Throughout Voltaire's Candide, the reader is introduced to a wide variety of unique characters, each seemingly with their own philosophy and beliefs about how life should be perceived. Voltaire seems to emphasize through the development of the protagonist, Candide, how influential the people around us are when it comes to shaping our own beliefs. Sometimes we completely agree with someone's personal philosophy, while disliking others we don't agree with. I firmly believe that when Candide (Voltaire) states that "we must cultivate our garden" (Voltaire, 96), he is implying that we, as individuals, should think more for ourselves rather than solely basing our beliefs about the thoughts of others. plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayCandide is perhaps the biggest culprit of being more of a follower than a leader in the sense of forming original thoughts about the way the world (or even the universe) works. Certainly the privileged boy grew up with Pangloss as his personal teacher and friend, but he still clung desperately to the belief that "things cannot be otherwise, for, everything being done for an end, everything is necessarily for the best end” (2). Intrigued by the idea that he lives in a world where everything happens for a reason, the protagonist unthinkingly reveres his teacher for the seemingly logical explanations put forward to support said idea. It is widely accepted in modern studies and research that adult values ​​can be a considerable influential factor in determining the values ​​a child will grow up to be (Catsambis, 2001; Englund, Luckner, Whaley, & Egeland, 2004), which aptly explains Candide's admirable perseverance. by believing in Pangloss' philosophy of cause and effect. Even when things are arguably at their worst, as when Pangloss himself is hanged before Candide's very eyes, and even though one sometimes questions the reliability of a theory, an act of good fortune will restore it usually faith soon after (such as discovering that Cunégonde is still alive). Although this pattern persists almost throughout the story, Candide is met with constant contradictions with Pangloss's teachings to the point where he renounces them outright, literally stating: “you (Pangloss) had not guessed this abomination; There you go, I will finally have to give up your optimism” (51). Although some might argue that it is this superficial optimism that has kept the protagonist's spirits up during all the trials he has faced, it has still not brought him the happiness in life that he has longed for since his first experience tragic (being chased out of the castle). after kissing Cunégonde). After taking the first step to "cultivate [his] garden" (96) by verbalizing out loud that he can no longer bear the teachings of Pangloss, Candide's eyes are opened to another intriguing philosophy on the meaning of the life. after meeting Martin. Alone, without friends, without family and, above all, deprived of almost all the riches he had brought back from El Dorado, it seemed that there was no better time for the protagonist of the history begins with nihilism. Although he still had an influence on his mind, there was a very interesting contrast between the nihilist Martin and the overly optimistic Pangloss. Having been raised in the belief that “everything that happens is for the best” (2) then meeting someone whose misfortunes had made him believe that “a man is?