Candide & Six Characters in Search of an Author
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A recurring theme in literature involves the nature of the self as characters are shown delving into issues of selfhood, or identity. Selfhood is seen in relation to society and the degree of individuality allowed by a given society. Different literary styles may treat this issue in different ways. Realism is a literary style that implies a reality that is the same for everyone, and selfhood is sometimes seen in this approach as an illusion or as an ideological tool of the existing cultural system. However, this need not be the case, and indeed realism can be a strong criticism of the culture that is in place, holding out for the elevation of selfhood while commenting on the oppressive nature of the culture preventing the full development of selfhood. Both realism and non-realism in fiction can be utilized in service of this specific goal. Identity is often explored in terms of contrasting individual rights and responsibilities in a social setting. Sometimes the individual is celebrated over society, and at other times society is seen as the more important and as requiring more allegiance from every individual in it. The identity of the characters in both Six Characters in Search of an Author and Candide is explored in a social setting, and the characters are defined in terms of how they contrast with the norm in that social setting as well as by individual character traits. An overtly non-realistic portrayal of society is seen in a play by Luigi Pirandello. Appea
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lusion is also evident in Voltaire's Candide, though here it is shaped more around one perception of the world, shown to be a foolish consistency. Voltaire in this book produced a satire on the society of his time, using the individual of Candide as the medium through which he observed that society and by which he could make comments on its structure and operation. Candide is an innocent who believes that this is the best of all possible worlds, but it is clear that the author does not believe this and that he is going to take the hero through a series of adventures in different places to show him that this is not the best of all possible worlds. Inherent in this journey is a sense of the importance of the individual, for it is the individual who must make these decisions and not society. Society may impose certain restrictions and prescriptions, but it is left to the individual to make the final decisions regarding the universe and his or her place in it.
The philosophy of Liebniz is important in this book, as John Butts notes in the introduction. Liebniz offered a reinterpretation of Christian doctrine which is considered the ultimate philosophy to Pangloss, the character who serves as Candide's guide. However, Panglos
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Approximate Word count = 1923
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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