Importance+of+names+in+Candide

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**By Raoul 'Font Changer' Weatherell**
**Names are a very important part in Candide. In some cases just the name of the character actually tells half the story.** **For starters, the name of the main character Candide's name can actually have many meanings, depending on the time in history. When Voltaire wrote the text, Candide meant 'pure' and 'innocent'. A while later it simply meant 'white', which obviously has connotations of purity and innocence. The meaning of the name is always different when directly translated, but all these translations are similar, and have the same meaning. Even today, a direct translation of candide to from French to English results in 'ingenuous', meaning 'free from restraint', 'sincere' and naïve.** **Another important character name is the character Pangloss, the ever wise, philosophy expelling philosopher. Pangloss means 'all tongue', a fitting name for a babbling philosopher. It brings across so much of the character simply by making the name of the character relevant to the characters personality.** **Finally the character Cunegonde's name has more dispute as to where the origins of her name come from. Many scholars claim Cunegonde is a pun on Latin and French terms for genitalia. However other sources state that Cunegonde is the French form of Kunigunde (The text being directly translated from German of course, wink wink.) Kunigunde means 'Clan of War', which is rather less applicable than genitalia, considering Cunegonde's role in the early chapters of the text.** **Cacambo** **Cacambo is a variation on the Spanish word 'caca', meaning... faeces.**