The Problem with Optimism in Habral and Voltaire :: Free Essays Online

The Problem with Optimism in Habral and Voltaire Bohumil Hrabals I Served The King of England follows Ditie, a vertically challenged hotel busboy, through his experiences and adventures, which, in effect, alter his philosophies astir(predicate) life. In an eighteenth century parallel, French ironist Voltaire takes his title character, Candide on a long, perilous journey that results in a similar shift in beliefs. Characteristically, Ditie is similar to Candide, both men ar very nave by nature and eternally optimistic about the worlds they live in. Only after these worlds are turned upside rectify by wars, natural disasters, inquisitions, and political changes, do Candide and Ditie learn that in ensnare to be happy with their lives they must cultivate their garden 1 create an severalise path for themselves based on their own philosophies. The parallels between Candide and Ditie are close to obvious at the beginning of the novels. The stories of the two characters begin with them living considerably in grand residences under fairly good circumstances. Ditie is a busboy at the Golden Prague Hotel where, while not on duty, the staff is toughened like guests of a slightly lower class. He makes enough property in his side business as a hot cross vendor that he is able to indulge his teenage fantasies weekly at a local whorehouse. Candide is living in castle Thunder-ten-tronckh with the beautiful Cunegonde, with whom he is in love. Neither boy realizes how little the people think of them. Candide is looked quite a little upon as an inferior because though he was born of a awful mother, she never married, so he is in fact a bastard. Ditie, more to his later frustration is limited by his small stature. In extension to these similarities, they are both wide-eyed young boys, extremely impressionable and desirous to please. Candide accepts Doctor Pangloss theories of metaphysico-theologoco-cosmonology without question. In laymans terms this i s a smashed take on the belief that everything happens for a reason. Voltaire is making a satiric jab at religion as well as philosophers 2 Candide blindly follows the teachings of Doctor Pangloss, even though he does not fully learn the ideas, as if they were words from a god. Ditie awards the same admiration and blind faith to his first boss at the Golden Prague Hotel, who reminds him to see and hear everything and nothing at the same time.