beginning of all of Candide’s wild adventures is a result of being thrown out by Cunegund’s father. Her father, the baron, catches them kissing, and is so appalled that someone from a lower class would dare pursue his noble daughter. However, her father is then immediately killed by a bloody war that was going on. Later in the book, Cunegund’s brother, presumed to be dead, turns out to be alive and resumes his father’s position. Even after Candide saves Cunegund’s life, her brother still protests and states he will never allow the marriage because of his snobbery. Thus he faces the same fate as his father right after vowing to never allow the two to be together, this time at the hand of Candide’s sword. Even later in the book, it is discovered that he is once again still alive. This time Candide saves him from slavery, but the brother still will not allow the marriage after all Candide has done. Voltaire is emphasizing just how deeply rooted noble arrogance is rooted in the minds of the nobles. Even after the noble has turned to slave, and has his life to owe to a friend, the noble snobbery still persists, even though it seems so absurd. In the end, Candide throws the brother back to slavery since he will not budge his position. This event is very important in Candide, because with the brother back in the galleys, there are nobles left at the end of the novel on the farm. This is so key because it illustrates Voltaire’s belief that nobility is useless and unnecessary in proper society. Voltaire also uses the character Don Fernando to portray arrogance of nobles. His name itself is a mockery of nobles. His actual name is Don Fernando d’Ibaraa y Figueroro y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza. It is quite obvious all these excessive last names further show just how absurd nobility can be. Don Fernando, like the baron, also is a very pompous and self-important. One ...
