After Raina befools the
soldiers and saves his life,Bluntschli appears seemingly a greater fool with
his display of fear “like a frightened horse” and with the revelation that the
revolver was empty. Raina gets “outraged” as the dramatist says, “in her most
cherished ideals of manhood” when Bluntschli declares:
“What
use are cartridges in battle? I always carry chocolate instead; and I finished
the last cake of that hours ago.”
This leads to the famous
(or infamous) chocolate cream episode, and with this begins Bluntschli’s
gradual transformation from a mercenary into “chocolate cream soldier”. Raina’s
photograph with the inscription leads to Bluntschli’s being discovered as
“Chocolate Cream Soldier”, he tries to clear the doubts by stating what
happened actually at the night of his escape from the front. Bluntschli says that by inheriting the hotels
from his father he has inherited a great fortune, and would be a good husband. Raina insists she will not be bought, saying she
did not give candy to the “Emperor of Switzerland” Bluntschli gets on a knee
and asks to whom she did give the candies to: she lovingly responds “my
chocolate cream soldier.”
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