Candide Voltaire
Discuss This Book--Candide is one of those "follow the leadder" type characters, who doesn't do much thinking for himself. (Amazon.com names him "Mr. Magoo armed with deadly force") Most of Candide's opinions match those of his philosophy teacher, Pangloss.
Pangloss firmly holds the belief that he lives in the best of all possible worlds, and that everything that happens is for the best. Ironically, this book is ridden with a string of horrible (and rather strange) misfortunes. The characters in the book remain surprisingly well adjusted, considering the things they've endured.
Candide is a humorous novel in which Candide finds himself questioning Pangloss's theory about living in the best of all worlds. (This idea is particularly shaken when Candide finds himself in a land where the mud is pure gold, the pebbles on the side of the road are precious gems, and the people are gentle and harmonious. If he had lived in a perfect world before, how could this country possibly exist?). This novel effectively dispells the once widely believed theory that everything is for the best, and that misfortunes are part of an unseen greater good.
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