Voltaire's Candide: A Literary Analysis
The Positive and Negative In life, one can look at life two ways. One can be an optimist, a person who has a positive outlook on life and no matter what is going on one always-thinks positive. However, a pessimist is the pole opposite of an optimist. A pessimist is a person who has a negative outlook of life and always thinks of the negative in any situation. A great example of an optimist and pessimist view is in Voltaire’s Candide, tells the story of Candide an illegitimate nephew of a German baron. He lives and grows up at a baron’s castle. His teacher Pangloss teaches him. Pangloss teaches hint that this world is “the best of all possible worlds”. Candide falls in love with the barons beautiful and young daughter named Cunégonde. One day,
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He knows the evil men do to one another. Martin tries to show Candide for every good thing that happens others suffer for it. For instance,
“…crime is punished sometimes…Dutch merchant has met the fate he deserved.-Yes, said Martin; but did the passengers aboard his ship have to perish too? God punished the scoundrel, and the devil drowned the others.” (221)
The innocent people on the ship with the Dutch pirate that stole from Candide have to suffer his punishment for his evil deeds. Martin’s arguments appear logical and more persuasive than Candide’s version of Pangloss’s philosophy. Nevertheless, like Pangloss, Martin believes so firmly in his own view of the world that he occasionally discharges real evidence that contradicts his philosophy. Such as, “Do you believe, said Martin, that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they could get them? -Of course, said Candide. –Well said Martin, if hawks have always had the same character, why do you supposed that men have changed? –Oh, said Candide, there’s a great deal of difference, because freedom of the will…” (222)
At times, Candide started to understand Martins point of view but he stuck to his
He knows the evil men do to one another. Martin tries to show Candide for every good thing that happens others suffer for it. For instance,
“…crime is punished sometimes…Dutch merchant has met the fate he deserved.-Yes, said Martin; but did the passengers aboard his ship have to perish too? God punished the scoundrel, and the devil drowned the others.” (221)
The innocent people on the ship with the Dutch pirate that stole from Candide have to suffer his punishment for his evil deeds. Martin’s arguments appear logical and more persuasive than Candide’s version of Pangloss’s philosophy. Nevertheless, like Pangloss, Martin believes so firmly in his own view of the world that he occasionally discharges real evidence that contradicts his philosophy. Such as, “Do you believe, said Martin, that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they could get them? -Of course, said Candide. –Well said Martin, if hawks have always had the same character, why do you supposed that men have changed? –Oh, said Candide, there’s a great deal of difference, because freedom of the will…” (222)
At times, Candide started to understand Martins point of view but he stuck to his