Candide

Candide Paper In this passage, Candide is first hand observing the suffering and abuse of a slave, while on his march with Cacambo to a Dutch town. The poor negro slave has lost his arm and leg by trying to escape the mistreatment from his master. Candide is sympathetic of this slave and does not understand how things could be well when everything appears to be like hell. Candide is beginning to question Panlgoss’s theory, “this is the best of all possible worlds,” and his own optimism after observing the torment and unhappiness of the slave. Candide’s negative thoughts were impacted by the slave’s long dialogue, which acts like a monologue in a play. It is significant and powerful that the story is told in the first person, and not by a narrator, as the readers are learning about the grotesque details of abuse directly from the victim. In addition, the slave was able to quote his mother directly, “My dear child…you have the honor of being a slave to our white masters, and in this way you are making the fortune of your father and mother” (40). This helps to strengthen his argument because the readers cannot question the accuracy of the slave’s account. His mother’s quotation also provides evidence of incongruity in this passage. The slave’s parents thought he was so fortunate to be a slave to such white masters yet these masters were the ones causing the slave great suffering and abuse.
To further emphasize his own mistreatment, the slave repetitively uses the phrases “If we…they…” to explain the threats he receives from his master when he tries to do something wrong. The slave suggests that there is a cause and effect relationship between his behavior and his mistreatment. This technique makes his argument clearer and stronger. Since the negro has been negatively effected by these threats he states, “the dogs, monkeys, and parrots are a thousand times less unhappy than we are” (40). This exaggerated statement further illustrates the slave’s extreme