Examples Of Optimism In Candide

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Candide
In Candide, Voltaire shows his hatred of optimism by having Candide be taken advantage of. When Candide feels optimistic about something he's then betrayed in some way. Voltaire rejects optimism because of the deceitful and unethical events that happen as a result of Candide’s optimism.
Voltaire creates a pessimistic novel where Candide is taken advantage of and lied to after he starts to be hopeful about something . He was optimistic about seeing Lady Cunegonde again through out the novel. He got a letter from her saying she was very sick but to come visit her so he went but could only see her hand because she was rapped in sheets in bed supposably because she was very sick. Then on page eighty “Candide bathed it with his tears for a long time then filled it with diamonds, leaving a bag full of gold on the chair”, but it he was being misled. That person in the sheets was not really her and the people that were fooling him then stole all his money that was suppose to be for Lady Cunegonde. The men were using his optimism and innocence to steal from him. Voltaire expressed that Candide’s optimism was what caused him to believe these liars before he actually had proof that it was her. If he would not have been as hopeful he would not have been stolen from. Candide's optimism played against him and so there …show more content…

He was willing to do or pay anything so he hired a captain to take him and his fortune to see her. After he found a captain he was talking about price and the captain said ten piasters and Candide agreed but then the captain said“This foreigner is ready to give up ten thousand piasters all at once he must be very rich” “He came back a short time later and announced that he could not sail for less than 20 thousand” (70-71) He is taking advantage of him just because he has enough money to pay for a ship and the fact that the captain will not without 20 thousand is

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