text: How does Voltaire tackle the question of philosophical optimism in 'Candide'?
  
  	Philosophical optimism -l'optimisme- is the philosophy that everything and occurence is for some good. Voltaire sets out in Candide to criticise this philosophy.
  
  	In Candide the representative of this philosophy is Pangloss, the philosopher employed at Thunder-der-Troncks.
  
  	The whole book is a criticism of l'optimisme. For example when Candide is forced to join the Bulgar army he is beaten almost to death but Candide does not concern himself because he know it is for his own good - in fact later in the book he uses his training to become a soldier. Although this would seem to be good it is not because of his training he kills two men, a Jew and an Archbishop with no hesitation and then proceeds to kill his sweethearts brother.
  
  	Voltaire show his dislike of l'optimisme when Pangloss, Candide and James are caught in a bad storm at sea in which James is drowned and there are only three survivors, Candide, Pangloss and a sailor. The storm was caused by an earthquake which destroys the city to which Candide was sailing to. On arrival they see starvation and death. Candide is obviously horrified, especially when the sailor begins pillaging the city. Candide looks to Pangloss for an answer but Pangloss can only tell him that some good will come of it.
  
  	Candide, although remaining true to the ideals of optimism, always appears to be sceptical of it. This is no more true than when he arrives in the new world, South America, and has to leave his darling Cunégonde with the Commissioner of the province. Candide cannot see what possible good can come of this especially as the reason that he was in America was due to him killing the Jew and Archbishop because they were Cunégonde's lovers. Throughout the book we begin to see how Candide is gradually lead away for l'optimisme or perhaps more importantly how l'optimisme is shown to be the philosophy of despair. The constant belief that good can come from bad is not actually inspiring but leads to a constant flow of disasters.
  
  	Candide's life, in the book, appears to show this. He is thrown out of Thunder-den-Tronck because he embraces Cunégonde, he is duped into the army, he is caught in an earthquake, he is almost killed as part of an auto-da-fé, he kills three churchmen, he is almost eaten, he finds Eldorado but leaves- the list continues. Candide's life is governed by his belief the good will prevail. Eventually, of course, he does marry Cunégonde but she is not the beautiful young flower that he once loved. She has become ugly and grew worse by the day. This illustrates emphatically the folly of l'optimisme. Candide has travelled the world in search of Cunégonde, with the hope that he will marry her despite all the trouble which he has gone through, of course in the end he does get Cunégonde but at the price of her looks and personality.
  
  	Voltaire, in Candide, shows how the philosophy of Optimism is one of despair not hope.
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