As we grow up, we are under the teachings of many people. Theres our family, teachers, coaches, and even our friends. Each one of them has a different lesson to teach us and they will teach it under their own beliefs. With all these lessons to be learned, how do we know when the information we are receiving is truthful and believable? This is the same kind of problem Candide faces in his journey as he travels with Pangloss, Cacambo, and Martin. He goes through a lot, but is he being practical when it comes to his decisions?
Things cannot be otherwise than they are, for since everything is made to serve an end, everything necessarily serves the best end. These words are the words of Pangloss, the tutor in the castle of the Baron of Thunder-Ten-Tronckh, that Candide listened to attentively and believed implicitly. Pangloss gave instructions is metaphysico-theologico-cosmoloonigology. The first time Pangloss teachings were challenged is after Candide gets kicked out of the castle and runs into two recruiting officers. They invite him to dine with them, and he accepts after a little persuading. Candide believes that this is what Pangloss speaks about when he says everything is for the best. He may have gotten kicked out of the castle, but now he has just been offered to dine with officers. When he took it upon himself to go for a walk one day, which was prohibited, he was met by four heroes who threw him into a dungeon. He was then put through the gauntlet and also received floggings. If it wasnt for the King of the Bulgars, who saved him from this terrible torture, Candide would be dead.
War broke out between the King of the Bulgars and the King of the Abares. This was the time in which Candide decided to leave. He ended up in Holland in the presence of a man who was talking about charity. He figured this man could spare him some bread, having recently run out of food. The man felt Candide did not deserve any bread. Thankfully a good Anabaptist named Jacques saw how he was treated and took him in. Once again he referred back to Pangloss and felt he was treated the way he was by the first man for the sake of Jacques finding him and helping him.
While in Holland, Candide runs into a very poor conditioned old man. This old man turns out to be Pangloss. When Pangloss tells Candide everything that happened back at the castle, Candide is stunned to find out the love of his life, Miss Cungonde, is dead. Candide asks if Pangloss feels the attack on the castle is the work of the devil. Pangloss replies, Not at all, its an indispensable part of the best of worlds, a necessary ingredient. Jacques agrees to let Candide bring Pangloss in and heal him back to health, even though he doesnt agree with Pangloss teachings. After about two months, Jacques has to go to Lisbon for business and brings Candide and Pangloss with him on the boat.
Shortly after taking sail, a storm rolls in. The boat tossed and turned and a sailor went head first over the rail. When Jacques went to save him, he fell into the water and drowned. Candide wanted to dive in after him, but Pangloss said, The Bay of Lisbon had been formed expressively for this Anabaptist to drown in. This was an interesting way to look at someones death. The ship broke open, plunging everyone into the water. Candide and Pangloss drifted ashore on a plank. As they stepped foot on shore, an earthquake began. When Pangloss asked what the cause of this may be, Candide simply replied, The Last Judgement is here. This just goes to show how much Candide really believe Pangloss reasoning as to everything happens for a reason.
When they met the officer of the Inquisition, he challenged Pangloss beliefs, like Jacques, by accusing him of not believing in origin of sin and free will. The officer did not like the way in which Pangloss thought, and he and Candide were taken away. Candide was flogged and Pangloss was hung. This is the first time Candide actually starts to question the teachings of Pangloss;
If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others like? The flogging is not so bad, I was flogged
by the Bugars. But oh my dear Pangloss, greatest of philosophers, was it necessary for me to watch you
being hanged, for no reason that I can see? Oh my dear Anabaptist, best of men, was it necessary that you
should be drowned in the port? Oh Miss Cungonde, pearl of young ladies, was it necessary that you should
have you belly slit open?
Candide was then led away by an old woman. She gave him ointment, food, water, a bed, and some clothes and said she would be back the next day. For two days the woman took care of him, but spoke no words. The third day the old woman led him to an isolated house. She left him in a room and shortly after, returned with a trembling woman alongside her. When he lifted her veil, he discovered it was Miss Cungonde. He was shocked to see her, especially in the state of health she was in. They exchanged stories for some while and then all sat down to dine.
Not long after they finished, one of the masters of the house came home. He was angry to see Miss Cungonde with another man and pulled out his sword. Candide, just as quickly, pulled his out and killed Issachar. Just then the inquisitor came in. Candide knew he would try and call for help which would leave him and then two women in trouble, so he killed him as well. Without Pangloss there to give them advice, the old woman took over and decided they would flee on horseback to Cadiz. On their journey they realized they had no money and would need to sell one of the horses, and that they did. When they reached Cadiz, a fleet was assembling to be sent out. Candide performed the Bulgar manual of arms in front of the general in hopes to show some power. The general decided to give Candide his own infantry to command. He was now captain of a ship which he brought Miss Cungonde and the old lady on board as well. Throughout their journey, they spent some time discussion Pangloss and his reasonings. Even now, Miss Cungonde was starting to doubt that everything happens for a reason.
Once at Buenos Aires, the three went to meet with the governor. The governor fell in love with Miss Cungonde at first sight. He asked Candide to leave them alone to talk, and that he did. The governor asked Miss Cungonde to be with him and not Candide. While Miss Cungonde and the old woman discussed whether she should stick with Candide or be with the governor, a ship docked at the harbor. It was a ship full of police officers that traced the path of Candide after killing the men back home. The old woman knew the governor would protect Miss Cungonde so she left her to find Candide. She told him he had to leave at once.
In doing so, Candide now had with him a servant, which he bought in Cadiz, named Cacambo. Cacambo wasnt a scholar like Pangloss, but he was a wise man that taught with his great amount of common sense. Cacambo says, You were going to make war against the Jesuits, now well go make war for them. They then started their trek to Paraguay. They reached the first barricade and met with the commander. After talking for a while, Candide realizes the commander was Miss Cungondes brother. They talk about the horrible scene of the death of the commanders mother and father, but then Candide gives him the good news that his sister is still alive. He then makes the mistake of telling the commander how he wishes to marry Miss Cungonde, this makes him extremely angry. The commander feels Candide just wants to marry her for her money, but he tries to reassure him this is not so. The commander will hear nothing of it and gives Candide a blow to the face with the flat part of his sword. Candide then draws his sword as well and thrusts it into the belly of the commander, killing him. Candide cannot believe he just killed another man. Cacambo decides they need to find a way to escape, unlike Pangloss who would have said whatever happens will be for the best. He dresses Candide up in the dead commanders clothes and parades him through the frontier, trying to make Candide look as much like the commander as possible.
They made it through the frontier before anyone knew about the death of the commander. They plan on spending the night in the woods when they hear the cries of two women being chased by monkeys. Candide fired his rifle, killing both monkeys. When he expected to be embraced with thankfulness, he was shocked to see the women crying over the bodies of the monkeys. Cacambo explains to him that they were the womens lovers. Cacambo knows this is no good, but Candide decides they should rest in the woods till morning. When they wake up, they cant move. They are surrounded by fifty naked Biglugs who plan to cook them and have then as a meal. Candide, not losing his head as usual, calms the situation down by talking to these Biglugs and reassuring them that they are not Jesuits and that they should not kill them. So unlike Pangloss, Cacambo took action to settle the situation and protect them.
Candide and Cacambo left as soon as possible and decided to travel to Cayenne. The trip was not easy and they ran out of supplies quickly. Cacambo used his common sense and suggested that they take the abandoned canoe, fill it with coconuts, and float down the river till they find civilization. Their canoe crashed and they ended up in an unknown village. The children and adults were dressed in gold and had gold, emeralds, and rubies scattered everywhere. The men wondered where they could possibly be. They stumbled upon a hotel that showered them with food. Candide decided that this must be the country where everything is for the best, what Pangloss always talked about. He realizes that back in Westphalia, things used to go badly quite often and there was better things waiting.
They found out this village was in Eldorado. Speaking with old man, they learned that the people of Eldorado are one of a kind. They believe in only god, but do not pray to him or have priests because they already have everything they could possible want. Candide realized again that Pangloss may not have been right in his teachings. He said, If our friend Pangloss had seen Eldorado, he wouldnt have called the castle of Thunder-Ten-Tronckh the finest thing on earth; to know the world one must travel. They spent a month in the refuge before they decided to leave. They brought along with them hundreds of sheep loaded with provisions and some pebbles. They planned to use this fortune to be richer than any king around and have no fear anymore. They set site for Cayenne.
After one hundred days of walking, they were down to only two sheep. They discovered a negro in pretty bad shape and asked him why he was this way. He explained to them that he was a slave and that this is the way they are treated. Candide was ashamed that Pangloss had no notion of these abominations and decided it was time to fully give up his optimism, time to give up Pangloss teachings. Candide explained to the slave that he wanted to get to Buenos Aries to buy back Miss Cungonde. The slave told him he could not do that because Cungonde was the lordships favorite mistress. Candide decided he would have to send Cacambo to get Miss Cungonde and that they would meet in Venice. This goes to show how much trust Candide had in Cacambo. Candide bought a servant and waited for a merchant to take him to Italy. That merchant was Vanderdendur. He agreed to take Candide, his servant, and his sheep on board. Candide paid him in advance and before he could board the ship, Vanderdendur took off with his money.
With Candide being out so much money, he had no choice by to find a cabin on a French vessel that was ready to leave port. Before he left, he was in search of an honest man to take the journey with him. This man ended up being a poor scholar who was living a hard life, his name was Martin. He was a Manichee and wouldnt think otherwise. Candide was surprised to meet someone who was a Manichee because their beliefs are so unique. He is a pessimist. Martin feels that God has abandoned the earth to the devil, except for Eldorado. When the two men notice two ships fighting in the distance, Candide realizes one of the ships that sunk was that of the Dutch captain that robbed him. He was happy to know that the man was dead, however Martin looks at it a different way. Martin feels sympathy for the passenger who also perished when the ship sank. He says, God punished the scoundrel, and the devil drowned the others. Martin has more of an open mind then the other two guides that Candide was formerly with.
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