Candide
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Candide is a novel that revolves around an illegitimate nephew of a German baron. After falling in love with Cunegonde, the baron's daughter, he is kicked out. He then embarks upon a journey spanning many a land and many a hardship. Determined to believe that he is living in the "best of all possible worlds," as taught by his old tutor Pangloss, Candide eventually comes to realize that the simple life is the best life. Candide befriends Martin, Cacambo, Jacques, and an old lady, all of whom have a pessimistic outlook about the world.
A major theme of Candide revolves around the folly of optimism. Throughout the novel, Candide and Pangloss maintain that because God is perfect, He created a perfect world. There is no questioning of the existence of God or the idea that there may exist an "imperfect" creation. Voltaire satires this idea by incorporating and displaying the worst of human qualities and actions during Candide's journeys. The justifications that Pangloss or Candide make to fit their theory seem absurd in the face of the evil that they witness...