Voltaire's Candide is the story of an innocent man's experiences in a mad and evil world, his struggle to survive in that world, and his need to ultimately come to terms with it. All people experience the turmoil of lifeand must overcome obstacles, both natural and man-made, in order to eventuallyachieve happiness. In life, "man must find a medium between what Martin(scholar and companion to Candide) calls the "convulsions of anxiety" and the"lethargy of boredom"" (Richter 137). After a long and difficult struggle inwhich Candide is forced to overcome misfortune to find happiness, he concludesthat all is not well (as he has previously been taught by his tutor, Dr.Pangloss), and that he must work in order to find even a small amount ofpleasure in life.Candide grows up in the Castle of Westphalia and is taught by thelearned philosopher, Dr. Pangloss. Candide is abruptly exiled from the castlewhen found kissing the Baron's daughter, Cunegonde. Devastated by theseparation from Cunegonde, his true love, Candide sets out to different placesin the hope of finding her and achieving total happiness. On his journey, hefaces a number of misfortunes, among them being tortured during army training,yet he continues to believe that there is a "cause and effect" for everything.Candide is reunited with Cunegonde, and regains a life of prosperity, but soonall is taken away, including his beloved Cunegonde. He travels on, and yearslater he finds her again, but she is now fat and ugly. His wealth is all goneand so is his love for the Baron's daughter. Throughout Candide, we see howaccepting situations and not trying to change or overcome obstacles can bedamaging. Life is full of struggles, but it would be nonproductive if peoplepassively accepted whatever fate had in store for them, shrugging off theirpersonal responsibility. Voltaire believes that people should not allowthemselves to be victims. He sneers at naive, accepting types, informing ...
