Comparing Voltaire's Candide And Pococurante

Biographical Summary Voltaire was born Francois-Marie Arouet in Paris on February 20, 1694, the last of five children in a family of relative success and nobility. His father and namesake, Francois Arouet, was a low-ranking treasury official for the French crown, while his mother, Marie Marguerite Daumard, came from a family in the lowest ring of French nobility. Voltaire had always displayed a passion and talent for writing, but his father forced him to study law, sending him to work as an assistant for a notary. Voltaire instead wrote poetry, and even after being sent to law school, he proceeded to write everything from essays to historical studies. The aristocracy he met on his travels was impressed by the wit he displayed in his writing …show more content…
In chapter 25, the reader “can see evidence of Candide and his little group espousing a similar mindset to that of Pococuranté, turning away from rhetoric in their attempt to find happiness, or at least contentment” (Thomas 66). When Candide’s meeting with Pococurante shows him the value of realism over rhetoric, he begins the process of true conversion to realism. Thomas wisely equates realism to happiness, which is the same conclusion Candide ultimately draws in this scene. In the same meeting, Pococurante declares that “regardless of the praises lavished upon them, [Raphael’s paintings] are not, in my opinion, a true representation of nature. I approve of no painting except those where I think I see Nature herself” (Voltaire 106-107). Pococurante’s ability to acknowledge what he himself likes allows him to pursue true happiness. Candide is in turn taught to devalue Leibniz philosophy, feeding Voltaire’s argument in favor of …show more content…
While the novel is a criticism of Leibniz, Candide himself does not actually represent Leibniz; that honor is reserved for his mentor, Pangloss. Instead, Candide demonstrates the terribly flawed worldview that Leibniz proposed. This philosophy is characterized by a passive acceptance of things as they are, which Pangloss demonstrates as he explains to Candide that “the nose is formed for spectacles; therefore we wear spectacles” (Voltaire 12). This comment is innocent and thought-provoking, despite being a clear mockery of Leibniz’s message, as it is easily refutable. Still, it marks the beginning of Candide’s intense devotion to Pangloss’s philosophy, which, despite its innocent origins, will bring him trouble through the entirety of the