Candide

Candide is the name of the main character and of the book by French author Voltaire in the mid-1700s.  The mantra of this “can it possibly get worse?” story line is: “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds."  Candide is raised at the country home of his uncle, while there he falls in love with Conegunde, the Baron’s daughter.  The pair is caught kissing and this begins the downward spiraling of Candide’s life in a long journey of attempting to find his lost love, reconnecting with others from his past, and trying to stay positive as at every corner it appears he is doomed to die!  Voltaire the author is making fun of the times (structured religion/faith traditions and philosophy) by illustrating the hypocrisy of the rich and famous. If you think you have it bad, imagine being exposed to ship wrecks, the execution of friends and enemies, natural disasters (earthquake), poverty, many diseases, rape, slavery, and several other terrible misfortunes, reads like a present day Jodi Picoult novel!). Candide thinks his love is dead, is briefly reunited with her, separated again, and then had to contend with Conegunde’s brother disapproval of his sister being involved with someone from the “other side of the tracks.”  Facing demons, scary enemies, animals, you name it, Candide succeeds in finally being reunited with his love, but she has grown old and lost her attractiveness.  In the end, Candide moves to a farm and learns that working hard takes care of boredom, the new philosophy of the time, but will the couple stay together?  Certainly a social commentary of the time with Voltaire putting his nose up to the world.  Love the journey story and seeing in the end what we long for isn’t always what it will be or along Candide’s journey for that matter.