I think the character of Pangloss represents blind optimism in his philosophy of “everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds”. His view borders on the contemporary outlook known as “predestination”, that whatever is going to happen will happen, regardless. And, although Candide supports Pangloss’ view by mentioning free will, this view really discards man’s free will entirely. Further, this blind optimism is pretty ridiculous, considering the many tragedies the Candide characters endure. Pangloss continually strives for justification for these many tragedies, but his arguments are simply never justified. For example, he felt if Columbus had not traveled to the New World and brought syphilis back to Europe, Europeans would also not hav

The most developed theme in the book was that of religious hypocrisy. A series of corrupt, hypocritical religious leaders appear throughout the book. A Protestant orator cares more about converting his fellow men to his religious views than about saving them from the prevalent social evils. An officer of the Inquisition accuses Pangloss of heresy because an optimist cannot possibly believe in original sin. A Franciscan friar steals Cunegonde’s jewels, despite the vow of poverty taken by that order. The old woman was the daughter of a Pope, the most prominent member of the Catholic Church. In recounting one of her miseries, the old woman referred to a “pious and sympathetic” religious leader who persuaded the Russians to merely cut off one buttock from each woman for food. There was also a Jesuit colonel with marked homosexual tendencies. Conversely, the author depicts a kind Anabaptist, Jacques, as a most generous and humane character. He takes Candide into his home and hires him in his factory and finds a doctor who cures Pangloss of syphilis. Jacques, unlike Pangloss, studies both human nature and acts to influence it. He saves a sailor from drowning but falls overboard himself; the sailor does nothing to help him. Sadly, when Candide tried to help, Pangloss stopped him “by proving that the bay of Lisbon had been formed expressly for this Anabaptist to drown in”. There was also a Catholic priest who took a mistress when he should have been free of sexual tendencies. Such were the examples offered by the author of hypocrisy and immorality in religious leaders.

On the contrary, I think the characters of the old woman and Martin epitomize blind pessimism. The old woman defined life as misery, for that is all she knew. When asks of Candide why the world was made, Martin replied, “To make us mad”. Martin was so blindly pessimistic that he dismissed any real evidence

Some topics in this essay:
Don Fernando, Europe Europeans, , Buenos Aires, Sadly Candide, Anabaptist Jacques, Catholic Church, blind optimism, corrupting power money, sexual exploitation women, blind pessimism, sexual exploitation, world martin, corrupting power, power money, cast characters, religious leaders, till soil, prevailing themes,