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Examples Of Social Hierarchies In Candide

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Cristian Hines Hines 1 February 7, 2018 Loyola Professor Candide Essay In today’s society, one’s position is not decided by lineage, creed, or color. Through hard work, determination, and wealth, a person can change their status The Great Chain of Being says otherwise. Voltaire’s Candide follows the story of Candide, who struggles to achieve happiness in a world with strict social hierarchies. These social hierarchies make up the Great Chain of Being. This chain determines who marries who, who gains power, and a person’s status. Throughout the story, Candide meets many people who have been afflicted by the Great Chain of Being. These hierarchies are broken down by the introduction of science …show more content…

No; my sister shall only marrow a baron of the empire”(Voltaire, 83).The Baron refuses to let his sister marry a man of a lower rank than her. If she is to marry anybody, it will be a Baron. The Baron believes in a hierarchy system, as opposed to Candide, who believes that every man is equal. Only people of the same rank should be allowed to marry each other. A marriage between a noble and a commoner would be a violation of a Great Chain of Being. The Baron attempts to maintain the social hierarchy of the Great Chain of Being by forbidding the marriage of Candide and Cunegonde. Human suffering breeds existentialism, which causes people to question their place in the world. People with miserable lives often ask themselves why they were cursed with such a burden, but they do nothing to end their suffering. After the old woman shares her tragic story with Cunegonde, she berates herself for still wanting to live, in spite of everything she has been through: “This ridiculous foible is perhaps one of our most fatal characteristics; for is there anything more absurd than to wish to

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