Theme Of Optimism In Candide

While the notion of optimism is seldom brought to attention on a daily basis, it is actually an integral part of the human experience, even among those who claim to be particularly rational. In fact, it serves as a sort of Chicken Soup for the Soul, for society. Of course, rather than being a series of inspirational books, optimism quite literally gives off the comfort of warm soup on a cold and dreary day- wafting in the possibility of hope and the sentiment that this is the “best of all possible worlds.” It is this comfort that people cling to in times of strife, be it a death of a loved one, or even something as typical as a missed bus. The prevalence of optimism began in 1710, when Gottfried Leibniz asserted that the actual world was as

If everything is predetermined, optimism lead to the interpretation that we may as well not do anything at all, since we do not determine our fate. This in turn encourages laziness and provides no improvement to individual lives. At the end of the novel, Candide realizes that hard work is the only true happiness in life. Regardless of fate, it is action and hard work that are truly worthwhile. Pangloss tells Candide, “There is a concatenation of events in this best of all possible worlds: for if you had not been kicked out of a magnificent castle for love of Miss Cunegonde: if you had not been put into the Inquisition...you would not be here eating preserved citron and pistachio-nuts” (Voltaire, 87). As Pangloss lists the many hellish events that have occurred to Candide, Voltaire exemplifies the absurdity of the notion that fate puts us where we are today. The contrast of many negative events with the one minor positive of eating dried citrons and candied almonds is humorous, as no amount of preserved citrons is worth being near death. Furthermore, it is an exaggeration on the optimistic notion that “everything is for the best.” Voltaire ultimately contends that it is not fate that controls life, but action instead. He contrasts the inaction promoted by optimism through the farmer, who claims that through cultivating his farm, the labour preserves him “from three great evils- weariness, vice, and want” (Voltaire, 86). While the old man does not have much wealth or property, he has what makes people truly happy- labour and action- whereas philosophical speculation only leads to mental weariness and distaste, as everything is predetermined. Ultimately, Voltaire exemplifies that labour and human action serve to improve individual lives and society, while optimistic theory provides no true