Voltaire's Candide: Literary Analysis

Candide is worn down by the travesties that have happened to him and to his companions, and he decides to remove himself from that world. Although Pangloss still quotes his “best of all possible worlds” philosophy, “he no longer believed it” (Voltaire 85). Candide is further assured of his decision when they hear how the Turk remains at peace. Simply put he and his family work hard to cultivate the land (Voltaire 86). Candide see how content this man is and compares him to the men who continued to strive for power.

Candide, through experience, is forced to come to the conclusion that Pangloss was wrong. We can learn from Candide that we have to experience the world for ourselves and letting other people dictate what we believe could have consequences. Pangloss suffers through so much and yet still continues in a ravaged state to say how wonderful the world is. I believe that the lesson Voltaire was trying to tell the reader is that when exposed to different things it is healthy to change beliefs, this idea directly contradicts faith which tells us absolutes. Pangloss shows us what happens if we blindly follow authority, we never change our beliefs or develop who we are as people.

Darrius Jackson Professor Origill Western Civilization 11/19/2014 Voltaire's wrote Candide to show his view on how society and class, religion, warfare, and the idea of progress. Voltaire was a deist and he believed in religious equality, he wrote Candide to attack all aspects of its social structure by satirizing religion, society and social order by showing his hypocrisy. Voltaire was a prominent figure during the enlightenment era. Although he was not a typical enlightenment writer at his time because he wrote about issues including social freedom, religious inequality and civil liberty that other philosophers did not at the time. Voltaire's outspoken opinions made him very unpopular and landed him in jail but that did not stop him from

Cristian Hines Hines 1 February 7, 2018 Loyola Professor Candide Essay In today’s society, one’s position is not decided by lineage, creed, or color. Through hard work, determination, and wealth, a person can change their status The Great Chain of Being says otherwise. Voltaire’s Candide follows the story of Candide, who struggles to achieve happiness in a world with strict social hierarchies. These social hierarchies make up the Great Chain of Being.

Through the protagonist Candide one can deduce Voltaire’s negative outlook on human nature. He believes every word that Pangloss says, in the same way that people of the day believed everything that the Church would say. At the beginning of the text he blindly worships Optimism and by the end of it he worships the Turk’s philosophy of labour. “I also know… that we must cultivate our garden” (Voltaire 99). However it does appear that Candide has gained more knowledge and wisdom and has therefore made a more informed decision.

Candide most oftenly seeks advice from teachers, and experts like Pangloss and Martin. Candide believes in Panglosses philosophies more than any other idea, mainly that all is for the best, and that he lives “in the best of all possible worlds”. Candide wanted an honest man to entertain him and come

It underscores that the only worthwhile thing for people to do is to cultivate their gardens. While cultivating gardens are an emblem of hero’s prospect and fortune, neglected ones lead to his misery. Voltaire provides in Candide several types of gardens. A garden that someone can be kicked out of it like what happened to Candide in baron Thunder-ten- tronckh, another garden that someone can foolishly leave as Candide did Eldorado, and a final well taken care of garden that makes human being close to happiness.

Voltaire’s Candide is a story of a young man’s adventure and how his experiences change his philosophy on life. Although Candide’s adventures begin with a rather positive confidence that he lives in “the best of all possible worlds” his attitude is quickly transformed when he realizes the world is in fact full of evil. In

The introduction: In life, there are the cheerful people (optimistic) and there the frown faced ones (pessimistic). Taking one side remains illogic in the course of life, as it is better to strike a balance between these two extremes. Candide is torn between being naïve and a kind of lamb in the herd led by an optimistic Shepard, and his famous saying’ in this best of all possible worlds’. (Voltaire, 1761, p.4). And the shocking discoveries that he makes later on his journey to meet his beloved baroness.

Moreover, situations these forces create, and how they are beyond and within the control of Candide. Leading to Candide’s final beliefs, and how they illustrate the follies of optimistic determinism. At the beginning of Voltaire epic Candide is a naive scholar. He strongly adheres to the beliefs laid out for him by his mentor Pangloss.

In Candide Voltaire discusses the exploitation of the female race in the eighteenth century through the women in the novel. Cunegonde, Paquette, and the Old Woman suffer through rape and sexual exploitation regardless of wealth or political connections. These characters possess very little complexity or importance in Candide. With his characterization of Cunegonde, Paquette, and the Old Woman Voltaire satirizes gender roles and highlights the impotence of women in the 1800s. Cunegonde is the daughter of a wealthy German lord.

One key facet of living in the world today is the ability for people to have free will over their own lives. In Voltaire’s story “Candide,” it is clear to observe that although Candide is free to form his own decisions, he allows himself to be strongly determined by his surroundings as well as everyone who he encounters. This story proposes that Candide is trying to find a balance between submitting completely to the speculations and actions of others while also taking control of his life through blind faith. Throughout the story, Candide encounters frequent hardships along his voyage to prosperity. These obstacles include, but are not limited to becoming a bulwark, being beaten and forced to watch his beloved Pangloss having been hanged, leaving such an amazing place as Eldorado, being lied to and tricked out of diamonds by the abb`e, killing Cunegonde’s two lovers, almost being boiled alive for killing the monkey lovers, and being persuaded to be promiscuous on Cunegonde.

Voltaire’s Candide takes us through the life and development of Candide, the protagonist. Throughout his adventures, he witnesses many travesties and sufferings. Like many Enlightenment philosophers, Pangloss, Candide’s tutor, is an optimist; this philosophy was adopted by many to help mask the horrors of the eightieth century. Pangloss teaches Candide that everything happens for a reason. Voltaire uses satire, irony and extreme exaggerations to poke fun at many aspects; such as optimism, religion, corruption, and social structures within Europe.

Candide is satirizing the idea that we live in “the best of all possible worlds.” (Means, n.d.). Voltaire had a message to deliver behind creating the characterization of Cunegonde, Paquette and the Old woman in his book Candide. He wanted to review that females at that time were

Voltaire is well known for his suggestive satirical work, especially his masterpiece Candide. Candide is a timeless piece still relevant today, that was written to warn the public about the consequences of radical optimism (Online-Literature 1). The main character, Candide, is a naïve and trusting young man who is banished from his home. Despite his life being filled with a series of bizarre disasters, Candide holds fast to his optimism – which serves as an example to readers. Voltaire emphasizes the dangers of radical optimism by incorporating tone, themes and utilizing satire in Candide.