Good vs evil in Candide by Voltaire
According to Voltaire, people are not born evil. This aspect is evident in Candide’s life, where he struggles to do good despite occasions where he harms. Despite being raised in the royal house, he was considered as a bastard by his uncle, the German Barron, because he was his illegal nephew. Despite his innocence, he was deemed unfit to marry the baron’s daughter although they loved each other since he was his illegitimate nephew. This perception and treatment of people shows that evil does not exist independently but instead develops as a scapegoat due to the limited view of the world. In this case, every time he faced a challenge to what he perceived as the best thing to do, he was tempted to do evil actions to avoid the situation. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Based on the story, there is a difference between the penchant of doing evil and the tendency towards choosing evil. When Candide meets with Pangloss, he teaches him the concept of optimism. This concept involved the belief to do good despite the situation they faced. In this case, Candide did not have the penchant of doing evil, but due to the circumstances he faced, the tendency to choose an evil action developed. For example, Candide stubs Cunegonde’s brother when he objects his marriage intentions to his sister. Therefore, it can that Candide had a tendency to choose to do evil but did not have the desire to harm.
According to Voltaire, humans are born with the choice to take the course of action they find pleasing to them. Other proclivities portrayed in the story are the proclivity to rebellion, change and immorality. Such aspects are evident when Candide goes against the philosophy of Pangloss of assuming that everything happens to its best and decides to work hard on the farm. Also, Candide’s proclivity to purpose takes a significant part in the story. Moreover, sin has been portrayed in various ways in the story. Crime has taken the form of theft, prostitution, rape and human trafficking. The proclivity to change occurs when Candide struggles to change his life.
Works cited