Great Works II

Candide was written by a young writer Francois Marie Arouet, pen name Voltaire. Voltaire  disapproves of the words of the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, “the best of all the possible worlds” which means  that everything happens in the world is for the best . So, he writes Candide to satire Leibniz in his ludicrous, funny and absurd method. He creates his character Candide and Pangloss to deride Leibniz philosophy of optimism.

Voltaire starts taunting Leibniz belief from the first chapter. Pangloss who is tutor for a young man named Candide teaches him that “there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause and that in the best of all possible worlds…” (P-356) resembling Leibniz ideology. Pangloss says that “everything necessarily serves the best end. Observe: noses were made to support spectacles, hence we have spectacles. Legs, as anyone can plainly see, were made to be breeched, and so we have breeches. Stones were made to be shaped and to build castles with; thus lord has a fine castle, for the greatest Baron in the province should have a finest house; and since pigs were made to be eaten, we eat pork all year round” (P-356). Pangloss definition for every cause there is an effect. Voltaire lets readers to decide what we feels about the statement. We readers certainly know that nose are not made only to support spectacles, stone to build castle and pigs to eat. There can be various reason to the cause. In addition, it is not wise to think that unusual things that happens around is god’s will and it should be untouched. And if we keep those mentality and let the things go out of our hand then we would not have succeeded as a great human being.

Voltaire enlightens readers with his satirical novel. Voltaire deliberately makes his both character Candide and Pangloss ridiculous to believe that idea and ask reader to look to the other direction of light (knowledge). In the journey of Candide from getting kicked out from Baron’s castle to meeting Pangloss with syphilis, encountering Bulgar, earthquakes and losing his savior Anabaptist, Jacques etc., Candide always relates it to the cause and effect that he learned from Pangloss. He thinks that this is the best of all the possible worlds, which Voltaire believes its foolish to do and I agree with him. Voltaire slips the idea to audience/ reader to ask why these things are happening, is there no other ending beside “the best of all the possible worlds”. If we do not accept and be optimistic then we can find other possible ways. For example Candide’s savior Jacques would have lived if he did not have save the life of the sailor thinking that it was his best ending and even though he saved sailor’s life Candide, Pangloss and sailor could have saved him if they did not think that it was for the best possible worlds to let him die.

In my opinion, Voltaire was a hilarious and witty with his style of writing. In every chapter he satire the belief of Leibniz for being optimistic and believing that everything happens is god’s will and it is for the good. He brought the world in a different light of living and taught  not to accept the situation thinking it is for the best of all the possible worlds.