CKQ+Jennifer+S.

1. Why is this not the best of all possible worlds? But, at the same time, //Candide// is not an entirely hopeless novel. What 'rays of hope' do you see? As you post your responses to the key question also mention 'rays of hope' that you see in the novel.

 == In Candid, Voltaire shows the readers that this is //not// the best of all possible worlds and satirizes the idea of optimists who are hoping for the utopian society. Voltaire uses variety of events to refute the beliefs of optimists’ perception all throughout in chapters 19-22, but it is most clearly exaggerated in the incidents of chapters 19 and 20. In chapters 19 and 20, Voltaire contrasts two events right after another to maximize the idea that this is not the best of all possible worlds.  In chapter 19, Voltaire begins with a glimpse of Candide’s optimism, “My friend, you see how perishable are the riches of this world; nothing is certain but virtue, and the happiness of seeing Cunegonde again (p.51)”. Here, Candide seems very confident that he would see Cunegonde again and that everything will turn out as he hopes it to be. However, this is contradicted right after, as Voltaire writes about the Negro whose left leg and right hand were cut off by cruel white masters. As the black man describes what had happened to him, he says “Dogs, monkeys and parrots are a thousand times less miserable than we are (p.51)” and upon hearing this Candide cries, “I’ am giving up on your Optimism after all (p.51)”. Here Voltaire is trying to show the evilness of human kind to other human beings through slavery and greed. It seems like there is no justice or hope for this poor black man stretched out on the ground and even Candide who desperately tries to hold on to Optimism agrees and gives up on Optimism. In chapter 20, Voltaire shows the imperfect world through the war that happened during the discussion between Marin-the pessimist, and Candide –the Optimist. As they see two vessels engage in combat, one vessel sinks the other and more than hundred of men in the sinking vessel make fearful sounds as they drown. Seeing this site, Martin says. “This is how men behave towards each other” and indirectly tells Candide that the world is full of brutality and violence. Candide’s frustration however, was short lived and contradicted as he discovers his lost sheep carrying fortunes swimming towards him. Here, it seems that Candide sees rays of hope in the contrary to the sinking ship. However, it is ironic because in this scene Candide himself shows that the world is not the best of all worlds because of avarice: Candide becomes extremely joyful even at the site of hundred men’s death just because he found the money he himself called worthless before. ==