Candide And Survival In Auschwitz Essay Research

Candide And Survival In Auschwitz Essay, Research Paper

The Role of Providence in Candide and Survival in Auschwitz

Providence is a main theme in Candide, by Voltaire, and Survival in Auschwitz, by Primo Levi. The word providence literally means foresight, but is generally used to denote God.s preserving and governing all things by means of second causes. Voltaire pokes fun at the notion of providence and mocks the philosopher, Liebniz, for his belief that all things that happen are for the very best. Voltaire uses several characters to portray a different point of view, some are supporters of Liebniz. philosophy, and others are not. Primo Levi, attacks the idea of providence in a different way, because he finds that some things that happen in the concentration camp to be contradictory to the notion that everything that happens is for the best. In Candide, and Survival in Auschwitz, the authors address the role of providence in different ways, Voltaire simply mocks it, while Levi questions it, yet they both agree that the best can not come out of anything except through effort and work.

Candide begins with the character of Pangloss, who agrees with the notion of providence. He teaches his student Candide that everything happens for the best, no matter what. As the story continues natural disasters and unfortunate events occur and Pangloss is left homeless and ill with pox. Pangloss justifies his wretched state by claiming pox is a good thing because with out it there would be no chocolate because the New World introduced both of them to Europe. Voltaire is quick to point out that he does not believe that the fate of Pangloss is a result of providence. He also mocks the positive attitude of Pangloss by showing how convoluted and irrational his theory is. It is obvious that the pox has absolutely nothing to do with chocolate, so there is no support for his reasoning. Voltaire exposes the emptiness in of what Pangloss believes. The story continues with Pangloss, Candide, and others enduring horrible events.

Contrary to Voltaire, Levi is a supporter of the idea of providence. Throughout the book, he never loses hope, and he never fails to see that providence, or Gods will, is always working on his side. He mentions that although everything may seem to be awful, there is always a bright side. Levi points out that everyday there is hope, even though it may be cold, at least it is not windy. Each day, he is able to pick out one positive aspect amidst all that he endures. The fact that Levi believes that something good always prevails shows how Levi believes providence is working for him. On the other hand, he notices many other people whose fate seems questionable and they die for no real reason. In his experience in Auschwitz, Levi goes through many troubles, like starving and working in freezing cold temperatures, but he still manages to survive through it all. He continues to have hope throughout the book and even though some times are tough, he realizes that providence is evident in his life.

In Candide, Voltaire shows how providence does not work in the life of the title character, Candide. He starts out by believing in the philosophy of Pangloss, who teaches him that everything happens for the good, and that this world is the best of all possible worlds. As the story continues he encounters many disasters and unfortunate situations that make him question the idea of providence. In the beginning he naively sticks to the idea that all things happen for the best. As his misfortunes grow, and his fate becomes worse, he begins to question the philosophy that Pangloss taught him. In chapter six, after the earthquakes, Candide begins to question the good that came from the death of Pangloss and his love Cunegonde (although they are not actually dead, Candide believes that they are). He searches, but cannot find any good reason as to why these deaths happened, and how they can be for the good. He begins to question whether or not this is the best world possible and the validity of providence.

Candide is further influenced by Martin, who portrays the ideas of Voltaire and criticizes the beliefs that Candide holds. He does not believe that everything happens for the best, but he believes in the exact opposite. He does not agree that earthquakes, illness, and death are all for the betterment of society and people, instead he sees them for what they are, bad events that wreck peoples lives, not for the better, but for the worse. These things do not happen to create well in the world but they occur because of the existence and power of evil. Candide and Martin talk about providence and they disagree often. As they watch a boat sink and all the inhabitants die, Candide believes that the sinking of the entire boat was good because it punished the Captain for his bad deeds. Martin answers, .but was it necessary that the other passengers on his ship should perish too. God punished the thief and the devil punished the others..2 Voltaire uses Martin to expose the faults in Pangloss. theory that providence is in control of everything that happens. Rather than believing that everything happens for the good, he instead sees evil as having the most power in this world.

In Survival in Auschwitz, Levi sees many things happen that he cannot answer with the idea of providence. The fact that the Germans killed thousands of women, children and men, showed