Candide

Do you think that the characters in "Candide" are perfecly suited for the situations described in the book?

I think they are perfectly suited to work as Voltaire's mouthpieces, and to act out his specific ideas and teach Candide specific things. They work perfectly for that, and in some ways are striking. It's hard to imagine, for example, more perfect embodiments of ridiculous thinkers than Pococurante. To be happy through rejecting all happiness? How?

That said, they are not perfect as characters. I never believed in them for a moment. They move through their set pieces like little wind-up toys, and never cause emotional involvement for the reader.

No I do nt think so, first of all, he has an happy trigger finger, and if something pisses him off, he'll kill you, displayed with the jew, inquisitor, baron etc... Second, he is terrible withney, and whenever he has to pay off captains of ships, he overpays, gets robbed, and spends virtually and infinite amount of money, in a small time period.