Character Relationship Map: Candy

Characters

• Candy Christian (played by Ewa Aulin) — protagonist

  The central protagonist of the film. A high school student who embarks on a surreal, episodic journey across America after being sent to New York. She encounters a series of predatory and eccentric fi...

• Hunchback juggler (played by Charles Aznavour) — protagonist

  A character Candy meets in Central Park who takes her to a deserted mansion. He is part of a gang of thieves and subsequently assaults Candy on a grand piano before she escapes during a police crash.

• Grindl (played by Marlon Brando) — supporting

  A fraudulent guru living in a semi-trailer truck. He uses his teachings on the seven stages of enlightenment as a pretext to sexually exploit Candy during her cross-country journey before passing her...

• MacPhisto (played by Richard Burton) — supporting

  An eccentric Welsh poet who gives Candy a ride home in his limousine. He attempts to assault her but becomes too drunk to continue, leading to him being taken inside by Emmanuel.

• Dr. A.B. Krankheit (played by James Coburn) — supporting

  A hospital executive director and surgeon who performs surgery on Candy's father. He sexually assaults Candy under the guise of a medical examination and is later seen branding nurses with his initial...

• Jonathan J. John (played by Enrico Maria Salerno) — minor
• Dr. Arnold Dunlap (played by John Huston) — supporting

  The hospital's executive director who publicly reprimands Candy for her perceived lewd behavior following a post-operative cocktail party, causing her to faint and flee the facility.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Candy Christian → Jonathan J. John (Professional Filmmaker And Subject) — Jonathan films Candy in a men's room while she is in a Sicilian bar; a confrontation with police gives her the chance to escape.

  Jonathan takes Candy into a men's room and records her for a film.

• Candy Christian → Dr. Arnold Dunlap (Power Hospital Authority And Patient) — Dunlap publicly reprimands Candy, contributing to her distress during her stay at the hospital.

  After a hospital cocktail party, Dunlap berates Candy for her perceived lewd behavior, and she faints.

• Candy Christian → Dr. A.B. Krankheit (Professional Doctor And Victim) — Krankheit abuses his medical authority to assault Candy; she later discovers him preparing to brand another person and flees the hospital.

  Krankheit takes Candy to another room and tricks her into sex by pretending to examine her.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Candy Christian → Grindl (Conflict Fraudulent Guru And Victim) — Grindl disguises sexual exploitation as spiritual instruction during Candy's cross-country journey, then passes her on to another guide.

  Grindl teaches Candy the seven stages of enlightenment as a pretext to have sex with her, then says another guru will guide her onward.

• Candy Christian → Hunchback juggler (Conflict Abuser And Victim) — He exploits Candy while she is in the mansion; she later escapes amid the chaos following a police car crash.

  The hunchback takes Candy to a deserted mansion and rapes her atop a grand piano.

• Candy Christian → MacPhisto (Conflict Predatory Encounter) — MacPhisto's attempted assault marks one of Candy's first encounters with the predatory figures she meets on her journey.

  MacPhisto offers Candy a ride home and then forces himself on her, but becomes too drunk to continue.

Story Analysis

Candy's surreal journey carries her through a succession of exploitative encounters before a shocking recognition and a return to outer space.

Plot Progression

1. A Ride Turns Dangerous — Candy's school daydream gives way to a poetry recital and a ride offered by MacPhisto. His attempted assault and the ensuing turmoil prompt her father to send her to New York.
2. A Perilous Route East — A confrontation at the airport leads the family onto a military plane. The flight becomes chaotic, and Candy reaches New York, where her father's surgery takes place.
3. Escape Through Manhattan — At the hospital, Candy faces exploitation and flees. In Manhattan she encounters Jonathan, then reaches a mansion where another assault is followed by a chaotic escape.
4. The Road and Its Guides — Candy hitches a ride in Grindl's truck and is subjected to his false spiritual instruction. After days on the road, she reaches California and evades pursuing officers.
5. A Shocking Recognition — Candy follows a new guru into an underground temple that partially collapses. The guru's revealed identity shocks her, before she crosses a field and returns to outer space.