Analysis of Voltaire's Candide

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Through writing the novel, Candide, Voltaire sought to satirize the idea of philosophical optimism. More specifically, Voltaire was attacking the principles of the philosophical optimism of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Leibniz believed that we live in the best of all possible worlds and so everything that happens must happen for good reason; and since this is the best possible world, it is impossible for anything to get better. Panglossianism is a term describing optimism without reason and those mirror the beliefs of the aptly named Pangloss, who is a main character and companion/teacher of Candide throughout the story. The story begins with Candide living in a great castle in Westphalia with servants and presumably under the rule of his uncle. He appears to be living a good life so far and is described as, “a youth whom nature had endowed with a most sweet disposition. [whose] face was the true index of his mind, [and having] a solid judgment joined to the most unaffected simplicity”(Voltaire pg. 11). However, due to his affection for the daughter of the baron who owns the castle and having been caught kissing her by the baron himself, Candide finds himself kicked out of the castle and wandering the streets of the neighboring town. This is where the Bulgarian army finds him and shows him kindness by feeding him only to then forcibly recruit him into their army. After some time in the army, Candide thinks that he can simply take a springtime walk and gets about two leagues away when the Bulgarian army captures him and brings him back. Voltaire is making fun of the fact that to a person like Candide, “taking a walk”, is no crime at all but the army considered his “walk” an attempt at desertion and so they bring him back to stand trial. The king of the Bulgars sees Candide about to be executed and when he inquires about Candide sees fit to pardon him because he
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