Candide
One of the main dilemmas in Candide is that of optimistic vs. pessimistic views of the world. The optimistic viewpoint of world is related to the Christianity which Voltaire critiques throughout the whole story. Voltaire satirizes religion by means of a series of corrupt, hypocritical religious leaders but he does not condemn the everyday religious believer.
Candide grew up being taught by Pangloss that this is the best world and that things happen for a reason. This Pangloss’ viewpoint, which is optimistic view of world that is based on Christianity, is what troubles Candide later in the story; for Pangloss, “it is impossible for things not to be where they are, because everything is for the best” (Voltaire, 35). However, Candide suffers and witnesses many horrible events such as floggings, rapes, robberies, unjust executions, disease, an earthquake, and betrayals that made him to start questioning his belief in optimism. Also, the characters - the old woman, Martin,......
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Approximate Word Count: 373
Approximate Pages: 2 (260 words per double-spaced page) |