In Voltaire's Candide, two opposite characters are introduced to readers, Pangloss and Martin, the first demonstrating an optimistic perception on life, however the second represents a pessimistic perception on it. Both of these characters represents a diverse point of view of thought, applies his own ideas and beliefs to the world, and tries to persuade Candide of his own angle that he sees life from. This essay will compare and contrast both of the perceptions and how Candide reacts to both of them.
As Candide's tutor and a thinker, Pangloss is in charge for the novel’s greatest idea: that all is for the finest in this “best of all possible worlds.” This optimistic emotion is the main aim of Voltaire’s irony. Pangloss’s attitude mockeries …show more content…
While Martin is usually good at expecting how people will act, unusually he fails with Cacambo. Martin’s absolute negativity dictates that a valet trusted with millions in gold will certainly deceive his master, yet Cacambo’s honesty challenges that negativity. Voltaire likes elastic philosophies based on real proof to dogmatic assertions based on thoughts. Absolute positivity and absolute negativity both fall into the latter grouping, because they will confess no exceptions (Anon, 1964). Like Pangloss, Martin stands by ideas that discourage any vigorous efforts to improve the world for the better. If, as Martin asserts, “man is bound to live either in convulsions of misery or in the lethargy of boredom,” why should anyone try to save anyone else from “convulsions of misery” (Voltaire, …show more content…
After Candide is expelled of his castle, he is advanced by two soldiers who question him if he “has great affection for the King of Bulgarians”, and when Candide replies that he doesn't know of the King, the two soldiers call Candid to “drink to the king’shealth” (Voltaire, 1759). As Candide goes to them and drinks to a king he has never known “with all his heart”, he shows absence of individuality for himself. The soldiers then take Candide to join their army and he does intentionally, satisfied to be an involved in Bulgarian army. As Candide is opened to many horrors such as war, abuse, and homelessness, he understands life is not always overjoyed, and struggles to defend these events according to his original belief that “everything is necessarily concentrated and arranged for the best” (Voltaire, 1759). Furthermore, because Candide can never clarify his hard luck as “the best”, Voltaire reveals the fault in Candide’s blind optimism since it the one to upbraid for his miserable state. This contentedness of Candide is struck one more time, after Lisbon is struck by an earthquake. As the sages of the country try to ransom humans to save themselves from the earthquake, Candide notes “terrified” and asked that “if this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others like (Pearson and Davenport, 2008). In both Candide’s homelessness and the Lisbon earthquake, he
As Candide's tutor and a thinker, Pangloss is in charge for the novel’s greatest idea: that all is for the finest in this “best of all possible worlds.” This optimistic emotion is the main aim of Voltaire’s irony. Pangloss’s attitude mockeries …show more content…
While Martin is usually good at expecting how people will act, unusually he fails with Cacambo. Martin’s absolute negativity dictates that a valet trusted with millions in gold will certainly deceive his master, yet Cacambo’s honesty challenges that negativity. Voltaire likes elastic philosophies based on real proof to dogmatic assertions based on thoughts. Absolute positivity and absolute negativity both fall into the latter grouping, because they will confess no exceptions (Anon, 1964). Like Pangloss, Martin stands by ideas that discourage any vigorous efforts to improve the world for the better. If, as Martin asserts, “man is bound to live either in convulsions of misery or in the lethargy of boredom,” why should anyone try to save anyone else from “convulsions of misery” (Voltaire, …show more content…
After Candide is expelled of his castle, he is advanced by two soldiers who question him if he “has great affection for the King of Bulgarians”, and when Candide replies that he doesn't know of the King, the two soldiers call Candid to “drink to the king’shealth” (Voltaire, 1759). As Candide goes to them and drinks to a king he has never known “with all his heart”, he shows absence of individuality for himself. The soldiers then take Candide to join their army and he does intentionally, satisfied to be an involved in Bulgarian army. As Candide is opened to many horrors such as war, abuse, and homelessness, he understands life is not always overjoyed, and struggles to defend these events according to his original belief that “everything is necessarily concentrated and arranged for the best” (Voltaire, 1759). Furthermore, because Candide can never clarify his hard luck as “the best”, Voltaire reveals the fault in Candide’s blind optimism since it the one to upbraid for his miserable state. This contentedness of Candide is struck one more time, after Lisbon is struck by an earthquake. As the sages of the country try to ransom humans to save themselves from the earthquake, Candide notes “terrified” and asked that “if this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others like (Pearson and Davenport, 2008). In both Candide’s homelessness and the Lisbon earthquake, he