Volitaire Candid
Francois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire, in his satirical masterwork Candide, critiques both society and humanity wit little mercy. The author obviously seeks to expose all of the human race's self-deceptions and weaknesses, but he does so with great humor. Voltaire gives delight with his humor while planting the deeper message about the fallibility and corruption of humanity. This contradiction holds the power of Voltaire's writing. Candide provides a horrific portrait of the human condition, but it does so with preposterous and outlandish humor. Voltaire especially intends to criticize the popular idea of his era that sees a rational order in the world: "Voltaire shows how the claim of a rational universal order avoids the hard problems of living in a world where human beings have become liars, traitors, and so on" (335). At the same time, Voltaire is not so much the pessimist that he holds no hope for any sort of improvement or salvation on the part of human beings. For example, after putting his protagonist through every sort of awful predicament, Voltaire allows Candide the positive goal of starting and cultivating a garden (402). Yes, Voltaire is saying, there is much corruption in humanity, but there is also at least a glimmer
Perhaps the favorite target of Voltaire is the philosophy which holds that the world which exists is the best of all possible worlds and the accompanying view that everything is for the best. if this claim does not hold true in this world, says Candide, then certainly it will hold true in the world to come: We are destined, in the end, for another universe, said Candide; no doubt that is the one where everything is well. Of course, Voltaire's message is precisely that everything is not well, that everything is far from well, and that only a fool would ever consider the preposterous argument that the world is a reasonable place or that humanity lives in the best of all possible worlds. Candide admires the pessimistic cynic because "he is superior to everything he possesses. Even the eternal optimist Candide must struggle to maintain his positive outlook in the face of the onslaught of suffering he and his companions face. Voltaire is not above holding himself up for a touch of satirical lampooning as well. Nevertheless, Voltaire's own role in "criticizing everything" is certainly softened by the clearly optimistic ending of Candide's story. He goes for a walk without permission and as a result is beaten almost to death: "That made four thousand strokes, which laid open every muscle and nerve from his nape to his butt" (339). The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. When Candide and Martin encounter the cynical Pocourante, it is clear that Voltaire is using Pocourante as a substitute for himself and his own "negative" attitude. Whether life is good or evil should not be the defining standard by which human beings act.
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