Candide: Baron Thunder-Ten-Tronckh In Westphalia

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Rhett Roccaforte History September 25, 2011 Candide by Voltaire. Translated by John Butt (Penguin Group, 1947. About the author, contents, introduction. $11.) The story of Candide begins in the country home of the Baron Thunder-Ten-Tronckh in Westphalia. Candide is taught by a philosopher named Pangloss. Pangloss preaches that everything has a purpose, and that everything is for the best. Being somewhat isolated and naïve, Candide takes to heart these teachings, and adopts Pangloss's philosophy as his own. The Baron's daughter Lady Cunegonde innocently flirts with Candide, and they share a kiss behind a screen. The two are caught by the Baron, who happened to be passing by. He shows his displeasure by literally kicking Candide out of his utopian home. This begins a series of unfortunate events that shape the rest of Candide's story. The protagonist is…show more content…
The two are eventually reunited and live with their friends in relative normalcy. He suffers nearly every misfortune short of losing his life, but doesn't loses his faith that everything happens because it must until the end of the story. Voltaire's controversial commentary on the “everything happens for a reason” philosophy of the time was written during a period when counter beliefs were rare. The novel had to be written and published in relative secrecy. The author was especially displeased with the abuse of power and overall hypocrisy of the church. He uses historical events, such as the Seven Years War and the Lisbon earthquake as a base for the events that happen in the story. Looking deeper, however, the reader discovers a classic satire aimed at the hypocrisy of the time. Candide's philosophy is best stated when he says, “Observe that noses were made to wear spectacles; and so we have spectacles. Legs were visibly instituted to be breeched, and we have breeches. Stones were formed to be

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