Candide's Pain (Tuza)

Now, I feel pity for Candide. As you read through the book you encounter this tragic moment, “Cunegonde is dead!” (Page 29) Candide’s love had vanished in one little moment in time. This must be one of the most terrible feelings. I had already stated how death can change everything for a person. Immediately after I read how much this hurt Candide I thought of Billy Pilgrim and Slaughterhouse-Five. The way which Billy Pilgrim sees death is completely the opposite as Candide, I would say Candide has a more human way of seeing this. It’s also crucial to know that Candide hasn’t witnessed death so much as Billy did therefore; they have a completely different view of it.

The theme of love is a huge thing everywhere it appears. It might be because it is a pretty strong feeling. As Candide faints after hearing about Cunegonde, they say that, “I fear it is love,’ said his companion; ‘love, the comforter of humanity, the preserver of the universe, the soul of all human beings; tender love!’’ (Page 29) It is certainly a huge topic which all of us look at differently. But this is the way which his companion looks at it and as a result, Candide will probably look at it in a pretty similar way. This might probably be the reason why it hurts so much to Candide, because of his perception about it.