1)
In the very first chapter Candide is literally
kicked out of the “most beautiful and delightful of possible castles,” expelled
from an “earthly paradise” (p. 5). At the end of the novel, he says “we must
cultivate our garden” (p. 94). What is Voltaire suggesting by framing his story
in this way and by echoing the Biblical story of the fall? Has Candide lost and
then regained paradise?
- - To Candide the Castle of Thunder Ten-Tronckh was
a paradise on earth because it had all that he could ever want: A girl he
loved, all his meals paid for, A tutor that taught him about the world and
philosophy, and a place to live in comfort. When he was kicked out he noticed
that he had fallen from paradise just like Adam and Eve from the Garden of
Eden. Also just like Adam and Eve he began to experience sadness and despair as
if a thick shield, that had protected him and had kept him ignorant, had
suddenly been removed. By Voltaire writing the book like this we see that the
philosopher is mocking the religious persons because Candide’s World did not
change but remained the same so I would say that Candide is Naïve and did not
regain his paradise.
9. Martin tells Candide that Paris is “a chaos, a throng in
which everyone pursues pleasure and almost no one finds it” (p. 58). In what
ways is this statement also true of nearly all the people we encounter in the
novel? To what degree is it true of human beings generally? What are the
consequences of this pursuit of pleasure?
- Generally speaking I believe most people never find true
happiness during their lifetime. Take the example from the book of the lovers
Candide and Martin see in the streets of Paris. Most people in the world never
find true love. If you do, good, you are one of the lucky ones. Love is one of
those things that can have a good ending where you live happily ever after with
your Prince/Princess, or you end up heartbroken. Now the good news is that
while most never find that happiness most people do find little pleasures in
life. You can have fun with friends, find a dollar on the street, or have an intriguing
conversation with a random person. In the book Martin makes it a point to point
out all the bad things that can happen to people to Candide to prove his
philosophy. While most of the time he is right there are always a few
exceptions to the rule.
Sir, your response to Question #9 caused me to ruminate on the matter for quite some time. This is what I conjured up. I tend to agree with the statement you made about people never finding true happiness in their lifetime, mainly because I can all to easily relate to the matter at hand. Here's a text-to-text connection:
ReplyDelete"Actually, I wasn't happy or sad. I was medium. And medium is the happiest that I'll ever be."- Axe Cop
That quote right there pretty much sums up my emotion for my entire life. I think that "medium" can apply to anything in this world: love, happiness, etc. Anyways, nice post, young sir.
i think that you are right. True love isn't often found but is forced between two people. Voltaire shows this in Candide. He constantly shows Candide chasing this ghost of a woman all over the world. he probably wasnt even in love with her, just the thought of her. Alot of people get these two things mixed up and fool themselves. But then again, some would rather be a fool in love than a lonely person with reason.
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