Free Essays on Candide

In the beginning of Voltaire’s Candide, Candide is expelled from the Baron's castle for kissing Cunà ©gonde. After forced enlistment in the Bulgarian army Candide fled to Holland where he met Jacques the Anabaptist, and found the philosopher, Dr. Pangloss. Pangloss told Candide that the Bulgarians raped and disemboweled Cunà ©gonde. Following the news, Candide, Jacques, and Pangloss sailed to Lisbon. A storm destroyed the ship leaving Jacques to drown, and Candide and Pangloss survived only to watch as an earthquake and tidal wave level Lisbon. Pangloss insisted that despite the total ruin of Lisbon, the world is still the best of all possible worlds. For making such a heretical statement, Pangloss is hung while Candide is beaten during a ceremony of the Spanish Inquisition. Later, an old woman reunited Candide with Cunà ©gonde, who survived the Bulgarian invasion. Cunà ©gonde was then the mistress of both Don Issachar and the Grand Inquisitor of Lisbon. Candide ended up killing them both because of their jealous rage. Then Candide, Cunà ©gonde, and the old woman fled to Cadiz and Candide volunteered to fight against the Jesuits in Paraguay. After the fights the three sailed to Buenos Aires and upon arrival the old woman spotted a ship from Spain in hot pursuit, so once again Candide had to flee. Candide and his valet Cacambo then joined the Jesuits. The Commandant of the Jesuits was actually Cunà ©gonde's brother, the Baron's son. The reunion turned sour when the Baron's son forbade Candide to marry Cunà ©gonde. The commandant attacked Candide and unfortunately was stabbed in the process. Candide and Cacambo escaped only to be captured by the Oreillons, a tribe of natives, but luckily, the diplomatic Cacambo convinced the natives to release them. Next, Candide and Cacambo happen upon the Utopian kingdom of Eldorado. After a short stay, Candide and Cacambo left, with 102 red sheep covered in jewels, to find Cunà ©gonde. They arrived ... Free Essays on Candide Free Essays on Candide Voltaire's Candide is a novel which contains conceptual ideas and at the same time is also exaggerated. Voltaire offers sad themes disguised by jokes and witticism, and the story itself presents a distinctive outlook on life. The crucial contrast in the story deals with irrational ideas as taught to Candide about being optimistic, versus reality as viewed by the rest of the world. The main theme which is presented throughout the novel is optimism. Out of every unfortunate situation in the story, Candide, the main character, has been advised by his philosopher-teacher that everything in the world happens for the better, because "Private misfortunes contribute to the general good, so that the more private misfortunes there are, the more we find that all is well" (Voltaire, p. 31). Pangloss, the philosopher, tries to defend his theories by determining the positive from the negative situations and by showing that misfortunes bring some privileges. As Candide grows up, whenever something unfortunate happens, Pangloss would turn the situation around, bringing out the good in it. Candide learns that optimism is "The passion for maintaining that all is right when all goes wrong " (Voltaire, p.86). According to Rene Pomeau, "Voltaire-Candide...have made him [Candide] acquainted with the bad and the good side of human existence. The moral of Candide is born out of its style; it is the art of extracting happiness from the desolate hopping-about of the human insect" (Adams; Pomeau p.137). Pomeau explains that Candide shows both sides of humanity; how both great and terrible events are standard in a human life. Also according to Pomeau, the whole point of the story is to debate between good and bad; for example, as Candide becomes more independent, he starts to doubt that only good comes out of life. Pangloss is a very hopeful character in the story because he refuses to accept bad. He is also somewhat naive and believes that he could make... Free Essays on Candide In the book â€Å"Candide† by Voltaire we are introduced to the main character Candide who was born and raised in a castle in Westphalia. Candide has been brought up under the teachings of the great philosopher Pangloss who is basically a philosopher of everything. Pangloss’ main philosophical view is that â€Å"everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.† Pangloss demonstrates this by using an example of the reason we have a nose is for glasses to be placed upon it. However Candide gets kicked out of the castle that he grew up in and as he continues to believe in Pangloss’ theory it is starting to be contradicted greatly with the events that have been occurring in Candide’s life. From the very first chapter in the book we are presented with events that Candide’s faith in Pangloss’ theory. He faces a wide variety of tragedies one after another including rapes, robberies, unjust executions, disease, earthquake, and betrayal. Yet as I read through all these terrible events I felt that it was almost necessary for Candide to keep faith in Pangloss’ theory because it is the only explanation that he has so far as to why these horrible things are happening to him and others around him. In life when we lack reasoning for the tragic events that occur we are often left very angry and confused. It is good for Candide’s spirit to hold on to this theory that Pangloss has given him no matter how unreasonable it is. On the other hand Pangloss struggles to find justification for the unimaginable things in the world and his arguments are simply absurd. For example, he says that syphilis is necessary and is needed to be transmitted from the Americans to Europe so that Europeans could enjoy new world delicacies such as chocolate. How bizarre is that explanation? So no matter how good of an idea Pangloss thought he might have had with his theory that â€Å"everything is for the best in this best of ... Free Essays on Candide In the beginning of Voltaire’s Candide, Candide is expelled from the Baron's castle for kissing Cunà ©gonde. After forced enlistment in the Bulgarian army Candide fled to Holland where he met Jacques the Anabaptist, and found the philosopher, Dr. Pangloss. Pangloss told Candide that the Bulgarians raped and disemboweled Cunà ©gonde. Following the news, Candide, Jacques, and Pangloss sailed to Lisbon. A storm destroyed the ship leaving Jacques to drown, and Candide and Pangloss survived only to watch as an earthquake and tidal wave level Lisbon. Pangloss insisted that despite the total ruin of Lisbon, the world is still the best of all possible worlds. For making such a heretical statement, Pangloss is hung while Candide is beaten during a ceremony of the Spanish Inquisition. Later, an old woman reunited Candide with Cunà ©gonde, who survived the Bulgarian invasion. Cunà ©gonde was then the mistress of both Don Issachar and the Grand Inquisitor of Lisbon. Candide ended up killing them both because of their jealous rage. Then Candide, Cunà ©gonde, and the old woman fled to Cadiz and Candide volunteered to fight against the Jesuits in Paraguay. After the fights the three sailed to Buenos Aires and upon arrival the old woman spotted a ship from Spain in hot pursuit, so once again Candide had to flee. Candide and his valet Cacambo then joined the Jesuits. The Commandant of the Jesuits was actually Cunà ©gonde's brother, the Baron's son. The reunion turned sour when the Baron's son forbade Candide to marry Cunà ©gonde. The commandant attacked Candide and unfortunately was stabbed in the process. Candide and Cacambo escaped only to be captured by the Oreillons, a tribe of natives, but luckily, the diplomatic Cacambo convinced the natives to release them. Next, Candide and Cacambo happen upon the Utopian kingdom of Eldorado. After a short stay, Candide and Cacambo left, with 102 red sheep covered in jewels, to find Cunà ©gonde. They arrived ...