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Voltaire 's Candide : Candide

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Voltaire: Candide
In Voltaire’s satirical novella Candide, he analyzes and criticizes the absolutist perspectives that were common of his era. By constructing his characters to each represent a different absolutist faith, he uses comedy to exaggerate and emphasize the faults in each perspective, ultimately describing the world through a cynical lens. As an influential writer of the Enlightenment period, Voltaire’s dispute of faith aligns with the enlightened goals of separating the individual from the church and stressing individual freedom rather than dependence on religion. He expresses his critical sentiments of faith and cynical view of absolute optimism by manifesting them in his characters. Voltaire constructs his novel to be …show more content…

If syphilis did not exist, then neither would the sugar cane and gold they seek in North America, which is the source of the disease. Throughout the rest of the novel, even after he was resurrected from his hanging, Pangloss continued his absurdly positive outlook during the darkest of times and ignores negativity while blindly following his philosophy, repeating his mantra that this world is “the best of all possible worlds” (Voltaire, 101). Voltaire’s point is that while optimism is often viewed as a valuable asset, using it as an absolute faith does not allow an individual to accept the negativity of the world. Candide often seems naive during his quest for Cunegonde, however it gradually diminishes throughout the novel. It is especially apparent during the beginning of the novel, when Pangloss’s teachings are still fresh in Candide’s mind, and he is at his youngest. Pangloss had taught Candide his optimistic philosophy while he lived in the baron’s castle, however he never introduced him to negativity or doubt. Therefore, when Candide was banished from the castle and encountered the outside world, his naiveté and unwavering optimism left him vulnerable. After he unknowingly committed a crime while enlisted in the Bulgarian army and attempted to use Pangloss’s philosophy to justify his actions, the King of Bulgaria passed by and “...understood, from everything they told him

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