Candide, a naïve and vulnerable, young man embarks on an adventure after being thrown out of the Baron’s castle. After he had an encounter with the Baron’s daughter, Cunegonde, Candide’s luck runs out while he ventures around the world with several companions. Candide’s vulnerability often got him into a lot of trouble but his wit and surprising turn of events save his life.
Candide’s misfortunes began at the gauntlet, where he was being punished by the army for taking a walk. This was an innocent move and Candide did not deserve a flogging. He was unaware of the strict rules of the army. After the Portuguese burned people alive to prevent future earthquakes, they hanged Pangloss and flog Candide. Pangloss was hanged because he publicly announced his ideas and Candide was sentenced to a flogging because he listened to Pangloss with an air of curiosity. Candide did not deserve this punishment once again because listening to another person’s ideas is curiosity, not an illegal action that should be regulated by the government. Candide’s tendency to get involved in a certain situation at the wrong place at the wrong time causes lot of trouble. He gets sentenced to punishments that he does not deserve because he doesn’t know how to react to certain surroundings. Living in a castle and being taught by one philosopher, Pangloss, does not give Candide a good understanding of the functioning world. Therefore, his susceptibility for getting blamed or fooled is not fair due to his lack of the malevolence in the world.
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