy gladly accepted Albert’s invitation to go to Chicago on her birthday, Candy was overjoyed in her letter to Albert after her birthday party that she kept calling his name again and again, Candy was exhilarated because Albert had told her about his nickname Little Bert, and so on.
I think you get the idea. 🙂 You might want to read my old post Her Happiness too. However, that’s not it. If Candy wants to tell Albert “I’m happy now” using 幸せ , the more usual way is (as discussed in More than words (Part 2))
今、わたしは幸せです。
Here 幸せ is used as an adjective, describing the first person. The topic is about “me” being happy and content now.
Yet, Candy used 幸せ as a noun in her letter to Albert, but then she could have written like this:
今は、わたしの幸せです。
Note that the English translation is also “I am happy now.” or “Now, I am happy.” However, unlike the example above, the topic is about “now”, not “me”. In other words, one may interpret that the person who said this might not be happy the day before or the day after, but right now, the person expressed s/he was in a state of being happy.
Those who don’t understand Japanese might not even spot any difference between this and the original one, but let me put them together:
今が、わたしの幸せです。(original)
今は、わたしの幸せです。
Yes, the only difference is the particle used right after the word now (今). Candy used が in her letter, and if I change the particle to は, the nuance has changed. FYI, this page provides some common examples of how these two particles could alter the meanings completely.
So let’s go back to the original passage. Since Candy used 今が, she essentially put the emphasis on “now”. Let me give you a couple of examples to help you understand.
今がいちごは出盛りです。(Strawberries are now in season.)
今が彼に近づくよいチャンスだ。(Now is good chance to contact him.)
This blog post is one of the best I’ve read so far that clearly explains why these two particles are used in different situations. The blogger named「が」 the identifier particle, which identifies the unknown. Using the examples above, they were like answering the unspoken questions, “When is the best season for strawberries?” or “When is a good time to contact him?”
One popular example of using 「が」 the identifier particle is saying “I love somebody/something” using すき(好き) in Japanese. Here, in Candy’s mind she said (twice): “I love Anthony…”
アンソニーがすき…
The name “Anthony” is underlined, and you can find the Japanese words on the left hand side of the manga picture. Grammatically, Candy identified Anthony as her love interest (like answering the question ‘Whom do you love?’). It does not make any sense if you use the other particle は.
Back to CCFS, in Albert’s last letter to Candy, he stated he was serious about finding where her happiness was. Perhaps she loved being a nurse at Happy Martin Clinic? Or she wanted to continue to reside at Pony’s Home to help her old foster mothers? Maybe deep down she still missed Terry terribly, secretly hoping that he would come back to her one day?
When they went to Lakewood together, he might have probably asked her, or the return of the diary was his first step. Nonetheless, what Candy wrote to Albert near the end of her letter was her answer to his question about happiness. (At least this is how I interpret her words.) Not “the past” (her days at St. Paul), but “now” (her current relationship with Little Bert) was the time when she experienced the long-lasting happiness.
At any rate, apart from grammar, we should not interpret anything without keeping the context in mind. Those have read CCFS should know what came before these two lines below.
そう、アルバートさん、
今が、わたしの幸せです。
You’re right, Candy was being grateful to her parents for abandoning her at Pony’s Home. Why? Because that was where she had first met young Albert (who had run away from home that day). Then, in response to his deep gratitude to her (that he could not thank her enough), she wrote the same thing back to him, saying she was the one who could never thank him enough.
Then she wrote そう、アルバートさん、(yes, Albert-san,)
そう is a conjunction that can be translated to yes, so, like that, etc. Apparently, Candy’s whole train of thoughts was imbued with her strong feelings for none other than Albert, and as though Nagita was afraid her readers would miss this point, she added his name, just in case. Unfortunately, some people out there still didn’t get it… (sigh 😛 ) because they read with the mindset that Candy and Terry would one day reunite. But really, would they? FYI, read this insightful comment from Interstellar.
Thanks for reading this long (possibly boring) post. I don’t expect many will find this amusing, but I have tried my best. 😍
Hello Ms Puddle,
My apologies beforehand for this rather lengthy message but it’s in response to a recent commenter and certain points ought to be addressed comprehensively. Here’s my response to the aforesaid commenter without further ado (ignore typos as I’m typing rapidly before heading off to work):
There’s nothing reprehensible in assuming the role of the “devil’s advocate”, providing that the trajectory of one’s reasoning and argumentation follows a logical trajectory fraught with evidence and rationale. You have proclaimed yourself as a “pragmatist”, however, your post has proven that you’re anything but.
That said, it would be unwise and downright condescending to accuse an established and distinguished writer as Keiko Nagita as any of those aggressive epithets you have nonsensically hurled at her, especially when you have absolutely no evidence to support your attack. A simple online search about Keiko Nagita will easily display the literary awards she has received in Japan for her outstanding written work-not only for the CC/CCFS but for her subsequent literary achievements. Apparently, she does not belong to the literary echelons of Milan Kundera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison or Sylvia Plath, but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t worthy in her own style and in her own right. It would be like trying to compare apples with oranges.
Furthermore, Keiko Nagita is well-known for her active involvement in political and historical debates, many of which have prompted heated controversies and further discussions especially amongst her political foes within the Japanese political arena. Her ideologies surrounding nuclear disarmament, social justice and women’s rights are renowned in Japan. Again, a simple online search will display the aforementioned information. The only reason for refraining from adding links is because they are often mistaken for spam on this blog by the relevant algorithms. I have tried adding the relevant links but to no avail. Nevertheless, you will most certainly have no issue in retrieving this online data. If you do, I’ll politely request from Ms Puddle if there are alternative means to provide the aforesaid data. I would not intend on burdening her time in any way as we all are pressed for time and we arrange to utilise our time in a more meaningful and worthwhile manner. If you search for yourself, you should be fine.
Moreover, Keiko Nagita is also a well-respected essayist, poet and writer, hence, often being invited as a visiting lecturer to many universities in Japan as well as in Canada. Nagita is a highly educated individual who holds university degrees (including post-graduate studies) in history, literature and theatre studies. If you had carefully read the immensely intelligent comments provided by Alex and Avon (Ms Puddle has referenced them in her work-especially Alex in the “Myths of CCFS Series”), you will be further informed about Nagita and her academic background, especially regarding her fidelity to historical veracity and accuracy. I would definitely thank Alex and Avon again for their invaluable contributions, and most importantly, to Ms Puddle for welcoming our perspectives on her fascinating blog.
Responding to your comment on Nagita’s lack of knowledge in history, geography and concept of time, you appear to be completely ignorant of the CCFS. It would be severely unwise of you to amalgamate the manga and anime in Nagita’s written work. In both the original Japanese text as well as the Italian translation of CCFS, Nagita adds a preface where she eloquently explains how the manga and anime both deviated from her intentions and her own writing. She makes it clear to her readers that she wants them to read her CCFS in its own right and separate from the manga and anime. One of the main reasons for the acutely embittered legal battle between Keiko Nagiata and Yumiko Igarashi is that the latter would often deviate from the writer’s intentions without requesting for her consent and approval. So much has been discussed about this from other intelligent commenters that nothing further is required from my part.
If you have read the CCFS in either the official original Japanese language or in the officially translated Italian text, you will discover that all geographical and historical references are 100% accurate. As for the time-frame, even well-established and acutely popular writers have the “poetic licence” to deviate from linear time-frame norms and restrictions such as Marcel Proust, Herman Hesse, John Updike, Jean-Peal Sartre and so many others. Ironically though in Nagita’s case, the passage of time (especially the gradual changes of the seasons) and the significance of change (both physical and psychological) constitutes the crux of her work. Both the Terry and the Albert fans actually agree on this aspect since it’s virtually indisputable and profoundly clear-cut.
As for your comments about Japan and Nagita’s ethnic origin, you appear to have zero knowledge about this fascinating and profound culture and there’s no point in attempting to provide a discourse on reason to you about this. Having spent a considerable amount of time in Japan during my PhD studies and then again with my partner (I won’t burden this blog with further details about my academic and personal life), one will find an immense diversity of character traits, personalities, attitudes, mentalities as in the case of each and every other country/nation/culture on this planet. Needless to mention that the new generation of Japan is vastly different from the older generations in so many ways. This socio-political phenomenon of generation gap or generation conflict is not only indicative of Japan but of each and every country in this cosmos. Therefore, to try to “box” such an intricate and in-depth culture in such simplistic terms is beyond ignorant. The same applies if someone tried to be just as insulting against your country and your culture. How would you feel about that? My question, apparently, is rhetorical.
FYI, Nagita is a sophisticated cosmopolitan and has described many of her travels to Canada, the United States, Europe (Italy and France, in particular) and the United Kingdom (especially London and Scotland). She actually owns a house in Canada and often lectures at the University of Toronto and the University of Saskatchewan. Canada is akin to her second homeland. She has also explained (in the preface of the CCFS) that she and her family are frequent travellers to Italy and France as she adores both these countries. Nagita is also a fluent speaker of the English language as well as knowing French and a bit of Italian. Nagita is a highly intelligent and dynamic woman who is a cosmopolitan in her mentality and this is reflected in her work. She even mentions in her preface that many of her drafts and chapters had been written during her travels to France, Italy, and the British Isles.
As for Nagita wanting to “appease” or “satisfy” her pro-Terry readers, we are neither in the position to confirm this nor do we have the right to dictate to the author of the CCFS what’s in her mind and what she should do. If she wants to satisfy all or a portion of her readers, so be it. It’s her initiative and she will not request for anyone’s consent on that. If she wants to make a profit because Terry “sells” more, again, that is her right and only her right to decide and no one else. End of.
Before I head off to my job, I’ll end this post by reiterating my main stance and that’s always focusing on facts and not on mere uneducated conjecture or personal dogmas. In order to achieve this, however, a clear and thorough understanding of the given topic is required, needless to mention sufficient knowledge of the topic in question. The CCFS is neither quantum mechanics nor genetic engineering; therefore, from a one-off reading one can easily discover that the historical, geographical and logical structural framework have been astutely maintained. Again, the author has specified that she wants the CCFS to be read without the manga or anime being taken into consideration. Keiko Nagiat is the intelletcual mother of CC/CCFS and the Japanese legal system and court of law have officially and unanimously vindicated her. Case closed.
I end my post by thanking Ms Puddle for always welcoming our thoughts and contributions to her wonderful blog as well as thanking those highly intelligent commenters and contributors to this blog.
Interstellar
No need to apologise for the length of your comment as it was so solid and intelligent from the beginning to the end. Well done, Interstellar!
I couldn’t agree with you more that wise and intelligent people first gather the facts and knowledge and then speak. Otherwise, it would be preferable to keep silent. It’s easy to be harsh and insulting but far more difficult to be nuanced, thoughtful and intelligent.
Resuming to our interesting topics for further discussion, I’ll just add that many writers tend to use the elliptical construction. Here’s a useful link for learners of English Grammar: https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/writing-ellipsis.php
Apparently, this figurative language and literary technique is also used in the Japanese language and by many prominent modern Japanese writers such as Kenzaburo Oe, Haruki Murakami, Natsuo Kirino, Yukio Mishima, Mitsuyo Kakuta, and so many others.
Whilst an interesting literary device, it may prove to be rather confusing to those who are not familiar with literature as well as more complex and sophisticated language.
See you around!
Avon
Hello, ladies! Just popping up to play Devil’s advocate here. Erm… when Nagita has made such enormous anachronistic and downright illogical choices in many aspects of her story, be it manga or novels, should we even consider that she thought her WWI timeline correctly or through? Personally, with all due respect, I do not. Forgive me, but when a writer has no concept of simple geography and distances and travel time… I would not even bother to search for dates. She has given us a nice fairy tale and that’s it. Yeah, I’m a pragmatist. 😊
Also… do not forget that Nagita is Japanese. It is essential in Japanese culture never to answer with a straight yes or no, in order not to offend. She uses words carefully to satisfy all readers. And she put Terry crumbs in CCFS because, well, she needed not to offend the terryfans and, well, to have a wide buying market. 😉
I can’t help but wonder how the story would be if it were written by an American author, with attention to historical and geographical accuracy. 🤔
Hello Arwyn, let’s not be too harsh on Nagita. I don’t agree with her decision to introduce Anohito, but CCFS is not so bad, and she had indeed put references about WWI throughout the second half of the novel. I do think she did that intentionally. You’re absolutely right about Japanese culture and that they tend to be ambiguous at times so as not to offend people. However, in CCFS it’s loud and clear who Anohito was at the end. 😊
Hello Ms Puddle,
Finally managed to read your excellent post after an overtime-laden week at work. It’s really important to have access to sources deriving from well-educated individuals like you who delve deeper into the linguistic nuances of a specific text, especially if that text is as controversial as CCFS. Translating from one language to another constitutes an intensely demanding mental exercise and this task becomes even more challenging when having to translate two languages which do not derive from the same origin. It’s easier to translate from Italian to French, for example, than it is to translate from Japanese to Italian because Italian and French derive from the same Indo-European origin.
From my part, it’s already been proven that Albert is Anohito due to a specific and glaring detail and that’s Candy’s decision to return her diary to Albert. No matter how some people want to interpret this as an act indicative of strong friendship or fraternal relationship, the fact that Candy wants to and intends on returning her most personal memoir concerning sexual references about another man to Albert shows that she wants to be with him and not the man she was ranting about in that memoir. Candy would have been an insensitive dimwit if she wanted to return that diary to a man who has made it more than obvious that he’s interested in her. Albert has made his move albeit in a discreet way by dropping hints which cannot go unnoticed unless someone is brain-dead. He tells her that he doesn’t view her a either a daughter or a sister; he specifies that he would have wanted her to be a bit older (like him perhaps); he keeps on narrating the story of his sister eloping with a man of lower financial status; needless to mention that he tells her that he was her childhood crush all along by trying to somewhat recreate the scene by driving all the way to Pony’Home and inviting Candy to join him up Pony’s Hill. There’s no reason to go through all that trouble. All he had to do was casually joke about it at Chicago or, preferably, keeping silent about it as it would mean nothing to them.
If Candy had no romantic feelings about Albert, she wouldn’t have been sobbing and shaking with emotion when Albert told her about their first meeting during their childhood. If Candy had no romantic sentiments for Albert, she wouldn’t have been feeling so awkward about that diary. Let’s not forget that Candy always confided in and felt so comfortable with Albert in telling him everything about her. However, she clearly stops feeling comfortable and there’s an unusual tension between them. Candy is no longer amicable towards Albert but insecure, hostile and reticent. Such feelings never occur between two mere pals but between two people where a sexual tension is brewing. Last but not least, Candy would have never decided to return her diary to Albert unless Terry clearly belonged to her past. This does not mean that she no longer cares about him. However, it means that she no longer wants him sexually because she wants to be with Albert. Had Candy wanted to keep the diary and not return it to Albert, then there would have been a case for Terry. The fact that she doesn’t even open it though suggests that Candy has put her past behind her permanently.
When I first read the CCFS, I actually thought that Terry was Anohitio following all the brouhaha surrounding the references to Avon, Shakespeare, Suzanna’s death, Terry’s letter, and so forth. Having proceeded into the 2/3 of the CCFS though, I began to realise that Terry is probably not the one. I became completely convinced with the Epilogue and especially with Candy’s decision to give her diary back to Albert. Her decision is powerful. In addition, Candy keeps on saying how younger Albert looks and she keeps on admiring and swooning over his beautiful hair, face and eyes-all these references are sexual and they denote romantic interest. I would highly doubt that anyone would be pleased if their husband or wife talked so profusely about someone else’s physical appearance without a bitter argument and jealous spat ensuing thereafter.
I would like to thank you again for welcoming and including my otherwise pedantic commentary in your fascinating blog. Your sound and logical reasoning is a breath of fresh air within the CC community.
Regards,
Avon
Hello Avon,
My sentiments exactly about the return of the diary. Well said, Avon, and I’ve written a handful of posts about this topic already. Actions speak louder than words indeed, not to mention that Albert’s youthful face had made Candy’s heart skip a beat (the day he made his important confession)… 😊
Hopefully my explanation satisfied your curiosity somewhat. It’s not easy to explain a language so different from English or the ones with Latin roots. My Japanese is self-taught, and I’m not an expert because I’m still learning. Yet it’s more natural to me just because I know Chinese, a language that’s similar in many ways.
As I mentioned before, I don’t expect many people would like reading linguistic nuances but when I was told about the incorrect (twisted) translations out there, I often felt frustrated. 🙄
You’re not boring at all, Ms Puddle!
On the contrary, the massive feedback you keep on getting all over your social media-mainly Facebook-shows that many people enjoy your posts surrounding the linguistic nuances of the Japanese language which is apparently the original language of CCFS itself.
As for translation issues, being a polyglot myself, I know the strenuous task of having to translate from one language to another in both written and oral assignments. If one is not careful and attentive to detail, huge misunderstandings may emerge.
See you around!
Avon
Thank you Avon for your encouraging words 🤗
Very interesting Ms. Puddle. Thank you for your effort in clarify the phrase to us.
Wow, Lizvet mi amiga! Muchas gracias por leer 😍
It’s very hard to explain it but so glad to hear that you find this interesting 😘
Another insightful post, Ms Puddle. 👏👏👏
Before I further my thoughts on the identity of “Anohito”, I would be grateful if you could answer some of my questions regarding the timeline of the Candy-Albert correspondence as included in the Epilogue, providing there’s actually an answer to each of the following questions:
1. I’ll begin with the indisputable fact that World War I lasted from 28 July 1914 and ended on 11 November 1918. This massive and global historical event plays not only a significant but a crucial role in CCFS as WWI had a profoundly seismic and life-changing impact on all the characters involved. WWI also functions as an essential reference point which, IMO, Nagita uses as a way to help her readers “navigate” themselves around and within the story. That said, my fist question has to do with the approximate time/year/season the Rockstown incident had occurred. If I’m not mistaken, it must have been during early spring in 1917, shortly after Stear’s death. Stear’s death is indicated as having occurred almost a year before the end of WWI, so that would make it somewhere around autumn 1917 (since WWI ended in November 1918). Am I right on this?
2. When did Albert make his debut as WAA? Was it after WWI?
3. How long did Candy and Albert live together? Apparently, it was after his accident during a war-related bomb on a train en route to or via Italy. However, Italy had entered the war on 23 May 1915 (the renowned “Italian Front” or Italian Campaign” lasted from 23 May 1915 until 6 November 1918). |Presumably, his accident occurred in late spring or summer of 1915, shortly after Italy also got involved in the Great War.
4. When did Albert disclose his identity as POTH to Candy? Apparently, it was after the end of WWI because Candy didn’t know about this during their visit to the Miami resort (which occurred after the end of the Great war). This question is crucial because we need a starting point regarding the time-frame of their correspondence. It’s noteworthy that Candy decided to pick up the pen and reaching out to Albert only after he revealed to her that he’s POTH. I would assume that the first letter (from Candy to Albert) began in 1919. Am I right?
5. How long did their correspondence last as delineated in the Epilogue? Since we’ve got a total of 11 letters from both of them and they function as an “immediate” response to each other’s letters, wouldn’t a year or a bit more suffice? Apart from a brief business trip to Brazil, all the other letters are exchanged within two states of the US which are within close proximity (Illinois and the borders of Michigan). It wouldn’t have taken more than a couple of weeks for those letters to reach their recipient. Besides, Albert had mentioned in his letter to Candy that it took him a couple of hours to drive from the Chicago mansion to Pony’s Home when he attempted to run away from the Ardlay elders when he was 17. Pony’ Home is described as being situated somewhere near the banks of Lake Michigan. Checking my online map, the US states which border Lake Michigan are: Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan.
I’ll await your answer-if possible and when convenient for you-because I have some interesting points to specify about (the alleged) Terry’s terse letter to Candy. 😎
Before I go, I’ll simply echo your words and advice surrounding the complexity of the Japanese language as well as culture. I think we-as readers-need to take both these aspects into serious consideration.
Talk to you again soon,
Interstellar 🐱🚀
Hello Interstellar, I knew I forgot something. Your comment that I wanted to quote! 😄 I’ll modify the post soon. About your questions, I’ll address them later today. 🤗
No need to include my comment, but thanks for the consideration, Ms Puddle.
Since Alex had already provided all the historical information surrounding the setting (time/place) of CCFS, I think that all we need to do now is provide a time-frame for the key events of CCFS and especially a time-frame for the Epilogue-at least as accurately as possible. I agree with Alex that Nagita placed a heavy importance on history. Having read about her past and education, Nagita had studied history, literature and theatre at university. Moreover, if you’re aware of Nagita’s further books, you’ll easily notice her respect for and adherence to major historical events. That said, I consider that WWI played a major and profoundly life-modifying role for all the important characters of CCFS. WWI changed their mindset, their lives, and their interpersonal interactions. Most Terry-fans keep on obsessing that the CCFS is simply the romantic story between Terry and Candy but they have clearly missed the point, if not lost the plot. Terry is only one of the many important characters in the CCFS. However, the main “protagonist” is neither Terry nor Albert but the impact of WWI itself on the lives of the main CCFS characters. Time and place both play significant roles in CCFS and that’s why Nagita places so much focus on seasons because they constitute indicators regarding change and the passage of time.
Thanks again and looking forward to your further information,
Interstellar
The Devil here again. 😁 Has Nagita studied American/World history for sure? I am not doubting her literature or theater studies, just her accurate knowledge of American history, culture, events and characters.
As for the impact of war on the lives of heroes, it is a very common subject in Japanese things. Be it WWI, WWII or a war in a fantasy world, you see it in so many mangas and anime of the 70s 80s.
Hello Interstellar
Honestly I don’t know all the answers, and I’m answering based on what I remember. Please correct me if I have mixed up anything in CCFS with the manga.
Yes I totally agree with you about the significance of WWI in CCFS. In Patty’s letter to Candy, she mentioned US would finally take part in the great war (the Congress declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917), and Albert was still living with Candy then because Patty mentioned his name. Therefore, Stear died in a battle some time before that. When exactly? I don’t know.
Rockstown incident should happen after Albert vanished in Candy’s life. In her letter to Ms Baker she said she had gone to Rockstown to look for a missing friend who had helped her a lot (恩人). Again, it’s unclear when this took place. I just know that we shouldn’t assume it was late winter (almost spring) as shown in the manga.
WAA made his debut before WWI was over, and I suppose it occurred before Candy’s return to Pony’s Home. Her letters to Dr. Martin were written around Christmas (maybe Dec 1917?).
Please read my old post about my guess for how long Albert and Candy lived together:
http://mspuddleshaven.com/2014/11/27/living-together-how-long/
I can’t pinpoint exactly when Albert made his important confession on Pony’s Hill, but it should be after the trip to Miami and a fine day in spring (at least a month before Candy’s birthday because they had exchanged a few letters).
The grand opening party should be soon after WWI was over, but Candy’s letter to Archie could be written after that, judging from her description about the chaos after the war and the reconstruction of Pony’s Home. She mentioned WAA’s debut and Archie’s reactions of disbelief back then.
I have a feeling that even before the confession Candy and Albert were keeping in touch with each other somehow. You can find hints of that in Candy’s letters to Dr. Martin and Stear in Heaven. Later, Albert urged her to be herself and write in her usual chattering way, remember?
About the letters in epilogue, I really don’t have a concrete answer. The confession happened in Spring, and their excursion to Lakewood might take place in May the following year (because of blooming bluebells in the forest). His business trip to Brazil could last for months, and Candy sounded very impatient in her short letter to him and claimed to be stingy.
Thanks again for your generously informative and thought-provoking reply, Ms Puddle. 👍👍👍
Your further info has assisted in my research regarding Terry’s terse letter (or that terse letter ascribed to Terry) in becoming even more intriguing. I’ll explain later why once I’ve gathered all my thoughts and time-line in an organised fashion.
I utterly agree with you about the discrepancies and glaring differences between the manga and CCFS regarding the aforementioned time-frame. In the manga, Candy and Albert seemed to only be living together for several months-definitely less than a year. However, in the CCFS, their cohabitation appears to have lasted far longer, arguably, almost 2 years. If Albert began living with Candy in autumn 2015, and he vanished after April 2017, then we sure are talking about almost 2 years of those two living together. That’s a hell of a lot of time. Thanks for pointing out Patty’s letter to Candy as her letter proves that Candy and Albert had been living together for such a long time.
I’ll reiterate that since Nagita herself made it clear in both the original and in the preface of the Italian translation of CCFS that she wants her readers to read her final story as a separate text without taking into consideration either manga or anime (she mentioned that her readers should only take the manga visuals into consideration but that’s it), this is exactly what we should do. I’m specifying this issue because the Terry-fans when cornered, they desperately resort to flashing segments from the manga to support their pro-Terry claims. However, this is to no avail as Nagita has made it crystal clear that she does not want this. End of story.
Before I go, I’ll only ask the following questions surrounding Terry and Susanna which are the following (again, you needn’t worry if you don’t know the answers to any of these questions):
1. What year did Terry and Candy break up? Presumably, it would be the end of 2015 since Albert began to live with Candy in autumn 2015. She had headed off to Broadway shortly after moving in with Albert and getting everything sorted out with their living arrangements. Am I right?
2. How long did Terry and Susanna live together? If they had begun living together in late 2015/early 2016, they should have been living together for almost 2 years as well before Terry quit his job and ran away in early 2017.
3. When did Susanna die? How long would the overall cohabitation have been between Terry and Susanna?
Using Patty’s letter as well as Candy’s letter to Dr Martin as reference points in relation to WWI, the Rockstown incident appears to have occurred somewhere between April/May 1917 and November/December 1917. Once feeling acutely ashamed by Candy’s presence and witnessing his pathetic state at the Rockstown slum/bar, he returned to his job and to Susanna in New York within that aforementioned time-frame: May-November 1917.
However, my crucial question has to do with the length of time which followed from late 1917 until Susanna’s death. Is there any indication which could possibly provide a clue as a time indication, or at least a time approximation?
Talk to you soon and thanks again, 😎
Interstellar 🐱🚀
LOL, I meant after 1917 (not 2017)..
Hello Interstellar, I made the same mistakes too myself, typing 2017 instead of 1917 etc and didn’t realize until I re-read my comment before posting…. lol… 😀
Anyway, I forgot to mention to you that Albert’s runaway incident took place when he was in Lakewood (no Chicago) with other relatives, including his aunt Madam Elroy. I forgot whether he had indicated in his letter how long he had driven the car from the villa to Pony’s Hill, but I suppose the distance could be hours of driving (consider that the road conditions weren’t that good).
Your estimate of when Rockstown incident occurred sounds reasonable to me.
About your questions concerning Terry/Susanna and Susanna’s fate, please read my old post:
https://mspuddleshaven.com/2015/07/15/susanna-and-candy-part-2/
In the manga, yes, shortly after Albert and Candy started living together, Candy went to Broadway for Terry’s premiere performance of Romeo and Juliet. Right now I don’t recall if CCFS even mentioned the exact timing of this trip. Maybe other readers like Avon can help.
Thanks for letting me know, Ms Puddle. I really appreciate the time you took to answer my questions. 👍👍👍
Even though the letters in the third section of the CCFS are not always in precise chronological order, the narrative (via Candy’s trail of thoughts) remains loyal to a linear time-frame progression. The letters appear to function within a thematic order, however, whether this has to do with a specific character or in most cases with a specific topic, theme or issue. For example, the letters seem to be “clustered” together in topics such as the Annie-Archie engagement; a similar phenomenon occurs when Candy narrates about and describes Susanna and Terry. Nevertheless, the general narrative voice (either by Nagita or via Candy as first-person), displays fidelity to a linear chronological order in most cases.
Take Care and Thanks Again, 😎
Interstellar 🐱🚀
You’re welcome, Interstellar 😊.
You’re right, most letters in CCFS volume 2 are displayed in a chronological order. However, there are exceptions. As you have pointed out, some letters are clustered together simply because they were related to the same event(s) or people.
The following examples are retrieved from my memory, so I’ll certainly double check later:
Susanna’s first and last letter to Candy should arrive shortly after the breakup in New York, but in CCFS it wasn’t shown until almost the end (before the epilogue).
Candy’s letter to Ms Baker and the famous unsent letter to Terry should be written at Pony’s Home, likely soon after her discovery of WAA’s identity, so not long after her trip to Rockstown (way before the POTH confession). Because Candy mentioned that Albert was still veiled in mystery and Terry’s return to Broadway.
Another examples are Candy’s letters to Vincent Brown (Christmas theme) and the Ardlay’s gardener (Miami’s opening party).
Last but not the least, Candy’s mental letter to Anthony should be “written” before her letter to Little Bert.