Ignorance In Voltaire's Novel 'Candide'

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In Voltaire’s novel “Candide”, Candide (The main character) has a tutor in the beginning of the novel named Pangloss. This character is the most lampooned character in the novel and for good reason. “ Pangloss taught metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-boobology” (Pg. 42) this was the belief that things could not be anything other than what they are; due to the fact that things are made for an end and thus everything is necessary for the best end. Voltaire criticizes this as it is the greatest type of ignorance that there can be against the enlightenment, thusly it is an absurd way of thinking. Throughout the novel Voltaire shows us vivid examples of how Pangloss’s beliefs are absurd and not justified. The first example of this comes in page 47 …show more content…

Candide’s caring soul could not let him pass this beggar by without giving him the two florins he had. At this the beggar jumped up to embrace Candide, we come to find out that this beggar is actually Pangloss. After realizing this Candide begs the man he is staying with, the Antibaptist Jacques, to pay for treatment of his old tutor. Jacques the kind man he is willingly obliges. Once Pangloss has recovered he has lost an ear an one eye, but even after having his home destroyed: friends murdered, becoming a beggar, and almost dying from sickness, he still tells Jacques that everything was for the best. Voltaire tries to inject some proper sense into the situation by having Jacques argue that humans have corrupted there original nature and have invented many things as well as ways to destroy each other. Voltaire makes Pangloss respond with an answer that is so radically anti-enlightenment it helps to show his dislike for Pangloss. He says “private misfortunes work for the general good, so the more private misfortunes there are, the more all is well.” This statement is so radically against the enlightenment of which was trying to get everyone to realize, that the aristocracies, kingdoms and religious establishments should not be able to treat them any way they

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