Voltaire’s Candide

I found the book to be a very quick and interesting read, actually reading it was very similar to when I read A series of unfortunate events by Lemony Snicket with the exception that the series was much longer and in depth. Voltaire presents a wholly unlikely story where Candide is born into a great position and every conceivable tragedy befalls him and those he meets, yet during all this he retains a mood of optimism. The book is written so that each chapter title tells of the contents of the chapter, so it mimics the way someone would recall their memory and already have a synopsis in mind before delving into detail, this also reflects how much of the story is told by sub-stories of the characters within it. The enduring themes in the book are the constant tragedy that all of Candide’s acquaintances and himself experience and his pursuance of the love interest Lady Cunégonde. As a character Candide embarks on many travels allowing him to experience a wide scope of societies. Candide eventually ends up living on a farm with a few of his companions in a quieter life with the belief that simple work is the only way to make life bearable.

Of all of Candide’s travels I found his trip to El Dorado unique from the others. His trip to El Dorado was completely fantastic and I believe only served the purpose of making the reader question why he did not stay in paradise, and provide a instant empowerment for him in the riches he found there that allowed the rest of the story to realistically take place. In opposition to the rest of the trips that were meant to show the cultures, tragedies, and injustices of the world.

None of the tragedy in the book was made up, but such a compilation of so many kinds is fairly unrealistic. Each event (with the exception of El Dorado) is quite realistic, it is the series of events that continue to occur that makes the book so fantastic and I say more interesting to read.

The treatment of women in the book is very objectified, they are most commonly referred to in terms of their beauty, and though they do form crucial parts of the storyline are too often portrayed first and foremost as sex objects.

Myself I found the story very intriguing and altogether a captivating read that would have had me no doubt glued to the page for quite a while had it not been so short.