Similarities Between Afghanistan Girl And Candide
Candide “Connections” Essay The article, “The Afghan Girl: A Life Revealed”, displays many similarities to the novel Candide. In the article, the main conflict or problem is the many difficulties, or trials and tribulations, the protagonist Sharbat Gula faces. Throughout her quest, Gula must flee her native country; encounter numerous accords of violence, and fight through incredible odds just to survive. Candide, the protagonist of Candide, faces these exact same obstacles throughout his journey. Both Sharbat Gula in the article, “The Afghan Girl; A Life Revealed”, and Candide in Candide come up against many of the same trials and tribulations in the duration of their life’s story. Among the challenges include fleeing their respective homeland.
Gula, a native of Afghanistan, is a victim of political unrest, starting as a young girl. The article gives truth to this idea, “She was a child when her country was caught in the jaws of the Soviet invasion. A carpet of destruction smothered countless villages like hers. She was perhaps six when Soviet bombing killed her parents.” Due to these tragic events, Gula must evacuate her home country, going with her brother and three sisters to nearby Pakistan. Candide faces nearly identical circumstances. After Candide is found kissing Cunegoode, the baron’s daughter, the baron evicts Candide from the castle. Similar to Gula, Candide has now been displaced from his homeland and he then finds himself with the Bulgar army. Before Candide joins the army, two men find him, almost dead from hunger. This relates to Gula’s journey to Pakistan and the hardships she faced, as the article says, “Shepherded by their grandmother, he and his four sisters walked to Pakistan. For a week they moved through mountains covered in snow, begging for blankets to keep warm.
“You never knew when the planes would come,” he recalled. “We hid in caves.” Both Sharbat Gula and Candide also face another very severe obstacle in the path of their journey. Each experience great violence and must overcome it to get where they are today. For example, Soviet bombs killed Gula’s parents, and as Gula’s brother describes, it was more than that, “We left Afghanistan because of the fighting… The Russians were everywhere. They were killing people. We had no choice.” Candide, meanwhile, faced many trials of war of his own. His life became a grueling one as soon as he entered the army, and he was later caught deserting due to these challenges. After being caught, he was forced to run the gauntlet thirty-six times, but after just two runs, his skin had been nearly taken off of him. The king of the Bulgars saw this, and pardoned Candide because he was “ignorant of the world.” Candide then joined the army, only to once again go through unbelievable acts of violence, and he deserted, this time for good. Candide and Sharbat Gula also shared a final quality, having to fight through incredible odds just to survive. The article said it itself, “Such knife-thin odds. That she would be alive. That she could be found. That she could endure such loss. Surely, in the face of such bitterness the spirit could atrophy. How, she was asked, had she survived?” Candide also faced incredible odds, after deserting he found himself one of three survivors of a storm at sea, and later his companion Pangloss was hanged as he watched nearby. But both characters were able to make it through because of optimism, and as Sharbat Gula said, “It was the will of God.”
Gula, a native of Afghanistan, is a victim of political unrest, starting as a young girl. The article gives truth to this idea, “She was a child when her country was caught in the jaws of the Soviet invasion. A carpet of destruction smothered countless villages like hers. She was perhaps six when Soviet bombing killed her parents.” Due to these tragic events, Gula must evacuate her home country, going with her brother and three sisters to nearby Pakistan. Candide faces nearly identical circumstances. After Candide is found kissing Cunegoode, the baron’s daughter, the baron evicts Candide from the castle. Similar to Gula, Candide has now been displaced from his homeland and he then finds himself with the Bulgar army. Before Candide joins the army, two men find him, almost dead from hunger. This relates to Gula’s journey to Pakistan and the hardships she faced, as the article says, “Shepherded by their grandmother, he and his four sisters walked to Pakistan. For a week they moved through mountains covered in snow, begging for blankets to keep warm.
“You never knew when the planes would come,” he recalled. “We hid in caves.” Both Sharbat Gula and Candide also face another very severe obstacle in the path of their journey. Each experience great violence and must overcome it to get where they are today. For example, Soviet bombs killed Gula’s parents, and as Gula’s brother describes, it was more than that, “We left Afghanistan because of the fighting… The Russians were everywhere. They were killing people. We had no choice.” Candide, meanwhile, faced many trials of war of his own. His life became a grueling one as soon as he entered the army, and he was later caught deserting due to these challenges. After being caught, he was forced to run the gauntlet thirty-six times, but after just two runs, his skin had been nearly taken off of him. The king of the Bulgars saw this, and pardoned Candide because he was “ignorant of the world.” Candide then joined the army, only to once again go through unbelievable acts of violence, and he deserted, this time for good. Candide and Sharbat Gula also shared a final quality, having to fight through incredible odds just to survive. The article said it itself, “Such knife-thin odds. That she would be alive. That she could be found. That she could endure such loss. Surely, in the face of such bitterness the spirit could atrophy. How, she was asked, had she survived?” Candide also faced incredible odds, after deserting he found himself one of three survivors of a storm at sea, and later his companion Pangloss was hanged as he watched nearby. But both characters were able to make it through because of optimism, and as Sharbat Gula said, “It was the will of God.”