The+ideas+of+wealth+and+power+can+corrupt+the+seemingl+most+innocent+of+men

In the novel wealth is portrayed as fleeting and although beneficial never ultimately fulfilling. The depletion of his wealth brings Candide more unhappiness and anxiety than he suffered when he was penniless at the beginning of the novel.

__Plo__t 1) Candide is an orphan, unclaimed by either his mother or father. It is assumed his mother was the baron's sister who refused to marry his father due to his inablity to prove his full nobility and genealogy. (P. 1) 2) At the start of the Novel the Bulgarians attack Westphalia. The two armies brutally fight for power, even though the cost out-weighs the outcome. 3) When Candide acquires a fortune in Eldorado, it looks as if the worst of his problems might be over. He can now not worry about physicals obstacles (such as sickness or when he is arrested) because he can bribe his way out. Yet, if anything, Candide is //more//unhappy as a wealthy man. The experience of watching his money trickle away into the hands of corrupt merchants and officials tests his optimism in a way that no amount of flogging could. Candide and Cacambo wish to leave Eldorado in order to better enjoy the status afforded by their wealth. Because there is no such thing as "wealth" in Eldorado, they fail to recognize that they already have happiness there. 4) Candide and Martin's excursion to Paris: -Martin's description of Paris (see Setting) -Candide acquires many false friends when he's "sick" (when they discover he's rich) -Fake Cungonde uses Candide for his money -Candide was cheated and robbed in gambling by his supposed friends

__Setting__ 1) The wealth of the Baron gives him and his family pride (such as kicking out Candide for kissing Cunegonde) which is represtented in their elaborate castle. 2) The Mountains of Eldorado serve as a physical representation of the difficulty to achieve the utopian society. One of the biggest obstacles that society has its greed and corruption brought on by wealth, which the residents of Eldorado are not bothered by. 3) Eldorado is described in greater detail than other settings in order to underscore the contrast between the real world and the desirable, fictional world of Eldorado. 4) Martin's description of Paris: "It's Chaos - a confused multitude, where everybody seeks pleasure ... On my first arrival I was robbed of all I had by pickpockets ... I myself was taken for a robber and was imprisoned." (P. 103)

__Satire__ 1) Martins Description of Paris (above) describes the corruptness and brutality of Paris. His description is over the top, pushing his points, and assuming the entire city is that way. 2) The Pope, a very holy man, abusing his power for pleasure (having a mistress, and daughter) 3) The location of the story also varies to suit Voltaire's satiric purpose. While he is exposing the general corruption of humanity, he also has very specific evils he wishes to assail. He brings Candide to these places as an eyewitness to certain events- for example, the execution of the admiral in the harbor of Portsmouth, in Chapter 23.

__Point of View__ 1) "'I cannot conceive' said he 'what pleasures you Europeans find in our yellow clay, but take as much as you like, and great good may it do you.'" The King of Eldorado finds the acquisition of wealth and riches strange, foolish, and useless. He is also, arguably, the happiest character in the book. 2) Because Candide is the central character the narrator follows him throughout. Much more is revealed about Candide's thoughts and emotions than is revealed about the other characters, and it is through Candide that the others characters actions are interpreted. 3) Candide’s optimism seems to hit an all-time low after Vanderdendur cheats him out of the last of his sheep. It is at this point that he chooses to make the pessimist Martin his traveling companion.

__Character__ 1) "Candide was more rejoiced at the recovery of this one sheep than he had been grieved at the loss of the hundred laden with the large diamonds of Eldorado." (p. 101) 2) Martin Tells Candide that Cacambo probably left with the intention of not coming back, keeping Cunegonde and Candide's money for himself. 3) Count Pococurante has such an excess of wealth that he abuses his wealth and becomes bored with his lavish and extraordinary conditions. 4) When the Old Woman is taken to Morocco, the civil war takes her ship into the chaos, and she herself becomes the 'wealth' that the pirates are fighting over. 5) The cash gift that Candide gives Brother Giroflée and Paquette is quickly squandered and they go into extreme misery once again. Vanderdendur the thieving merchant/pirate forms a contrast to the honest merchant, Jacques. Pococurante (from the Italian, "caring little") is a one-sided man of exquisite taste and refinement who derives no pleasure from his possessions. Caring little about anything, he despises everything. He possesses "all the best" but his life is full of boredom and distaste for everything. Cunegonde's brother is the representative of an overbearing, conceited, privileged aristocracy. He is ungrateful to Candide and would deny his sister her happiness because of Candide's lack of noble birth.