At the beginning of the story, Candide commits an act that, while in modern times would not be a big deal, was huge at the time. The kiss was the first act to lead to all of his further punishments and the relinquishment of his innocence. Though Candide was rightfully punished, it was not by a righteous person. The Baron was therefore also later punished. Cunegonde was the instigator, the “snake”, if you will, so naturally she too was punished.
As the story progresses, it is observed that Candide is in fact not only being punished for the initial action. When he leaves, his naivety slowly begins to disappear, and he gains knowledge through his experiences. He is punished not for not knowing enough, but for knowing too much.
In this time period, the starting act would have been compared to a modern day affair. Taking that into account, it is not surprising that what happened occurred.
No comments:
Post a Comment