An Enlightenment philosopher François-Marie Arouet, commonly known as Voltaire, wrote Candide. Voltaire “was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his attacks on the established Catholic Church, and his defense of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and the separation of church and state (Wikipedia).” He was born on November 21, 1694 to an upper-class family. Voltaire began to show an interest in writing at a young age. Candide was published in 1579. It was a French satire. A satire is "the use of humour, irony, exaggeration or ridicule to expose and criticize the stupidity or vices of people, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues (Oxford Dictionary) ". Candide mocks the ideas of the philosopher Leibnitz through the character of Pangloss because Leibnitz believed in an optimistic world and Voltaire believes that thinking this way makes one hypocritical. Candide defines optimism as “a mania for insisting that everything is fine when things are going badly (Voltaire, p. 48)”. There are many themes and symbols throughout the book. One of the main themes present throughout the book is love. Love is what guides Candido on his journey and helps him overcome the obstacles he must endure. His love for Cunégonde is unconditional and his intention is to reach her, whatever problems she may encounter. The second half of Candide takes place in the utopian society of El Dorado. Eldorado is used to symbolize the ability associated with humans to create a non-violent society. It is Voltaire's perception of an ideal society. Eldorado is perfect, but after a month Candide realizes that he cannot stay there without Cunégonda, so he puts himself...... middle of paper ......ged and if I don't have the misfortune of killing the Baron, I could swear that it was they who rowed this galley (Voltaire, p.80).” It was them and they explained the mishap of their death and how they were not actually killed. I thought it was very interesting that both Pangloss and the Baron were still alive, and no one had any idea. In Candide the themes of the corruption of money and love are present. Candido tolerates false friends, takes advantage of them and constantly throws his money away on dishonest people. Despite all this, he continues his journey to find Cunégonde because he truly loves her. They all retreat to the garden, which symbolizes a new beginning. They shy away from philosophizing too much and keep busy by cultivating the garden. Throughout your life, you have to work for what you want, no matter what challenges may arise.