Dystopia

Candide’s name is derived from the Latin word candidus, which means “white” and describes a fair-mindedness or a lack of corruption. As that name suggests, Candide begins with all the innocence in the world—wide-eyed in his worship of his tutor Pangloss’s wrongheaded optimistic philosophy, and completely unfamiliar with the ways of the world. Over the course of the novel, Candide is able to get wealth and some knowledge about the corrupted world, and begins to question his faith in optimism. Yet his faith remains and is frequently replenished by any good events that happen to him. At the end of the novel, Candide rejects Pangloss’s philosophy in favor of the practical labor that is introduced to him by the old farmer. While the unfortunate events give Candide a sense of hopelessness, Candide’s personality remains essentially unchanged. He is still incapable of forming his own opinions, and has simply exchanged blind faith in Pangloss’s opinions.