Candide’s Life Essay

Submitted By Cabralmarisol1
Words: 499
Pages: 2

HIS 1 B

Candide, A True Reality? History evolves every day, year, decade, and century. Through time different events happen that cause many changes in society and lifestyle. Throughout history there has been war, alliances, enemies, and other relationships between people and whole countries. In Candide, Voltaire writes in very descriptive language the detail of the events that occurred in the late fifties with a fictionist reality. The main character goes through a series of events which are real events that occurred in history, the description of the culture, the scenery and the historical context is all real inputted in a fictionist story.
First of all, one thing that Voltaire points out is the battle between religions during the mid-eighteenth century. The time when the inquisitors were hanging any heretics or anyone who was not willing to convert, which is exactly what happened to Candide’s philosophical tutor, Pangloss. The inquisitors catch both Candide and Pangloss; they hang Pangloss and beat Candide for believing in the philosophical ideas of his tutor. Voltaire describes the hanging so realistically just how it happened in the 1750’s.
Another realist example that Voltaire uses in his writing is that of the description of Eldorado, the golden land. This land is said to have existed and that it was a utopia, with gold and jewels littered and no problems within religions or politics. Even though this land has not necessarily been proven to have existed there is mention of this land as a legendary story that existed and continues to exist today. Candide sees this land full of jewels and is surprised how nobody seems to see the significance of the jewels, “the quoits were large round pieces, yellow, red, and green, which cast a singular luster,” he describes. It is creative how Voltaire incorporated this legend as a reality in Candide’s life. This completes the