Life is designed in a way that everything that happens for a reason and the outcome is what defines the meaning of life. As the thesis for this paper, the ideas are advanced as the lessons taught to Candide by Dr. Pangloss. According to his teaching, Candide is led to believe that the world through which he lives in at the baron’s castle is the best of all worlds.
The story of Candide is set in an earlier world filled with slavery, war, oppression and precise dissection between the rich and the poor. Although Candide is born in a rich family, as the story begins, he loses his position which ignites a series of misfortune. In a war setting, Candide is looped into the wars and conflicts of the land narrowly escape the abuses in the army (Puchner, 2015).Despite the hardships that accompany him, he rather stays optimistic of a happy ending where he marries his love to live happily ever after. His quest for love and reunion with Cunegonde is the driving force and gives him purpose.
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Candide is born of a high family in Germany and is a nephew, although illegitimately, to a German baron. He without intention falls in love with the baron’s daughter named Cunegonde. When they were found kissing, he was thrown out of the castle and the life of richness. He is conscripted into an army where he suffers cruel brutality when he is wrongfully labeled a deserter. He manages to escape narrowly and runs to Holland. There he is taken in by a person of good will named Jacques and reunites with Pangloss who is now a beggar. He explains to him of the misfortune that befell the baron’s family. Their decision to travel to Lisbon is preceded in the death of Jacques. On their reach to Lisbon, they find a devastating site of a destroyed place by an earthquake. More misfortune befalls them as they are arrested due to the philosophical stands of Pangloss. They surfer immeasurably and Candide escapes only to get reunited with Cunegonde who is now a sex slave. Enraged by the thought of her as a sex slave, he kills the slave owners and flees with her to South America. He promises to marry Cunegonde but on reaching the destination, the governor proposes to her, and she accepts in her consideration of her financial welfare. On the run due to the murders he committed, he finds Cunegonde’s brother who is a commander, and on hearing his interests to marry his sister, he disapproves. Enraged, Candide stabs him and flees to Eldorado, a place of peace and fortune filled with a good life and treasure. He gathers wealth for himself, but still, he is driven by the need to marry Cunegonde. He turns back to purchase Cunegonde and return to Europe where with his wealth he can buy the freedom of his friends and Cunegonde as well (Puchner, 2015). They settle in a farm where they work to have happy and fulfilled lives.
The story presents conflicts on various levels, the conflict between the social classes that prevent Candide from marrying Cunegonde on several occasions. And the same conflict of class that propels slavery and oppression. There is also a conflict of ideologies one that led to the torture of Candide and Pangloss. The story similarly presents actual conflicts between people and nations. The optimism theme is also quite evident in the story. It's Candide’s optimistic nature and idealism that gives life to the story; despite his misfortune, he holds on to the prospect of love and marriage(Puchner, 2015).Marriage and life of Candide and Cunegonde end happily even though not in the way they had hoped the all the events of the story leads up to that very moment.
References
Puchner, M. (2015). Norton Anthology of Wold Literature-Volume D, E and F . WW Norton & Co..
