Essay on Voltaire’s Candide Relevance of Candide’s...

Relevance of Candide’s Message in Todays World Voltaires Candide is a philosophical tale of one mans search for true happiness and his ultimate acceptance of lifes disappointments. Candide grows up in the Castle of Westfalia and is taught by the learned philosopher Dr. Pangloss. Candide is abruptly exiled from the castle when found kissing the Barons daughter, Cunegonde. Devastated by the separation from Cunegonde, his true love, Candide sets out to different places in the hope of finding her and achieving total happiness. The message of Candide is that one must strive to overcome adversity and not passively accept problems in the belief that all is for the best. Candides misfortune begins when he is kicked out†¦show more content†¦Pangloss principle that all is for the best. In Lisbon there is an earthquake which kills thousands of people, throwing the city into ruins. Later, Dr. Pangloss is hung as part of an auto-de-fe. Candide is miraculously taken in by an old woman and is brought to his love, Cunegonde. She tells him of the torture she suffered and how she barely survived. She further explains that she was shared by a Jew named Don Issachar and the Grand Inquisitor. Candide kills the two men and escapes with Cunegonde and the old woman. At this point we begin to see Candide struggling and fighting to make his existence worthwhile, in the hope that he and Cunegonde would marry and live happily ever after. We saw Candide taking matters into his own hands, instead of accepting his fate, when he killed the two men that were repeatedly raping Cunegonde. At this point one begins to see his maturity from a naive young man into a realist. Candides travels take him to the new world where he hopes that Dr. Pangloss theory might be justified. Candide finds people of wealth who are bored and still unhappy. When he finds a nation of happy people he learns that they must be secluded from the rest of the world to preserve their happiness. Cunegonde leaves Candide for a man of wealth but that turns out to be the beginning of her ruin. Candide is robbed of great wealth and, when he tries to help others, he finds that they are not appreciative of his efforts.