Voltaire

After finishing Candide and discussing it in class, I was left with a lot of questions.  I was concerned with the ending, but also the last chapter in general. I'm still unsettled by it.  To me, I still believe that it was a happy ending.  I felt like Candide really did grow throughout the book, and I think that it was interesting the similarities that arose from Candide's garden and Eldorado.  When he arrives in Eldorado, people are treating jewels like they are unimportant and when Candide attempts to pay with gold, they refuse him because no one has to pay.  They have no need for money because they're risen above it.  They give Candide the money in the sheep so that he can go along his journey, and he slowly has to let go of the money, but it seems as though he starts to give it up more generously and with thought. Which is why I'm surprised by Candide's reaction to Cunegonde is because perhaps his idea of beauty had changed and that's why no one else has realized. Maybe he realizes that the thing he has been basing his journey off of has been as frivolous as the money he gave away.  The fact that Cunegonde's brother still thinks Candide isn't at Cunegonde's level wouldn't make sense if Cunegonde was ugly.  But if isn't an inner beauty, who knows. I don't know. I'm still caught up in the ending.