Candide: a critique assignment

Candide questions love itself, pointing out that his love for Cunegonde brought him nothing but trouble. Just as spectacles were the necessary consequence of noses, Pangloss sees his venereal disease as a necessary consequence of Europe’s acquisition of New World commodities like chocolate and cochineal. After extolling the merits of his venereal disease, Pangloss tells Candide that it has made “ marvelous progress” in Europe, particularly among soldiers, not unlike those who raped and killed Cunegonde, who he calls “ honest”, and “ well-bred”.

Candide replies that this is “ admirable”. Pangloss dishes out these flawed logics every chapter, ending the book with admitting earlier that he was always miserable and never believed in optimism. However, he offers another pathetic argument in favor of optimism. He cites the necessity of events in Candide’s life, saying they were responsible for his present happiness. But the chaotic events of Candide’s life defy any logical ordering according to his own philosophy of cause and effect.