Candide – Voltaire

Candide was a straight to the point story with very short chapters and Voltaire did not go with a lengthy introduction. By the end of chapter one, Candide is removed from his home by the Baron because he catches him giving his daughter an “innocent kiss.” After this scenario, Candide’s journey begins and he had experienced a crazy yet terrifying life filled with an abundance of emotions. Candide’s tutor, Pangloss, shared his philosophy that everything is done for the best in this world. Candide being an optimistic person has carried this mantra with him throughout his journey. The separation between him and Miss Cunégonde brings him to a dark melancholy state. He desires her more than anything in the world which is insane because of the amount of trouble he goes through for her. He has killed people for her like the Grand Inquisitor and the Jew named Don Isaachar. Miss Cunégonde was disturbed to see these two men killed by Candide.

Voltaire classified the role of women in this story to be quite dreadful. Women were raped, abused, and traded for countless times. The story of the old woman who was the daughter of the Pope suffered an account of calamities such as being enslaved and raped many times and experiencing half death laying on a “mountain of bleeding bodies.” Women had no power during this century of life and had to follow orders from an authority figure who had owned them.

My favorite character in this story would have to be Martin because he was very pessimistic and believed that nothing in the world is made for the best and often humans will torment each other. His statement was very much appropriate during this time period because of the wars and conflicts between countries and villages. There was always violence in every moment. Although Eldorado was a utopian society which proves his statement wrong but not everyone can live in this perfectly perfect place. It seems unreal and usually ends up as a disaster because of the abundance of happiness and wealth.

Voltaire made the ending an unhappy stagnant ending. Everyone was together in this farm and they worked hard to maintain it. Every character felt unhappy yet they needed to cultivate the garden in order to build their own satisfactions. Candide was unhappy with the money and luxury he has living with his beloved who is now unattractive and he is filled with misery. Choosing the path of desire has screwed him over and he realized that materialistic ideals do not last forever.

Many misfortunes take place around the world and we may experience these events sometime in our lives. The consequences of desire can lead to unhappiness which can be very difficult to  comprehend. Although the violence of the story’s time period does not compare to present day but we do have many social justice issues that are as brutal as the ones Voltaire has described. The story was a bit overwhelming to read because every sentence was intricate and complexed but it was overall very interesting.