How similar are the experiences and attitudes of Captain Corelli and Mandras? - Using life and war.

As chapter 11 unfolds, Mandras reveals how he can’t be himself around Pelagia, and how, “one minute I’m up the olive tree being Tarzan, and…pretending to have a fight with the goat”. Mandras seems to believe it is his responsibility to entertain Pelagia, rather than get to know her more intimately, and to allow their relationship to grow. The audience certainly picks up when Pelagia gives reasoning for her ‘love’ for Mandras, stating, “He’s so beautiful…He made my stomach ache with laughing before he fell out of the tree. That’s when I knew that I loved him.” This suggests everything but love, because Pelagia mainly has lust for Mandras, as she is only in love with his physical appearance. In comparison, in chapter 25, Corelli does act slightly foolish to entertain Pelagia; however this trait doesn’t play a major role in Pelagia’s mind, about how her affection develops for Corelli. The Iannis household wanted Corelli to stay for diverse reasons, Dr Iannis wanted him to stay so he could ‘browbeat’ him, however, Pelagia thought, “could it be that there was something inside her that wanted this foreigner, this interloper, to stay?” Also, further on in chapter 45, it becomes apparent how Pelagia describes, with Corelli, “…she would always remember that she laughed”. This allows the audience an insight into how Pelagia and Corelli together would indulge in genuine laughter and happiness together, whereas it was a one way relationship with Mandras, in the sense that Pelagia would mainly laugh at Mandras’ actions.

In chapter 25, Captain Corelli, being comforted by Pelagia in conversation, reveals how, “When I joined…I had a plan to become the mandolin player in Italy, and then I would leave the army and earn a living”, this shows how Corelli didn’t join the army simply because of the war. On the contrary, Mandras exposes how he trusts in himself, in his belief that, “No man is a man until he has been a soldier. I’ll be worth a dowry then”, this establishes how he thinks he has to prove himself to his fellow islanders.

What leads to Mandras wanting go to a great war, is that he seems to be competing with Dr Iannis, who was a man with great respect, who has, “sailed all over the world.”, and how Mandras doesn’t, “…have any stories and souvenirs”.

When Mandras arrives home, from the war, he is presented with the waistcoat that Pelagia had made for him, but in a sudden outburst, Mandras describes how the, “pattern is a little different on each side”, which can be interpreted, and can describe the current state of their relationship, both of them are extremely different .In disbelief Mandras tries to put right what he had said, and tells Pelagia, “This is so beautiful…It’s a masterpiece”; which seems to show how Mandras is going to try and correct their relationship despite all of its imperfections.