Candide Paper Essay Sample

“Therefore. those who have maintained that all is good have been speaking bunk: they should hold maintained that all is for the best. ” says Pangloss. the evident legendary philosopher. confidently in the book Candide by Voltaire. This satirical narrative is about a simple soft adult male named Candide who struggles to specify the significance of life. good. and evil. In this book. Voltaire attempts to show the absurdity of the doctrine that everything is for the best of all possible universes. Throughout the narrative. Candide goes through many escapades with the love of his life. Lady Cunegonde. and faces many adversities. It is through these adversities of Candide that Voltaire ridicules the mistakes of Pangloss’s doctrine that everything is for the best in this best of all universes.

Candide is born in the palace of Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh. where Pangloss is considered the best bookman. For his full childhood. Candide is taught from Pangloss that everything is for the best and that even the events that seem evil finally lend to a bigger and better cause. However. as Candide gets out into the existent universe. he finds many contradictions and uncertainties this doctrine legion times.

The first clip that Candide doubts Pangloss’s doctrine is when he witnesses the decease of the James the Anabaptist. James is one of the kindest characters that Candide meets. After Candide escapes wounded and malnourished out of the conflict between the Bulgars and the Avars. he is treated really harshly by an speechmaker of a charity and his married woman. When James sees this. he provides cordial reception for Candide and restores him back to good wellness. He even offers a occupation to Candide. Candide is really touched and grateful to James and accepts the occupation. James is so sort that when they find Pangloss sick with pox in the streets subsequently. he cures Pangloss and gives him a occupation besides. However when the three go on a concern trip to Lisbon. catastrophe work stoppages. During the ocean trip. their ship encounters a strong storm.

The ship is about wholly in pieces and people are fighting to remain alive. Suddenly. a brainsick crewman work stoppages James with a strong force. The impulse of the blow. nevertheless. makes the crewman lose balance and he falls into the wild ocean. By fortune. the crewman is saved from the immediate decease of the merciless ocean by acquiring caught on a broken mast.

The sort James rushes to assist and draw the crewman back on board. The action. nevertheless. throws James into the ocean and he does non resurface. Candide watches in horror as the kindest adult male he has of all time met drowns. Shocked by this awful event. Candide doubts if everything is for the best in the best of all possible universes. For certainly. this unfortunate decease of James is wholly unneeded and contributes nil to a bigger and better cause.

Another event that highlights the mistakes of Pangloss’s doctrine is when Candide hears of Cunegonde’s decease. After Candide is cured by James. Candide meets the ill Pangloss in the streets. When Candide asks about how Cunegonde has been making. Pangloss informs him that she is dead from the invasion of the Bulgars of her palace. Stunned from this intelligence. he exclaims. “Cunegonde is dead! Oh. best of all possible universes. where are you? ” ( 23 ) . Obviously. the best of all possible universes would non allow decease go on to Candide’s love of his life. Therefore. Candide doubts Pangloss’s doctrine due to its mistakes.

We see the pathetic mistakes of Pangloss’s doctrine once more when Pangloss is hanged for unorthodoxy and Candide is flogged for listening to Pangloss’s unorthodoxy. After seeing his beloved friend and instructor Pangloss hanged and as he is acquiring flogged. Candide says. “If this is the best of all possible universes. what are the others like? I wouldn’t complain if it were merely that I’d been flogged: the Bulgars flogged me excessively.

But my beloved Pangloss. the greatest of philosophers–did I have to see you hanged. without cognizing why? And my beloved Anabaptist. the kindest of men–did you have to be drowned in the seaport? And Lady Cunegonde. the pearl of immature ladies–did your belly have to be slit unfastened? ” ( 29 ) Surely. all these bad lucks have no intent for the bigger good and surely. the best of all possible universes would non hold these bad lucks. Therefore. Candide sees all of the pathetic mistakes of Pangloss’s doctrine and extremely uncertainties them.

By the terminal of the narrative. Candide realizes that Pangloss’s doctrine is non true and Pangloss is seen as a gag. Voltaire writes. “Pangloss admitted that he had ever suffered dreadfully. but. but holding one time maintained that all was for the best. he still maintained it. without believing it. ” ( 110 ) . which clearly means that Pangloss is merely being consciously stubborn about his foolish doctrine merely for its interest. However. Candide develops into a wiser homo and realizes that Pangloss is incorrect.

Pangloss says to Candide. “All events are interconnected in this best of all possible universes. for if you hadn’t been driven from a beautiful palace with difficult boots in the buttocks because of your love for Lady Cunegonde. if you hadn’t been seized by the Inquisition. if you hadn’t wandered over America on pes. if you hadn’t thrust your blade through the baron. and if you hadn’t lost all your sheep from the land of Eldorado. you wouldn’t be here eating candied citrons and Pistacia vera nuts. ” ( 113 ) .

In return. Candide merely and providentially. “Well said. but we must cultivate our garden. ” which shows that Candide is no longer an nescient adherent of Pangloss but now a mature adult male who has learned that though the universe isn’t perfect and the best of all possible universes. the universe can go a better topographic point if everybody works together for it and “cultivates the garden. ”

In decision. Voltaire satirizes and humorously ridicules Pangloss’s doctrine that everything is for the best in this best of all possible universes really efficaciously. Through the adversities that Candide endures. the audience can clearly see contradictions to Pangloss’s doctrine. Combined with the fact that even Pangloss acknowledges how foolish his doctrine is. one can easy see how pathetic his doctrine is. Indeed. Voltaire’s Candide is a really successful and entertaining sarcasm.