The Adventures of Candide

(A very youthful, optimistic, but hopelessly naive man.)

Character Analysis

Methods of characterization used are direct characterization, relying on the narrator's descriptions and judgements on Candide, and considerably a static character, as we do not yet see any change within the character.

Westphalia: Voltaire first reveals protagonist Candide, as the innocent man who foolishly falls in love with the Boron's daughter, Miss Cunnegonde. Describing him as "a well-built young fellow, and of proper height." Candide easily adjusts to his new encounters after his banishment as he joins a few generous men into the army, where he is abused and almost executed before escaping to Holland. 
Holland: Here, we can honestly say he is truthfully a lucky one who dodges bullets when coming across one who provides him shelter after his flee, reuniting with Pangloss, and then again surviving the shipwreck. Candide seems to lack concern to such calamities, along with Pangloss, as they instead seem to find justification to these many misfortunes.

"The Best of All Possible Words"

-Dr. Pangloss

http://www.academia.edu/3367213/Voltaires_Candide_a_serious_Enlightenment_text




Lisbon: We recognize his truely missed friendship with Pangloss, resulting in a "terrified, amazed, desperate"one- He then begins to have wonders, questioning himself, "If this is the best if all posssible worlds, what are the others then?".We sense a weakness of Candide, being; he longs for companionship, reliability, and luck. He is constantly blessed as he recovers the many wicked things that come across him.
We then acknowldge the deeper aspects of Candide's true love and desire for Miss Cunegonde.

How foolish his love has blinded him; throughout the rest of the chapters it has become of a series of unfortunate events as failure follows success. Candide does not seem to think things through, as he is sole without Cacambo. Candide is highly reliable on his slave, what a lucky man to have bought a clever, yet honest man. Candide's inconsiderate approaches (.i.e. killing the Baron, the crazy monkeys, giving in to the sailors) has only resulted in near death situations. Seeing how incredibly gullible he is and dependent on others (as he is unable to think for himself) we would expect the very least of surving. 
Yet, Candide continues to follow and adopt Pangloss' philosophy of humanity and withholding an optimistic faith of his own world. He relies on Martin, Cacambo, and Pangloss to make decisions for himself, as he struggles to have his own opinion and always seemes to be acconponied by someone. 

Brandeis U
http://people.brandeis.edu/~jhale/fall98/candide.html

Nearly everyone in the story comes to realize that their lives are the only ones they have, but they are not necessarily the best that they could be. On the journey that each character has, they search for a piece of the puzzle that would make them complete, the best. It is ironic that this piece is in their soul and they don't find it until the end. Candide has the realization: "we must cultivate our garden" (120). What people seek is within them.

The search for happiness is the overriding theme of the novel. . . . At the end, Candide makes his own paradise. . . . Instead of going where faith takes him as he did in most of the novel, he now is ready to make his own fate.

Each chapter of Candide is like a different episode of a soap opera. . . . In soap operas, characters always seem to have died but somehow they survive.

Through his travels, the young man gained more life experience than he ever could have if he had stayed in one place. . . . Candide was basically unaware of the education he had achieved. It was really not until the end of the book that Candide realized how much he had taken in. This idea raised a question in my mind. Is it possible to learn from experiences while they are occurring or only when looking back later on in life?

Candide learned throughout his journey that work, especially teamwork, is the ultimate happiness. Everyone must work together to accomplish their goal.