<I>
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#1:1> <h> The Critique of Fiction and Philosophy in <}> <-> Votaire's </->

<+> Voltaire's </+> </}> <ul> Candide </ul> </h>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#2:1> The strong personal views of Voltaire can easily be found through

his caricature of characters in his black comedy <ul> Candide </ul> .
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#3:1> These characters, through their obvious ridiculousness, critique many

beliefs and poke fun at many people without openly attacking them in much the

same way Dante did in his <ul> Inferno </ul> .
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#4:1> On the whole, however, <ul> Candide </ul> is a double-edged criticism:

it mocks the artificial order of fiction, while ridiculing what Voltaire sees

as the equally artificial order of philosophical optimism. </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#5:1> The first of these two criticisms, that of fiction in general,

becomes evident immediately and gains power as the plot unfolds and grows

more fantastic.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#6:1> Voltaire parodies the seemingly " coincidental" occurrences that

conveniently make up most fiction by making these coincidences so absurd that

they become simply ludicrous.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#7:1> Examples of this within the text are numerous: Cunegonde and her

brother are supposedly dead, but appear at opportune times ( Cunegonde in

time to see Candide flogged and to save him afterwards, her brother in time

to gain favour with the Jesuits).
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#8:1> Her brother is supposedly killed again, this time by Candide himself,

but even this is not permanent as he once again comes to life in time to

forgive Candide and come to his aid once again.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#9:1> The miraculous healing of <w> Pangloss' </w> syphilis and his

seemingly permanent condition of having been hanged; the equally miraculous

healing of Candide's back after being flogged within an inch of his life not

once, but twice; the incredible story of the old woman whose traumatic

experiences seem to continue endlessly - - all of these events occur one

after another, and though they are considered fortunate by the characters,

they are still seen as possible.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#10:1> The occurrence of all these events in the same story, and the

attitude the characters take towards them together make it impossible to view

the book as anything but a mockery of fiction itself. </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#11:1> Another aspect of the story that implies a parody of standard

fiction is the division of the book, and Candide's adventure, into three

symmetrical parts of ten chapters each.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#12:1> Candide's adventures in Europe are neatly fit into the first ten

chapters, at which point he goes to sea to spend the next ten chapters in

South America.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#13:1> After the completion his adventures there, the story returns to

Europe for the final ten chapters while Candide searches for Cunegonde, a

search which is finally resolved and neatly concluded in chapter thirty.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#14:1> This even division of the story is yet another parody of neatly

ordered fiction which often seems to peak, trough and resolve conflicts at

just the right times. </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#15:1> The second criticism Voltaire is making in <ul> Candide </ul> is

of the philosophical optimism which was peaking in popularity at the time of

its writing.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#16:1> It is in this criticism that we see Voltaire's personal philosophical

views reflected in the novel.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#17:1> By abusing the optimistic philosophy and taking it to an extreme

through the character of Pangloss, he ridicules and tries to discredit those

philosophers who preached it.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#18:1> But to understand the extreme Voltaire was taking this philosophy to,

we must first examine what it was he was trying to discredit. </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#19:1> A major proponent of the philosophical optimism Voltaire

disagreed with was Alexander Pope, and he expressed his views in question in

his <ul> Essay on Man </ul> .
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#20:1> Pope's strongest assertion is best summed up in the last line of his

first epistle, where he writes that <quote> " One thing is clear, WHATEVER

IS, IS RIGHT." </quote> <fnr> 1 </fnr>
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#21:1> By this he does not mean that there is no evil in the world, but this

evil is necessary for the general good, so that man may choose between good

and evil. <fnr> 2 </fnr>
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#22:1> Another philosophy that Candide aims more directly at is that of <}>

<-> Gottfrried </-> <+> Gottfried </+> </}> Leibnitz, who stated that <quote>

" man and all nature is subject to law, order and uniformity." </quote> <fnr>

3 </fnr>
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#23:1> It is this order that Voltaire attacks with scathing satire, and in

particular Leibnitz's belief that <quote> " this world ... is the best

possible world, but it is not perfect," </quote> <fnr> 4 </fnr> which

Voltaire distorts into <w> Pangloss' </w> formula that <quote> " Everything

is for the best in this best of all possible worlds." </quote> </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#24:1> One can now easily see the parallel and hear the mocking tone in

his writing when Voltaire describes <w> Pangloss' </w> philosophy as <quote> "

metaphysico-theologico-cosmo-loonig-ology," </quote> and when he explains it

as thus: <quote> ... that there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause

and that in this best of all possible worlds the Baron's castle was the best

of all castles and his wife the best of all possible Baronesses ... <X>
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#X25:1> It is clear, said he, that things cannot be otherwise than they are,

for since everything is made to serve an end, and everything necessarily

serves the best end. </X> </quote> <fnr> 5 </fnr>
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#26:1> Pangloss then continues to abuse this last philosophy by suggesting

that noses were made to support spectacles and stones to build castles.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#27:1> It is <w> Pangloss' </w> support of his exaggerated philosophy under

the unbelievable circumstances in the story that makes it seem as ludicrous

as Voltaire intended it to.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#28:1> An example of this is his defense of the philosophy after he had been

disfigured by syphilis.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#29:1> Having lost both an ear and an eye, he still states that <quote> " It

was all indispensable ... since private misfortunes make for public welfare,

and therefore the more private misfortunes there are, the better everything

is." </quote> <fnr> 6/ <fnr> </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#30:1> In addition to this constant parody, Voltaire finds many

opportunities to fit personal insults and jokes into the novel.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#31:1> Only one of this is a mockery of the real situation that happened to

a man named Wolff, a disciple of Leibnitz's.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#32:1> Wolff's theory of pre-established harmony in reality prompted several

men to desert from the army, surely the basis for the experience Candide

himself has when he simply wanders off while serving in the Bulgar army.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#33:1> Thus in the episode, we can see Voltaire making fun of both the

philosophy and of Wolff himself, who had been expel <l> led from the country

because of the scandal. </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#34:1> After examining these examples and the myriad others throughout

the story, it should be obvious to any reader now where much of Voltaire's

drive for writing <ul> Candide </ul> stemmed from - - from his concept for

false order; both the order of fiction and the order of the optimistic

philosophy of men such as Leibnitz.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#35:1> However, his sense of man's need for this order is not entirely lost.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#36:1> It is perhaps best described in the introduction to the book in the

<ul> Norton Anthology </ul> how <quote> " one can feel his amused awareness

of our human need to make order and our human desire to comfort ourselves by

fictions." </quote> <fnr> 7 </fnr>
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#37:1> But for him, this is no excuse.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#38:1> Perhaps the greatest lesson he is trying to teach us in <ul> Candide

</ul> is <quote> " That we human beings have reason ... is no ground on which

to flatter ourselves; rightly used, it exposes our insuf <l> ficiencies."

</quote> <fnr> 8 </fnr> </p> </I>


<I>
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#39:2> <h> THE CORRUPTNESS OF MAN'S VALUE SYSTEM IN <ul> THE APPRENTICESHIP

OF DUDDY KRAVITZ </ul> & <ul> THE GREAT GATSBY </ul> </h>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#40:2> In Mordecai Richler's <ul> The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

</ul> and F. Scott Fitzgerald's <ul> The Great Gatsby </ul> , the theme

regarding the destructive nature of society's obsession with materialism

emerges.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#41:2> Fitzgerald and Richler offer a satirical view of materialism and how

it corrupts society.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#42:2> Throughout <ul> The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz </ul> , Duddy

climbs the ladder to material success, and it is apparent that along the way

humanistic values are lost.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#43:2> In <ul> The Great Gatsby </ul> , the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, is

portrayed as a man with great status because of his exorbitant wealth.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#44:2> However, as the <}> <-> storey </-> <+> story </+> </}> unfolds so do

his shortcomings.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#45:2> Both novels portray the insistent material urgings of society and the

victory marked by the elimination of human values. </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#46:2> <ul> The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz </ul> offers an insight

into a young man's quest for material success.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#47:2> Since he was a young boy Duddy was conditioned by his grandfather to

believe that: <quote> " A man without land is nobody" </quote> ( Richler pg.

11).
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#48:2> This conversation between Duddy and his grandfather, marks the

beginning of Duddy's transition into a materialistic world.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#49:2> Duddy's search for his identity becomes concentrated in getting

rather than being, as he believes the self is to be found in external things.

</p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#50:2> Duddy becomes so obsessed with his pursuit for success, that he

loses sight of all other dimensions of life: <quote> " You think I should be

running after something besides money? <X> Good tell me what" </quote> </X> (

pg.244).
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#51:2> Nothing matters to Duddy but his possession of land. </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#52:2> <ul> The Great Gatsby </ul> also examines a young man's quest for

material success.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#53:2> Like Duddy, Gatsby believes that one's happiness and success is found

in the acquisition of material possessions.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#54:2> When Jimmy Gatz met Daisy he came face to face with everything he

ever dreamed of possessing.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#55:2> She was wealth, power, and beauty.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#56:2> From childhood Jimmy Gatz, maker of schedules and reader of Hopalong

Cassidy, venerated Jay Gatsby, a promise of unlimited opportunities in a

materialistic world.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#57:2> Gatsby saw money as the creator of possibility and passage to

freedom.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#58:2> Gatsby believed that once he acquired all of his exuberant

possessions, he could have Daisy.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#59:2> He believed he could get everything he wanted <?> , </?> it was just

a matter of the price he would have to pay.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#60:2> Gatsby's obsession with materialism is demonstrated in the park

incident, where Gatsby, Nick, Daisy, and her husband Tom are having a picnic

together, and Gatsby takes it upon himself to tell Tom about his affair with

Daisy: <quote> " She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of

waiting for me" </quote> ( pg. 131).
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#61:2> Gatsby truly believes that the only way to get what you want out of

life is to have money, which will provide the power. </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#62:2> Lost humanistic values are manifested in <ul> The Apprenticeship

of Duddy Kravitz </ul> through the protagonist Duddy, and his treatment of

people around him.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#63:2> He turns to his family and friends, not for companionship or love,

but for tools to help him get what he wants.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#64:2> Duddy's lack of sensitivity towards his family is evident of his lack

of respect towards his Uncle Benji's house.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#65:2> Benji wills his house and possessions to Duddy when he passes away,

hoping to give Duddy a chance to find the compassion he is capable of

feeling.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#66:2> But his attempt failed, as Duddy's response was to sell the houseful

of furniture that Benji left.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#67:2> Duddy's lack of compassion is further represented in his

relationships with Yvette and Virgil.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#68:2> After making love to Yvette for the first time by the lake, Duddy is

overcome with excitement, not over Yvette, but the land he has just

discovered around the lake.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#69:2> He uses Yvette as an instrument to acquire all the land he wants.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#70:2> Duddy's incapacity to feel compassion is also revealed in his

exploitation of Virgil.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#71:2> He swindles money from Virgil that he owed on the pinball machines;

He hires Virgil as a driver, knowing he is an epileptic, and is consequently

responsible for Virgil's paralyzing accident.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#72:2> Duddy's insensitivities peak when he steals money from Virgil's bank

account.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#73:2> Duddy won't stop at anything to get the land he wants, as he is

incapable of distinguishing between material things and human qualities.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#74:2> At the end it is Simcha, Duddy's grandfather, who recognizes the

human failure contained in the material success: <quote> I can see what you

have planned for me Duddel. <X>
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#X75:2> You'll be good to me.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#X76:2> You'd give me everything I wanted.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#X77:2> And that would settle your conscience when you <}> <-> sindle </->

<+> swindle </+> </}> others. </X> </quote> ( pg. 315) </p>

<p> <ICE-CAN:W1A-001#78:2> <ul> The Great Gatsby </ul> also depicts the lost humanistic

values which result from a society driven by materialistic passion.
<ICE-CAN:W1A-001#79:2> Jay Gatsby, was a man in hurry to succeed materialistically in order

to win the respect of his peers, particularly the woman he adored, Daisy, and

therefore resorted to desperate measures. <O> end of paragraph </O> </p> </I>
