Were Candide's punishments justified? Did he deserve everything that happened to him? Getting exiled from his own family's castle, his house, was kinda hardcore. I mean it wouldve been ideal in that time if Candide and Cunegonde got together, considering that they were related and in those times they liked to keep everything within the family. The fact that Candide was almost killed several times for just being himself at the wrong place and wrong time shows that his punishments are ridiculous.
I think that his punishments were absurd, but a punishment is a punishment. Honestly, his punishments were odd, as if everything was backwards. He gets exiled for getting with a girl. The only punishment that's on an ok level was the fact that his loved one dies after he killed many people. But I mean she does come back to life, with a whole new and complete story of what "actually" happened.
This philosophy about how all is for the good has slightly fillled in with Candide's life. Candide is a good man, but sometimes bad things happen to good people. So I believe his punishments, no matter what it was, were justified.
I am slightly confused by your argument. In the first paragraph you describe the punishments as "ridiculous." Later on you say they are justified. Are you saying Candide did deserve the punishments but Voltaire's making fun of Liebniz' philosophy makes the crimes for which he's punished seem ridiculous?
ReplyDeleteI agree. Bit confused. Were Candide and Cunegonde educated on what they should and shouldn't do? If not, ridiculous reaction. If so, maybe justified. It's interesting to note how quickly the fall of Paradise occurred in Candide. I don't know if the biblical account happened so quickly.
ReplyDeleteI was confused too. You said we has a good guy and to me the idea that bad things happen to good people serves as a argument as to why his punishments weren't justifiable. But then you said the punishments were justified.
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