Candide: Enlightenment
Voltaire's Candide is one of the great books of European literature. Candide is remarkable because it is a comedy derived from tragedy. What is also remarkable is Candide has many themes to it that were controversial for its time. It touched on the topics of deism, toleration, humanitarianism, optimism, and even freedom.
The story of Candide is a story of blind optimism in a pessimistic world. Candide is naïve. For a time, he reacts to such events as torture, war, and catastrophe by recalling the favorite sayings of his tutor, Pangloss, among them “Every effect has a cause” and “All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.” As the situation only seems to get worse, his doubts begin to increase. Pangloss tends to show up throughout the story to give Candide further examples of illogical logic. One example is when he claims that syphilis needed to be transmitted from the Americas to Europe so that Europeans could enjoy New World delicacies such as chocolate. This blind optimism is countered by pessimistic …show more content…
They were looking for a world with more freedom. Freedom to travel. Freedom of speech. Freedom to be who you want to be. Not much freedom is given to the characters. They are all pretty much forced into their roles. Candide gets forced out of Westaphilia for loving Cunegonde. He is forced to join the Bulgarian army. Cunegande as well as Cacambo, Pangloss, and Cunegonde’s brother are forced into slavery. Paquette is forced into prostitution. Brother Giroflee is forced into becoming a monk. Freedom is but a wish for these characters. When Candide and Martin visit the Venetian nobleman, Martin spots some shelves with English books and says to the nobleman, “I think that any republican would enjoy reading most of those works written with so much freedom.” To which the nobleman replies, “Yes it’s a fine thing to write what you believe…”
Voltaire's Candide is one of the great books of European literature. Candide is remarkable because it is a comedy derived from tragedy. What is also remarkable is Candide has many themes to it that were controversial for its time. It touched on the topics of deism, toleration, humanitarianism, optimism, and even freedom.
The story of Candide is a story of blind optimism in a pessimistic world. Candide is naïve. For a time, he reacts to such events as torture, war, and catastrophe by recalling the favorite sayings of his tutor, Pangloss, among them “Every effect has a cause” and “All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.” As the situation only seems to get worse, his doubts begin to increase. Pangloss tends to show up throughout the story to give Candide further examples of illogical logic. One example is when he claims that syphilis needed to be transmitted from the Americas to Europe so that Europeans could enjoy New World delicacies such as chocolate. This blind optimism is countered by pessimistic …show more content…
They were looking for a world with more freedom. Freedom to travel. Freedom of speech. Freedom to be who you want to be. Not much freedom is given to the characters. They are all pretty much forced into their roles. Candide gets forced out of Westaphilia for loving Cunegonde. He is forced to join the Bulgarian army. Cunegande as well as Cacambo, Pangloss, and Cunegonde’s brother are forced into slavery. Paquette is forced into prostitution. Brother Giroflee is forced into becoming a monk. Freedom is but a wish for these characters. When Candide and Martin visit the Venetian nobleman, Martin spots some shelves with English books and says to the nobleman, “I think that any republican would enjoy reading most of those works written with so much freedom.” To which the nobleman replies, “Yes it’s a fine thing to write what you believe…”