Candide Research Paper Outline

Candide
Kelly White
8/26/06

I. Candide's philosophy "The further I advance along the paths of life, the more do I find work a necessity. In the long run it becomes the greatest of pleasures, and it replaces lost illusions." (page 3) shows his need to work and make his way through life on his own. Candide must always be working or making something to feel fulfilled. Candide shows this when he says. " Neither my old age nor my illnesses dishearten me. Had I cleared but one field and made but twenty trees to flourish, that would still be an imperishable boom." (page 3) Candide's philosophy does not only apply to himself, but to everyone. He feels that accomplishing something gives your life a purpose. If your life has a purpose
Pangloss, his long time mentor, tutor, and friend and Martin also agree with his philosophy on life.
"You are perfectly right", said Pangloss; "for when man was put into the garden of Eden, he was put there ut operaretur eum, so that he should work it; this proves that man was not born to take his ease."
"Let's work without speculating", said Martin; "it's the only way of rendering life bearable. The whole little group entered into this laudable scheme; each one began to exercise his talents. The little plot yielded fine crops†.†.†. "
Pangloss said to Candide, "All events are linked together in the best of possible worlds; for, after all, if you had not been driven from a fine castle by being kicked in the backside for love of Miss CunÈgonde, if you hadn't been sent before the Inquisition, if you hadn't traveled across America on foot, if you hadn't given a good sword thrust to the baron, if you hadn't lost all your sheep from the good land of Eldorado, you wouldn't be sitting here eating candied citron and pistachios."
"That is very well put", said Candide, "but we must go and work our
When Candide saw that the Dutch merchant who had stolen his gold had sunk their ship he said to Martin, "The enormous riches which this rascal had stolen were sunk beside him in the sea, and nothing was saved but a single sheep. You see crime is punished sometimes; this scoundrel of a Dutch merchant has met the fate he deserved." No matter how horrible the act was against Candide, he could always find some way to make it better or to justify it. Voltaire does not only use Candide to display the message of optimism verses pessimism. The old women tells her story to emphasize that people would rather give life another try then to give up. She says. "A hundred times I wanted to kill myself, but always I loved life more. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps one of our worst instincts; is anything more stupid than choosing to carry a burden that really one wants to cast on the ground? To hold existence in horror, and yet to cling to it? To fondle the serpent which devours us till it has eaten out our