Do Candide’s punishments fit the crime?

The first punishment we come across is Candide getting kicked out of the mansion. I think this is a drastic punishment for something that just sort of happened. As we go along in the novel, it seems as though Candide isn’t exactly being punished, but more being taken advantage of. He just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time a lot. When he gets tricked into joining the army, it’s just him being naïve. When Candide gets punished in the army for taking a walk, his punishment is also too drastic for a simple mistake. Candide didn’t know better. Some of Candide’s punishments almost seem like harsh karma. When he left Eldorado with his sheep, he left because of greed. He wanted to leave an utopia because he thought that he could have an even better life if he went back. This greed, combined with the fact that Candide trusts people too easily, caused Candide to lose most of his fortune. Candide gets tricked and his sheep get stolen.

So all in all, Candide’s punishments are definitely much too harsh. He is just naïve and gullible and people take advantage of him. Candide does do some bad things, such as killing people, but he’s just inexperienced with life and doesn’t know how to react quickly while keeping his cool. He does have to go on a long journey to run away after killing people, which I think is one of the only fair punishments. He gets separated from Cunegonde, which is another punishment since Candide loves her.