Candide, a young man educated by the optimistic philosopher Pangloss, believes that he is living in "the best of all possible worlds." Candide's world is Westphalia, more specifically, the castle of the Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh. Here Voltaire makes fun of the snobbish names of many German insignificant nobles. The baron's household includes his wife, his son, and his beautiful daughter, Cunegonde. Candide's happy world is disrupted when the baron kicks him out the door for having the nerve to kiss Cunegonde. This is the first of his many misfortunes. Alone, broke, and hungry, Candide is aided by two strangers who proceed to enlist him in the Bulgar army. After many troubles, Candide flees and makes his way to Holland. Here, an honest merchant named Jacques helps Candide, this time genuinely. After reuniting with his lover Cunegonde and then killing her two owners or masters he was forced to flee. He ended up at the Jesuit camp where Candide meets the commander of the Jesuits, who is Cunegonde's brother. The happy reunion ends when Cunegonde's brother refuses to allow Candide to marry his sister. Candide promptly stabs him, puts on the Jesuit's robe, and takes flight once again with his faithful servant. As Candide travels across Paraguay, his adventures multiply. He is nearly eaten by the local Biglug Indians. Fortunately, however, since Candide has killed one of the Jesuits, the Biglugs' enemy, he is set free and permitted to continue on his journey. The journey is interrupted when Candide and Cacambo set off on a canoe trip down an unknown river. The uncontrollable river carries them along until they crash on the shores of Eldorado, the golden country where everything is gold, even the mud, and the pebbles in the road are diamonds and emeralds. El Dorado was Voltaire's vision of a perfect society in his own eyes. This vision originated from the beliefs and ideas of Sir Thomas Moore Utopia.
