“Is it just me or….”

Is it just me or does our new friend Candide remind you of the late 17th century version of Forrest Gump. Starting from not knowing who his father was, “The old servants of the house suspected that he was the son to the Boron’s sister….”(Candide 520). Even though I felt the author was pointing out certain acceptable but questionable customs in his society as far as prestige and class goes. I still say if the guy was honest enough to engage with he’s good enough to marry, just food for thought. To even surviving not one but two natural disasters. We all remember the scene in Forrest Gump when Forrest and Lt. Dan was in the middle of the hurricane, Can we all say ” Buba Gump Shrimp.” So in keeping with my theme, does that make Dr. Pangloss Lt. Dan? In my opinion, you can’t understand either character without the other. “Master Pangloss was right indeed when he told me everything is for the best in this world...”(Candide 524), this is the same simple passive attitude in the statement “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” The comparisons are too close not to at least note.

Voltaire has twisted his comedy in a way that makes you feel bad about laughing at the joke. Like when he puts Candide in the middle of a battlefield. Candide hides under a bush to avoid confrontation, and if I was living in the 1700’s I would probably laugh after reading that. Then the author draws this gruesome picture of the villages that the solder from both sides just slaughter the native women and children, ”scattered brains and several limbs littering the ground”(Candide 524). After reading that who wants to laugh? I think Voltaire did a great job contrasting the fact that both sides in the Seven Years War or wars in general have causalities. Also, both sides did questionable things to civilians. This would make raise my awareness if I just read the weekly paper and it drew the picture that the enemy only did things that were out of order or just plan savage.