Candide is a satire meant to pit differing philosophical beliefs against each other and display their absurdities. Centrally, it discusses good and evil and the prevalence with which they are found in men—both naturally (from G-d) and learnedly (without G-d). Candide, our protagonist, is naïve to the world outside his castle home of Westphalia when the story begins. He only knows what he is told from the scholar Pangloss, and Candide sees no reason not to trust his philosophy. That philosophy, generally defined, is that everything happens for a good reason. Pangloss taught that they all lived “in this best of all possible worlds (Voltaire 186),” which meant that everything occurring there had to happen purposefully, or else their world could
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He is frequently beaten, stolen from, and made a fool of across Europe and the New World. It is while on this journey of misfortunes that he encounters a slew of philosophical influences and guides that begin to challenge Pangloss’ ideas. The kind Anabaptist Jacques believes that “men have corrupted Nature (Voltaire 192)” because they have armed themselves where G-d had not, and are thus the source of their own destruction against natural intent. Cunégonde’s old woman, having survived abduction, rape, and slavery, cannot believe kindness is man’s base nature. She regularly advises Cunégonde to act in her own self-preservation, by viewing the world around her with a skeptical eye and acting practically. Similarly, Cacambo also regards the world carefully and “was as full of good advice as the old woman (Voltaire 212)” because of it. Unlike the old woman, however, Cacambo remains loyal to Candide, even when doing as much leads to his enslavement, because he loved him. Finally, the most cynical of Candide’s travel companions is Martin. Where Pangloss was the eternal optimist, Martin is his pessimistic foil. “I think G-d has abandoned [Earth] to some evil spirits (Voltaire 220),” he says and at each moment dashes Candide’s optimism during their journey to find …show more content…
For the first time in Candide, they are all relatively safe from lethal misfortune, though despite this none of them are happy. They eventually seek the assistance of a renowned dervish to answer the single most asked philosophical question—“Why was man created?” Instead of a true answer, however, the dervish chides them for even asking such a thing and casts them out. The small group talk on their way home of some gossip spreading through the area and stop to ask a man enjoying himself if he knows anything of it, but the man, like the dervish, advises them to mind their own curiosity. Further, he elaborates that his own work keeps him “from three great evils, boredom, vice, and poverty (Voltaire 245).” In this is the best counsel Candide has received from anyone throughout the story. Rather than digging to find the true meaning of the fundamentals of the world, to discover the origin and purpose of good and evil, the farmer man asks why he ought to bother at all. If the questions have only brought them all misery and discontent at not knowing, they should simply cease wondering and work to distract themselves. Candide takes this to heart, and when Pangloss tries to reflect that the small farm and their now more content lives
He is frequently beaten, stolen from, and made a fool of across Europe and the New World. It is while on this journey of misfortunes that he encounters a slew of philosophical influences and guides that begin to challenge Pangloss’ ideas. The kind Anabaptist Jacques believes that “men have corrupted Nature (Voltaire 192)” because they have armed themselves where G-d had not, and are thus the source of their own destruction against natural intent. Cunégonde’s old woman, having survived abduction, rape, and slavery, cannot believe kindness is man’s base nature. She regularly advises Cunégonde to act in her own self-preservation, by viewing the world around her with a skeptical eye and acting practically. Similarly, Cacambo also regards the world carefully and “was as full of good advice as the old woman (Voltaire 212)” because of it. Unlike the old woman, however, Cacambo remains loyal to Candide, even when doing as much leads to his enslavement, because he loved him. Finally, the most cynical of Candide’s travel companions is Martin. Where Pangloss was the eternal optimist, Martin is his pessimistic foil. “I think G-d has abandoned [Earth] to some evil spirits (Voltaire 220),” he says and at each moment dashes Candide’s optimism during their journey to find …show more content…
For the first time in Candide, they are all relatively safe from lethal misfortune, though despite this none of them are happy. They eventually seek the assistance of a renowned dervish to answer the single most asked philosophical question—“Why was man created?” Instead of a true answer, however, the dervish chides them for even asking such a thing and casts them out. The small group talk on their way home of some gossip spreading through the area and stop to ask a man enjoying himself if he knows anything of it, but the man, like the dervish, advises them to mind their own curiosity. Further, he elaborates that his own work keeps him “from three great evils, boredom, vice, and poverty (Voltaire 245).” In this is the best counsel Candide has received from anyone throughout the story. Rather than digging to find the true meaning of the fundamentals of the world, to discover the origin and purpose of good and evil, the farmer man asks why he ought to bother at all. If the questions have only brought them all misery and discontent at not knowing, they should simply cease wondering and work to distract themselves. Candide takes this to heart, and when Pangloss tries to reflect that the small farm and their now more content lives