Jacob Hurley
British Literature
Ms. Wilson
8 May 2013
Candide
People
during the Neoclassical Period believed that the world could do no harm, and
everything happened for a reason, usually a good reason. Everyone thought they had a reason to be
optimistic. In chapter one and Chapter two of Voltaire’s Candide, he uses satire to mock the people and their optimism
during the Neoclassical Period. “That things cannot be otherwise; for, since
everything is made for an end, everything is necessarily for the best end (Voltaire, 6).” What Voltaire tries to get across during this
passage is that people need to realize that bad things do happen in life, and
it is not always for good reason.
Like
TiBor FiscHer’s Under the Frog, Voltaire
uses exaggeration in this text, and even sometimes comic relieve, to get his
point across to the reader. “Their lips met, their eyes sparkled, their knees
trembled, their hands wandered (Voltaire,6).
Voltaire is describing a simple kiss between Cunegonde and Candide, but he uses
more detail than needed to set the scene. He exaggerates the situation, because
their eyes really didn’t sparkle, it was just a simple kiss, but to them it
wasn’t. “Persons of your figure and
merit never pay for anything; are you not five feet tall? Come to the
table; we will not only pay for your
expenses, we will never allow a man like you to be short of money; men we are
only made to help each other (Voltaire,
7).” In this scene, the men are mocking Candide saying that he could eat for
free, because of his size and stature. When the men say “men were made to help
each other,” Candide thinks they are being serious, when really they aren’t.
The reason he thinks they are being serious is because Candide thinks he can do
no wrong, and nothing bad can ever happen. Voltaire uses comic relief in this
scene, to show how gullible Candide really is.
“
He proved admirably that there is no effect without a cause and that in the
best of all possible worlds, My Lord the Baron’s castle was the best of castles
and his wife the best of all possible Baronesses (Voltaire, 6).” Pangloss was the one who taught Candide everything,
and showed him that there was good in everything. So when Candide kissed
Cunegonde, he thought that he did no wrong.
“One fine spring day he thought he would take a walk, going straight
ahead, in the belief that to use his legs as he please was a privilege of the
human species as well as of animals. He had not gone two leagues when four
other heroes, each six feet tall, fell upon him, bound him, and dragged him
back to a cell (Voltaire, 8-9).” This is the turning point in the passage,
where Voltaire describes how Candide is taken by the men, and about to be
beaten for what he did. “ Candide, utterly exhausted, begged as a favor that
they would be so kind as to smash his head.(Voltaire,
9).” This was the first time ever Candide was put in a situation like this, and
he didn’t know how to handle it. Everything in his life so far has been smooth
and he has never experienced anything bad in his life. What Voltaire was trying
to get across by writing this was that life isn’t always going to be perfect,
and bad things happen to you. He uses satire to mock Candide and Pangoss way of
life.
During
the Neoclassical Period, people used satire in their writing but also wrote
about optimism. Well in this Voltaire piece, he clashes these two things
together by using satire, to try to change the social outlook on optimism. Voltaire
thinks people during the Neoclassical Era were too arrogant to realize that bad
things can happen to you, and you can’t live your life thinking they can’t.
