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Coming Of Age Themes In Voltaire's 'Candide'

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Candide is a renowned book about a young man who goes on many extravagant adventures to find his love Cunegonde after them being separated many times. Voltaires Candide explores many coming of age themes. Candide explores themes of who to get guidance from, finding love is painful but worth it, and growing up requires putting aside idealism and becoming more realistic. In Candide, Candide seeks and receives guidance from a few different characters. Candide gets advice from many people including Pangloss, the old woman, Cacambo, and Martin. Candide most oftenly seeks advice from teachers, and experts like Pangloss and Martin. Candide believes in Panglosses philosophies more than any other idea, mainly that all is for the best, and that he lives “in the best of all possible worlds”. Candide wanted an honest man to entertain him and come …show more content…

Pangloss has very optimistic ideas, like believing all is for the best. Martin has very Pessimistic views like that Cacambo will betray Candide and run away with the jewels and gold he gave him and to just forget about Cundegonde and Cacambo. He also predicts that Paquette and Frair Giroflee are not as happy as Candide thinks and in fact they are very sad. Candide is more optimistic than pessimistic but throughout the story Candide slowly starts to find holes in Panglosses theory when things keep going wrong, when he is forced away fron the Old Woman and Cunegonde he states “It is a great pity’, that the sage Pangloss was hanged contrary to custom at an auto da fe; he would tell us the most amazing things in regard to moral and physical evils that overspread earth ans sea, and I should be able, with due respect, to make a few objections”. Oftenly Martins pessimistic predictions are correct, like when Candide gave Paquette and Giroflee money, and Martin predicts they still wont be happy, and he is

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Thesis: 2005- Voltaire, author of Candide, used a variety of forms to oppose Optimism. Pangloss’s teachings, "best of all possible worlds”, appears repeatedly only to be argued with satiric and irony. Pangloss has experienced terrible danger and suffering, Candide’s then starts to believe that Doctor Pangloss questions his own philosophy. In the beginning of the book Candide is not well know why things happen in the world but when he gains knowledge he questions his faith and starts drifting away because he is aware of the corruption. 2006-

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