When I first read Candide, Candide came across to me as very trusting and naive. I thought that Candide was very childlike in that he so easily trusted everyone and brushed everything off as just another bump on the road. Although Candide is traveling the world and faced with many imposing problems, to him it just seems like a happy, carefree adventure.
This was the picture I had of Candide. Then we started discussing Candide's character a little bit in class and most people seemed to believe Candide came across as dull and unintelligent. After some discussion, I agreed as well. However, I still thought that Candide was very innocent and trusting of others. I don't really like how Candide's innocence leads to his stupidity. I guess Blake was right, we can't always stay in a state of innocence. That naive, ignorant bliss is only appropriate for a small window of time in childhood. Everyone, including Candide, must mature into a state of experience. Since Candide is still in an innocent state, he came across as dumb.
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I agree with you Shaina. At the beginning, Candide is willing to believe Pangloss's unusual theories about life and just accepts them as fact. I'm not sure if that makes him dumb or naive or a bit of both. He should have gone looking for proof of Pangloss's theories before he just started living them.
I do feel as if Voltaire is mocking some of the general public in this time. Candide represents the population who refuses to make their own judgments and simply follow what someone else has told them. I know Voltaire doesn't like a lot of people especially those who got him exiled, so Candide might just be a hit against all of them.
I don't think Candide is nessisarily completly stupid, but he's just missing the common sense part of his brain. He means well but he just can't catch a break. He's definatly naive, but he's definatly smarter than Pangloss, I think, because in the end he does question his theories a little. Yall are right though; he's not the brightest one or he'd probably not have listend so blindly to Pangloss. Voltaire keeps calling Candide a philosopher but it's sort of funny because I feel like Candide doesn't really have a philosophy; maybe theories about good and evil, and God and atheism arent entirelly pressing questions for him and he just wants to be happy (maybe not, just a thought.) Maybe that makes him totally naive, maybe that makes him a little wise (but the way Forrest Gump is a little wise; he may not be the smartest man in the world, but there's something a little wise about him.) When I think of Candide, I think he's sort of a living explample of "eternal sunshine of the spotless mind." (which is also an AWESOME movie haha) I think it's not that Candide isnt intelligent, maybe he just sort of dosnt understand his world. He almost doesnt seem to try to make sense of it even - he usually just rolls with it.
I think that Candide was just willing to believe whatever people told him. He believed Pangloss, and then he started to believe Martin. I think the fact that Candide believes that after he gets the gold from eldorado he will be able to buy Cungrande, is also naive.
I think that it was odd that Candide went from accecpting Pangloss' theories to accecpting Martin's. The theories are polar opposite so i think this shows the lack of thinking and understanding skills that Candide has
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