Analyzing Voltaire's 'Candide'
Alima Camara
Prof Kevin Hayes
ENG 215
14 May 2013
THE FALLACIES OF PANGLOSS’ THEORY OF OPTIMS Candide is a novella published in 1759 by Voltaire, a French philosopher of the Age of the enlightenment. That period was characterized by abuses of power by the church and wars in Europe. Voltaire once agreed to the theory of Leibniz, a German philosopher that stats: “All is for the best.” In other word “it is the best of all possible worlds.” But after the Lisbon earthquake of November 1755 and the disastrous war of seven years between France and Persia, Voltaire turned his back on that theory. He first of all showed his disagreement by writing “poem on the Lisbon disaster” in 1756, followed …show more content…
In fact Candide in the story paints the world as a chaotic place full of wars and violence. In chapter three, by describing the scene of war between the bulgars and the abarians he said: “the cannon first of all laid about six thousand men on each side”. (Voltaire 10). By this exaggeration, Candide shows how violent and destructive that war was. Also for him during wars it is innocent people who suffered the most. The sadism of human beings is illustrated during wars when Candide says: “here old men covered with wounds beheld their wives, hugging their children to their bloody breast, disemboweled and breathing their last after having satisfied the natural wants of the bulbar heroes”. (Voltaire 19) This show the pleasure that the bulgar soldier takes by inflecting pain to other people. By these actions of human beings once again disprove Panglos idea of the …show more content…
In fact Jacque is the only person in the real world who showed goodness to Candide. As he deserted the army during the war, Candide decided to go to Holland because he heard that people in that country were good Christians and wealthy. Therefor they will be more willing to help. Unfortunately as opposed to what he thought nobody was willing to do so. Except Jacque the Anabaptist who saved him from a wicked protestant preacher and his wife who refused to give him bread simply because he doubted that the pop was the antichrist. It was even a crime to beg for charity in Holland. Jacque the Anabaptist as opposed to everybody gave Candide food, shelter, and a job at same time. Jacque expressed the same goodness to Panglos who was expelled from the castle after the king knew that he was infested by the syphilis. Jacque even saved Panglos from death by curing him at his own expense. The character of Jacque will not last for longue in the story because he died saving a sailor’s life who in return did not make any attempt to save him back and let him to perish in the sea. By using this character, Voltaire shows that goodness does not last for long in this world that is supposed to be perfect and how human beings can be ungrateful to goodness. He exposes at the same time the ridicule of Panglos’s (Leibniz) theory that is “Everything is
Prof Kevin Hayes
ENG 215
14 May 2013
THE FALLACIES OF PANGLOSS’ THEORY OF OPTIMS Candide is a novella published in 1759 by Voltaire, a French philosopher of the Age of the enlightenment. That period was characterized by abuses of power by the church and wars in Europe. Voltaire once agreed to the theory of Leibniz, a German philosopher that stats: “All is for the best.” In other word “it is the best of all possible worlds.” But after the Lisbon earthquake of November 1755 and the disastrous war of seven years between France and Persia, Voltaire turned his back on that theory. He first of all showed his disagreement by writing “poem on the Lisbon disaster” in 1756, followed …show more content…
In fact Candide in the story paints the world as a chaotic place full of wars and violence. In chapter three, by describing the scene of war between the bulgars and the abarians he said: “the cannon first of all laid about six thousand men on each side”. (Voltaire 10). By this exaggeration, Candide shows how violent and destructive that war was. Also for him during wars it is innocent people who suffered the most. The sadism of human beings is illustrated during wars when Candide says: “here old men covered with wounds beheld their wives, hugging their children to their bloody breast, disemboweled and breathing their last after having satisfied the natural wants of the bulbar heroes”. (Voltaire 19) This show the pleasure that the bulgar soldier takes by inflecting pain to other people. By these actions of human beings once again disprove Panglos idea of the …show more content…
In fact Jacque is the only person in the real world who showed goodness to Candide. As he deserted the army during the war, Candide decided to go to Holland because he heard that people in that country were good Christians and wealthy. Therefor they will be more willing to help. Unfortunately as opposed to what he thought nobody was willing to do so. Except Jacque the Anabaptist who saved him from a wicked protestant preacher and his wife who refused to give him bread simply because he doubted that the pop was the antichrist. It was even a crime to beg for charity in Holland. Jacque the Anabaptist as opposed to everybody gave Candide food, shelter, and a job at same time. Jacque expressed the same goodness to Panglos who was expelled from the castle after the king knew that he was infested by the syphilis. Jacque even saved Panglos from death by curing him at his own expense. The character of Jacque will not last for longue in the story because he died saving a sailor’s life who in return did not make any attempt to save him back and let him to perish in the sea. By using this character, Voltaire shows that goodness does not last for long in this world that is supposed to be perfect and how human beings can be ungrateful to goodness. He exposes at the same time the ridicule of Panglos’s (Leibniz) theory that is “Everything is