Summary
After two hours of sleep, Pinocchio is woken by four polecats. They mistake him for Melampo, the deceased watchdog. The polecats explain that they had a deal established with Melampo: once a week, he would let them enter the chicken coop and take away eight chickens, one of which would be given to the dog for breakfast. All Pinocchio had to do to earn a chicken of his own was pretend to be asleep. Pinocchio agrees to the plan, but traps the polecats inside the coop once they have gone in. He barks like a dog, alerting the peasant, who comes down with a sack and rounds up the thieving polecats. Pinocchio explains the deal they offered, neglecting to disparage the reputation of the dead dog. The peasant is so pleased with Pinocchio’s work that he releases him from the collar.
Pinocchio runs toward the white house. However, in its place is a marble stone that reads: HERE LIES THE CHILD WITH THE BLUE HAIR, WHO DIED FROM SORROW BECAUSE SHE WAS ABANDONED BY HER LITTLE BROTHER PINOCCHIO. Pinocchio weeps until morning on the tombstone, decrying yet another misfortune. A giant pigeon glides to the ground and explains that Geppetto has been searching the world for Pinocchio. The pigeon says he just left Geppetto at the seashore, where he is building a boat to travel to the New World. Pinocchio rides the pigeon toward the seashore like the bird is a horse. They stop to satisfy their thirst and hunger, finding a basin of water and a basket of vetch—a wild herb of the pea family. Pinocchio eats the vetch even though he has never been able to before, his hunger overcoming his distaste for it. The pigeon drops off Pinocchio at the seashore and flies away. Geppetto has already gone out to sea—he is visible in the distance. A storm kicks up though, so Pinocchio jumps in the water to save his papa. As he is made of wood, Pinocchio floats easily and swims like a fish.
Pinocchio swims through rain and thunder and lightning. By morning he reaches an island and dries his clothes in the sun. A passing dolphin advises him to watch out for the fearsome dogfish. Pinocchio walks until he reaches a village full of industrious people. The lazy Pinocchio sees at once that it is no place for him, as he “wasn’t born to work.” He considers begging for money or bread, but remembers with shame that his father said that the only people who are entitled to beg are the elderly and infirm—everyone else must work. Pinocchio asks passersby for charity, and each offers to pay him a quarter if he will help them carry their loads. Pinocchio refuses, not wanting to tire himself out. Eventually, a little woman passes with big cans of water, from which she lets Pinocchio drink. She offers to make him a meal if he helps carry the water to her home. Pinocchio is resistant, but his hunger overpowers his laziness and he agrees, carrying a large can on his head. At her home, he realizes the little woman is actually the Fairy, grown into a woman.
Pinocchio says he will call her mamma instead of little sister now. Pinocchio laments that he is a puppet, never able to grow like a human. The Fairy reminds Pinocchio that he has behaved opposite to how a good boy ought to behave. He promises to change his ways. She says she will be his mamma, but he will have to start school and pursue either an art or trade. He complains that work tires him out, but he agrees to her rules.
Pinocchio begins attending the public school the next day. Amused that he is a puppet, the other children tease and bully him relentlessly. One child attempts to attach strings to his limbs to make Pinocchio dance. Eventually he fights back with kicks and punches that earn him the boys’ respect and admiration. Pinocchio proves an intelligent and dedicated student, impressing his teachers. However, they and the fairy warn him not to associate with the troublemakers he has befriended, as they could be a negative influence. One day Pinocchio’s friends hear a rumor of a dogfish as big as a mountain. They hatch a scheme to skip school to find it. Pinocchio doesn’t want to miss class, but he is eager to see the dogfish.
The boys race to the seashore but find no dogfish there. His friends laugh and Pinocchio realizes they fooled him into leaving class. They explain that he makes them look bad by leading such a good example. They wish for him to be like them and hate school, lessons, and their teachers. There are seven boys, so Pinocchio calls them the seven deadly sins. The boys take offense and begin brawling with Pinocchio. They start throwing textbooks at Pinocchio, who dodges each one. The fight ends when an arithmetic book misses Pinocchio and hits Eugene in the temple. He goes white and collapses. The other boys run off while Pinocchio tries to revive his friend. Two soldiers walk up and accuse Pinocchio of hurting the boy, as Pinocchio admits it was his book that hit Eugene. They order a fisherman to take Eugene home and nurse him to health while they march Pinocchio off. Pinocchio’s hat flies off and he asks to get it. The soldiers allow it, and Pinocchio takes the opportunity to run in the opposite direction. The soldiers send a race-winning mastiff to run after him.
Pinocchio runs to the shore and leaps in the water. The dog follows but cannot swim well and so begins to sink. The dog calls out for Pinocchio’s help, and although Pinocchio wishes momentarily for the dog to drown, he has a change of heart and turns around to pull the dog to shore. The dog thanks Pinocchio for saving his life and says that all good deeds are rewarded eventually. Pinocchio swims off again until he spots smoke coming from a cave where he believes he can dry off. Pinocchio then finds himself caught in a net pulled in by a horribly ugly green-skinned, green-haired fisherman. Mistaking Pinocchio for a rare talking fish, he asks how Pinocchio would like to be cooked. Pinocchio asks to be set free. The fisherman decides he will fry him with the rest of his catch. He binds Pinocchio’s hands and feet and plunges him in flour, coating him so that he looks “like a puppet made of plaster.”
Analysis
In an instance of dramatic irony, Pinocchio learns something of which the peasant is unaware: the polecats had a deal worked out with the dead watchdog. In exchange for allowing the polecats to steal chickens, the dog would receive a chicken of his own. Building on the theme of dishonesty, Collodi has Pinocchio double-cross the devious polecats and alert the peasant to the thieves’ presence. As a positive consequence of his welcome behavior, Pinocchio receives the gift of freedom.
However, the good mood is brief, as Pinocchio soon discovers that the Fairy has died out of grief because Pinocchio abandoned her. Pinocchio also learns that Geppetto has been looking for him. Pinocchio nearly reaches Geppetto but is thwarted by a storm. Instead, Pinocchio washes up on an island full of hardworking people. Pinocchio’s laziness arises as he attempts to beg from passersby and is offered honest work in exchange for food or money every time. Pinocchio refuses, believing he isn’t made for work.
However, Pinocchio goes along with a woman who turns out to be the Fairy. Inexplicably, she has grown into adulthood, so it feels more appropriate to Pinocchio for him to consider her his mother. Under the Fairy’s tough-love authority, Pinocchio begins to redeem himself, eschewing his former laziness and proving that he can be a diligent student. However, his inherent weakness means he is able to be convinced to skip school to see a giant dogfish.
The theme of dishonesty arises again during Pinocchio’s trip to the seashore. In an instance of situational irony, it turns out that his friends tricked him into missing class because they look bad compared with his perfect example. The boys begin arguing, and a physical fight erupts. In an instance of dramatic irony, the gendarmes arrest Pinocchio, believing he must have been the one to throw his textbook at Eugene’s head. Using dishonesty to his advantage, Pinocchio gets away from the men by pretending to retrieve his hat.
Pinocchio successfully runs from the mastiff the gendarmes send after him, but in a sacrificial gesture, he turns around to save the dog from drowning. As a reward for his good behavior, the dog promises to return the favor one day. While things momentarily seem to be looking up for Pinocchio, he soon finds himself in danger once again. Still suffering the consequences of his decision to skip class that day, Pinocchio winds up in a frightening fisherman’s net, indistinguishable from the other fish the man is excited to eat.
