The book and film that I have decided to compare are “Candide” written by Voltaire and The Pursuit of Happyness, whose screenplay was done by Steven Conrad. The main characters in both The Pursuit of Happyness and “Candide” have a very optimistic view of the world and are searching for their own ideas of true happiness but they both go about it in two very different ways. By the end of the book and film each character learns what it takes for them to reach their own version of the pursuit of happiness. Although each character finds happiness in their own way their main goals of finding out how to live a truly happy life are the same. In “Candide” and the Pursuit of Happyness, the main characters, Candide and Chris, both have a very optimistic …show more content…
In “Candide,” Candide states “’There is no effect without a cause,’ replied Candide modestly. ‘All things are necessarily connected and arranged for the best. I had to be driven away from Lady Cunegonde, I had to run the gauntlet, and I have to beg my bread until I can earn it; all that could not have been otherwise” (Voltaire Pg.22). You can see that although Candide had to go through many hardships in such little time he still hasn’t given up on life. He could’ve dropped everything and said its not worth it but instead he’s still going and trying to make his life better. He believes that in order to reach the idea of happiness he has to go through some misfortune and that’s what’s pushing him to keep going. If you don’t continue pushing though the hard times in life then you’re never going to experience the greatness of life. Just like Candide, Chris too is very optimistic, although his optimism can be shown in a more humorous way throughout the film. Martin Frohm: “What would you say if a man walked in here with no shirt, and I hired him? What would you say?” Chris Gardner: “He must have had on …show more content…
The character Candide tries to find his happiness through the materialistic things in the world because he believes that that’s what's going to make him happy, ”The first day of their journey was rather pleasant. They were heartened by the thought that they now possessed more treasure than all of Asia, Europe and Africa could assemble” (Voltaire Pg.67). Candide thinks that if he has lots of money then somehow his life will be so much better altogether, but Candide realizes that money is something that can go away just as fast as it came. Just because money can buy you a lot of things its not going to necessarily make your life a happier one. Money is something that can bring you joy but it isn’t going to bring your true happiness. Joy is one of those things that’s there for a little bit but it can be taken away very easily, true happiness on the other hand is something that stays with you. While Candide looks to materialistic things for happiness Chris uses the motivation to be a good father to his son to find his own happiness. Christopher Gardner: “You gotta trust me, all right?” Christopher: “I trust you.” Christopher Gardner: “Cause I’m getting a better job” (Conrad, The Pursuit of Happyness). Gardner will do anything to make his son happy and to give his son the life that he deserves. In this case in order to give his
Candide is consistently being brainwashed by reason (Pangloss) saying that we live in "the best of all possible worlds", while it is quite obviously that he does not. For how can there be, in the best of all worlds, war, slavery and many more abominations. Half-way through the book it would appear that Candide has given up his optimism when he looked at the Negro slave. "Oh Pangloss... I'll have to give up your optimism at last" (73). But to the distress of the readers he has not given up his chafing optimism. "Since I found you [an Eldoradian sheep laden with stones], I'm sure I can find Cunegnde again" (79). Thus we see that he has quickly recovered his optimism. Voltaire is using Candide's blatant optimism to relate to the people of his time that also have the same type of optimism.
In Voltaires?s Candide, the main character, Candide, fails to live happily because he is looking outside of himself and his circumstances to do it. Voltaire says through Candide's ultimate discovery that happiness in many ways depends on a person's attitude. Voltaire's philosophy expressed through Candide's final realization is that "We must cultivate our garden," which is the key to happiness(p.585). By cultivating our garden, Voltaire means that we must make the best of our situation in the present moment. We accept what we are given in life and work to make the best of it. It all has to do with our perspective on life. We do not find happiness somewhere else or by philosophizing about it, we open our eyes to the
The protagonists of both texts rely on the power of companionship to overcome obstacles in order achieve their goals and dreams and similarly, when faced with their dream alone, they are
The Story of Candide is a short but diverse story that tells of a young man’s journey for love and understanding and the hardships he faces, all the while keeping a very strong, positive and philosophical outlook on life. The novel takes place both in fictional and existing locations throughout Latin America and Europe during the 1750’s. Voltaire believed that the society he lived in had many flaws, which are often illustrated and satirized in Candide. Candide’s journey portrays the flawed human assumption that the grass is always greener on the other side as well as giving the reader an apt example of an individual’s journey from innocence through a series of trials and tribulations to becoming a mature, experienced and enlightened individual.
Even though many people practiced this doctrine Voltaire did not aside with it instead, he implanted doubts on the chances of achieving true happiness and real conformism. Voltaire’s opinion was that one could not achieve true happiness in the real world but only experience it in an utopia. With the many hardships that Candide goes through ultimately leads him to abandon his attitude of optimism. Candide’s misfortunes and adversities often contrasted with his optimistic view on life. Noticeably, Voltaire uses this satirical piece as a way to criticize this exaggerated optimism. This tale as stated by William Bottiglia, “ Has had a great effect on modern writers who confront mankind’s inhumanity to fellow human beings by presenting the human condition absurdly, ironically, and humorously...” (Bottiglia 112).
Just as on the title, Candide, or Optimism, Optimism is also used as a major theme. Voltaire's satire of philosophical optimism is one of the major issues of Candide. Throughout the story, satirical references to "the best of all possible worlds" contrast with natural catastrophes and human wrongdoing. According to Wikipedia, "optimism, the opposite of pessimism, is a lifeview where the world is looked upon the as a positive place. Optimists generally believe that people are inherently good. These people are said to have a "positive" outlook on life, believing that given time, things will work out in the end." Also according to Wikipedia, "In philosophy, optimism is linked with the name of Gottfried
From a young age, Candide had been taught by Pangloss to have an optimistic philosophy, and he kept those ideas with him throughout his life. Even when the people around him feared the worst and complained about their misfortunes, Candide kept going back to the idea that “everything is linked in a chain of necessity, and arranged for the best” (9). And by no means was he left untouched by various trials: he was flogged, penniless, driven from his home, shipwrecked, robbed, and doomed to leave his loved ones. Although these misfortunes make him question the necessity of tribulation, he nonetheless hoped for the best. Part of his optimism might stem from the fact that he was young and healthy, but it’s also because he cared about the welfare of those apart from himself. For instance, when he heard that Cunegondé was dead and Pangloss hanged, he cried, “If this is the best of all possible worlds, what must the others be like? …Mademoiselle Cunegonde…was it necessary for you to be disembowelled?” (16) Clearly, the reason he questioned the “rightness” of the world is because it took away the people he loved. His mourning for those who have died shows his tender innocence, but it also shows his selflessness. In fact, the reason he was so optimistic throughout the story was because of his longing for Cunegondé, his beloved, and his only wish was to be with her and keep her safe. In other words, he lived for something outside of himself, and that caused him to have hope.
What drives you? What keeps your motivation flowing? The gripping story of Chris Gardner will surely spark a fire to the success you desire. “The Pursuit of Happyness” is a book that also inspired the self-titled movie. These two works have the ultimate story of triumph and self-perseverance. With both works being released in 2006, both number one seller for their respective audiences; they did carry many similarities and differences. Discussing each work, I will compare and contrast both works with the theme, settings, and characters and navigate the overall message they provide.
The Character Candide changes to become a more sensitive and compassionate person and how he views life, which is important because it shows us how viewpoints and attitude can be affected by experience.
In the movie, Pursuit of Happyness, the main character Chris Gardner achieves his goals through a home which shows that through perseverance, we can be happy. For example, Chris and his son got kicked out of the hotel. The hotel already put their stuff outside so, they picked up everything and left. Chris ended up taking his son to the train station and pulled a trick on him so they could get in the bathroom. This showed that Chris wanted to make sure he had a place to sleep. This also shows Chris wants his son to have a better experience in life. Through perseverance, Chris achieves his goals by finding a home.
The Pursuit of Happyness is a factual film based on Chris Gardner's near one-year struggle with homelessness, fatherhood, divorce and a desire to achieve to fend for his son Christopher Junior. It is a story highlighting a man's ambition to achieve his goals and find a way of caring for his son. Set in San Francisco, the film starts with Gardner investing his life savings in Bone-Density scanners, a white elephant project which financially breaks the family; his wife separates from him leaving him with the custody of their son Christopher. Additional problems set in ranging from Gardner's eviction from his house, garnishment of his bank account as well as his credit cards. In line with this, he is forced to live in the streets but his meeting with Jay, the manager at Dean Witter places him on the path to success; his new-found
Candide then considers the philosophy of optimism which is the underpinning continuing theme within the text 'All is for the best, no doubt, but I must say that it's a cruel thing to have lost Mademoiselle
So, for the majority of the novel, Candide believes that all bad things in the world occur for the greater good, since he is already living in the best possible
In Voltaire’s Candide, we are taken by the hand through an adventure which spanned two continents, several countries, and to a multitude of adverse characters. The protagonist, Candide, became the recipient of the horrors which would be faced by any person in the 18th century. But Candide was always accompanied with fellows sufferers, two of which our focus will lay, Pangloss and Martin. In equal respects, both are embodiments of different philosophies of the time: Pangloss the proponent of Optimism and Martin the proponent of Pessimism. Each of the two travelers is never together with Candide, until the end, but both entice him to picture the world in one of their two philosophies. Throughout the story there is an apparent ebb and flow
Most of Voltaire’s characters were able to explain why they could consider themselves as the “most unhappy” by providing a story of what had occurred to them. Their experiences vary from natural to man-made misfortunes. However, even though, the characters’ reactions to their misfortunes are of a similar, the experiences between the male and female characters of Candide are quite different in regards to what is taken away from them.