Voltaire's Candide

A detailed Summary of Voltaire's Candide

Voltaire's Candide is the story of an innocent man's experiences in a mad and evil world, his struggle to survive in that world, and his need to ultimately come to terms with it. All people experience the turmoil of life and must overcome obstacles; both natural and man-made, in order to eventually achieve happiness. In life, "man must find a medium between what Martin (scholar and companion to Candide) calls the "convulsions of anxiety" and the "lethargy of boredom." After a long and difficult struggle in which Candide is forced to overcome misfortune to find happiness, he concludes that all is not well (contrary to the teachings of his tutor, Dr. Pangloss), and that he must work in order to find even a small amount of pleasure in life. Candide grows up in the Castle of Westphalia and is taught by the learned philosopher, Dr. Pangloss. Candide is abruptly exiled from the castle when found kissing the Baron's 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. On his journey, he faces a number of misfortunes, yet he continues to believe that there is a "cause and effect" for everything and that "all is for

Life is full of struggles, but it would be non-productive if people passively accepted whatever fate had in store for them, shrugging off their personal responsibility. Voltaire believes that people should not allow themselves to be victims. He sneers at naive, accepting types, informing us that people must work to reach their utopia. In Candide, reality and "the real world" are portrayed as being disappointing. Within the Baron's castle, Candide is able to lead a Utopian life. After his banishment, though, he recognizes the evil of the world, seeing man's sufferings. The only thing that keeps Candide alive is his hope that things will get better. Even though the world is filled with disaster, Candide has an optimistic attitude that he has adopted from Dr. Pangloss' teachings. In spite of his many trials, Candide believes that all is well and everything is for the best. Only once, in frustration, does he admit that he sometimes feels that optimism is "the mania of maintaining that all is well when we are miserable." Candide's enthusiastic view of life is contrasted with, and challenged by the suffering he endures throughout his journeys. Voltaire wrote this book in a mocking and satirical manner in order to express his opinion that passive optimism is foolish. Candide eventually learns how to achieve happiness in the face of misadventure. He learns that in order to attain a state of contentment, one must be part of society where there is collective effort and work. Labor, Candide learns, eliminates the three curses of mankind: want, boredom, and vice. In order to

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Approximate Word count = 1060
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels