I never thought that eighteenth century literature would be so entertaining. I came into this class thinking it would be interesting, but that some of the literature would be dry and boring. However, while reading Candide, I found myself laughing aloud at the melodrama of each of the characters. I didn’t find myself in deep thought about how this piece of work pertained to the many characteristics of the Enlightenment, but instead thought about how people’s thoughts, beliefs, and lifestyles have not changed too dramatically from Candide’s time to the present.
One aspect of Candide that I found to be particularly humorous was the ongoing misery that the characters encounter. Each character tells his/her pitiful story, attempting to outdo the other with his/her story of suffering and sorrow. As much as I wanted to sympathize with those characters, I couldn’t. I wanted each character to get over his/her misery and put himself/herself in a position to achieve the happiness each one claimed they desired. For example, Candide finds himself in El Dorado, the “perfect” city. Candide is in the “perfect” city and no longer subjected to beatings and violence, yet he is still dissatisfied. Candide’s dissatisfaction continues throughout the entire novel. Candide finally gets his “true love” only to find that her beauty has disappeared and she is a crotchety and nagging old woman. I believe that Candide finally accepts his fate when he is working his land. Candide realizes that he will never obtain true happiness because he will always search for more.
