The hero "honest man"-Gandide was born in the mansion of a German baron, and is the illegitimate child of the baron's sister. He has been growing up in a closed environment, believing in the optimism advocated by the tutor Bongros, feeling that everything is fine and convinced that the baron's home is a paradise on earth. However, the baron kicked him out of the house just because he fell in love with his cousin, Miss Gunegon. Since then, he has embarked on a journey of exploring the world alone.

From the moment he left the Baron's residence, he was forced by various encounters to keep running, from Germany to Holland, from Western Europe to South America, from South America to Western Europe, and eastward to Constantinople.

during the long journey, he hardly experienced or witnessed a positive thing. With a tight rhythm, the author arranged a large number of various natural and man-made disasters and social ills on the way, so that "honest people" could experience, witness, think, grow and mature, gradually abandon blind optimism and become moderate and practical.

Extended information:

The author Voltaire chose the Lisbon earthquake as the background, and one of his major purposes was to attack theosophy. There were many followers of this view at that time, including the great poet AlexanderPope, who once said that "Whateveris,isright". In today's words, everything is the best arrangement. If you encounter misfortune, don't be sad. You should believe that there must be a reasonable arrangement, and putting your misfortune in a larger pedigree is the best arrangement.

The plot of adventure in The Honest Man is integrated with his philosophical tendency. The characters, stories and backgrounds in the works are all fictional, even absurd. However, there are serious thoughts and profound philosophies hidden in absurdity.

It is through absurd stories and characters that the author exposed the French feudal society in the 18th century in broad daylight, lashing at the greed of officials, the hypocrisy of church people and the cruel persecution of free ideas by the Inquisition. In Lisbon, three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the earthquake. In order to prevent the city from being destroyed, the Inquisition will burn people alive with slow fire in a solemn ceremony, saying that this is the secret to stop the earthquake.

Baidu encyclopedia-honest man