The name of the barony, Thunder-ten- tronckh, a guttural name that sounds almost primitive, mocks pretensions of nobility. It is not an especially rich barony, as the castle boasts few luxuries, and the baron wastes much of his time in idle frivolities. He lives off the labor of others, and the justification for his position is merely "birth." Throughout Candide, Voltaire mocks the aristocracy's belief in "natural" superiority by birth. The baron's sister, for instance, refused to marry Candide's father because he only had seventy-one quarterings in his coat of arms. Her own coat of arms had seventy-two. The difference in rank is no difference at all. Voltaire implies that the difference between common and noble is no difference as well. It is the product of a system that invents and sustains an unnatural and laughable hierarchy. The nobility infuses the accident of birth with meaning, where Voltaire suggests that it is meaningless.

rom the castle marks the beginning of his re-education via direct experience with the world. His experiences in the army and in war directly contradict Pangloss's teaching that this is the best of all possible worlds. In the army, the world appears to be full of evil, cruelty, and suffering. Powerful members of the nobility start wars, but common soldiers and subjects suffer the consequences. Neither side is better than the other, and both engage in rape, murder, and pillage. The world that Voltaire portrays does not have a predetermined, ordered balance of good and evil. Rather, the great deal of evil does nothing to highlight precious little good.

The women in Candide represent most of the women in Europe during the time of the Enlightenment, in the story Cunegonde is portrayed as a very beautiful woman who is lusted over by Candide. Throughout the story Candide can't stop talking about her looks and how he wants to be with her. This seemed to be the typical idea through the ages that even though women were smart and able to carry on interesting conversations, like at salons; their looks seemed to be the only thing going for them. Even though women put together the salons and

Some common words found in the essay are:
Candide Voltaire, Candide Throughout, Candide Cacambo, Voltaire's Candide, Asia World, Pangloss Leibniz, God Voltaire, Europe Enlightenment, coat arms, human nature, candide cacambo, world found,
Approximate Word count = 799
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)