Voltaire's Last Thrust: Panglossian Contradiction, Evil Exists!

After the old woman's story, Voltaire reveals what could be the real meaning of Candide and what it symbolizes. With the old woman's story, we see that evil and wrong doing exist. It completely disproves Pangloss and Candide since even if one was completely optimistic, what happened to the old woman cannot by any means or any "all is for the good", kind of mentality.

At this point we can say that the old woman is the alter ego of Pangloss and all of his theory. And recalling the novel: "I have never forgotten that I am the daughter of a Pope" (Candide p. 57).

She was the daughter of a Pope, a man of religion. the old woman was raped, sold, and abused. This is ironical, since all of these things her father prayed for not to happen and "helped" to confront, and it happened to his own daughter. Even as the old woman has no hope, and is the opposite of Pangloss, she at least is acquainted of what is going on. She is what a person should expect to be, not a blind optimist, unaware of the dangers and truths in life. This is the same type of turn Vonnegut makes in Slaughterhouse five when he mentions himself in the novel, beside Billy.

With this Voltaire, gives the final flourish in the "statement" he manages to make. He finally does what we had awaited.

He ends the novel by transforming Cunegonde into a horrible woman, and Optimism appears again: Pangloss. This is a symbol of life being fair after all, Candide's friends being free now, and everyone ending "happy".