e for the beautiful Cunegonde is apparent from the first chapter but his intentions are thwarted by her father, the Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh of Westphalia when he "expelled Candide from the castle by kicking him in the backside frequently and hard" (3, 75-76). For merely "innocently" (3, 71) kissing Cunegonde's hand, Candide was dealt the ultimate punishment of being removed from not only the "most agreeable of all possible castles" (3, 79) but also from his love, Cunegonde.
             Through Candide and Pangloss, I think that Voltaire is showing that good and evil exist on an equal plane, and that either can affect a person regardless of their being virtuous or not. Therefore, what is the point of philosophical optimism and how can it justify so many tragedies?
             This idea, of course, discounts the doctrine of theology. The relentless onslaught of bad luck seems implausible, given the preconceived notion that good people should not
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