Voltaire: Candide

• ISBN-13: 9781593080280
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Publication date: 6/1/2003
• Pages: 176

Are evil and tragedy part of a cosmic plan that mere humans are blind to? Should we just accept our fates with the belief that everything happens for a good reason, that we live "in the best of all possible worlds?" 
 One of the finest satires ever written, Voltaire's Candide savagely skewers the very "optimistic" approach to life as a shamefully inadequate response to human suffering. The swift and lively tale follows the absurdly melodramatic adventures of the youthful Candide, who is forced into the army, flogged, ship-wrecked, betrayed, robbed, separated from his beloved Cunégonde, and tormented by the Inquisition. As Candide witnesses calamity upon calamity, he begins to discover that all is not always for the best. 
 Filled with wit, intelligence, and an abundance of dark humor, Candide is unsparing in its attacks upon corruption and hypocrisy - in religion, government, philosophy, science, and even romance. Ultimately, this celebrated work says that it is possible to challenge blind optimism without losing the will to live and pursue a happy life.

 I want everyone to read this. Seriously, I'm going to start giving it as a gift to people. It's deeply disturbing while being darkly humorous; you might not get it, although sometimes Voltaire definitely beats you over the head with what he's trying to say. But I give it a huge recommendation because I strongly believe that he points a giant finger at what is wrong with the world today - hypocrisy.
 We first meet Candide (yeah, that's the protagonist's name. Who knew?) as a young man not of the upper class. He falls head over heels for the daughter of the Count who owns the estate, and when they are discovered, Candide's life takes a turn for the worst. And I mean, the worst. But because he has unfailing faith in his tutor.....'s philosophy that all in the world is perfect because it is all as it should be. Voltaire openly scorns this idea, and it's really hard not to agree with him after watching Candide.
 From being sexually molested (implied) by some Bulgarians (now that's just mean) to being captured by the Inquisition and going on the run for multiple murders, Candide just can't catch a break. He's so gullible that he's robbed several times. These are not spoiler, because after the first couple of times these things happen, you realize - if there is the potential for something bad to happen or for someone to take advantage of our hero, it's going to happen. Just assume that at the start of every adventure. Oh, he has some gold? Assume that gold will be buh-bye by the end of the chapter. Shhh....I just saved you a lot of mental stress.
 Candide does eventually get his happy ending, although it is so incredibly back handed, I can't help laughing when I think about it. He gets to settle down with all the buddies he's met on his travels, but they're not satisfied because they spend all their time arguing the philosophy of life rather than living. A final lesson in the final chapter.
 Overall: A-
 There were several times that I gave a sharp bark of laughter, out loud, of pure shock at what I was reading. Quite frankly, I didn't even think that you could print the things Voltaire was writing about at the time. Rape, murder, theft, hypocrisy, all confronted with stunning frankness. However, his openness to the subjects leads to some very awkward and deeply disturbing moments. Plus, after a while the reader begins to feel themselves being beat down by the negativity and unfortunate lives and situations of every single character in the novel. Luckily, it's short in the extreme, so I don't have War and Peace proportions of residual depression.