Candide

Can Money Buy Love?

Imagine growing up and never finding that perfect someone. Now imagine two people meeting and one of the two people thought that the other person was so great that they thought the other was their "perfect" someone. What if the decision of the two ever becoming a couple was not up to you, but up to your particular social status? Is it reasonable to base who you will marry clearly on the bases of ones personal wealth or social status? The answers to these questions can only be answered by your own morals and how important social status is to you. Everyone has a choice, why does it matter as long as there is love?

In Voltaire's Candide, it suggests that social status is important when it comes to marriage. Candide's mother is the sister of the Baron, the man who's castle Candide grew up in. When talking about people getting married to one another there is a question which arises on whether or not social status is an issue. Candide's mother in fact did not marry a man whose social status did not meet specific criteria in her opinion (1). She has the idea that a man should be wealthier than the woman so she would not marry the man. In some ways members of society believe the same thing today. Some feel the man should still go out and make the money to support the family. People that believe that social status is a great virtue think money can buy anything. Parents want what is best for their daughters, so parents believe the best is a man with money. In today's society you do not see too many middle or lower class people marrying or having relations with a person of a higher social class. The thought behind that is people for the most part marry within their social class. Why do you not see very many celebrities marrying your average hard working blue collar guy? The reason could be that a man without money can not love and support a woman of that status because he does not have the money. The woman sometimes never even gives a man the chance for a connection between the two of them. Why does it matter what a person's social status is? People have certain criteria with looks, brains, where they are from, so why is the social factor such a big issue? There are not too many people that don't have certain criteria when they are looking for a companion. There are many different types of people out there and not every guy is looking for the same type woman and not every woman is looking for the same type of guy.

Could the statement "love is blind" really be a true statement? Cunegonde loves Candide although he has no money. He is just an honest guy who has been through a lot in his life with little money to show for it. No matter the social status, love is more meaningful than just money. About twenty years ago society believed that the men should go out and work while the women stayed at home and be a homemaker. Now twenty years later things have drastically changed. There are many more women in the work force making money on their own and not relying on just a man's income. Most people when searching for certain someone hope that their personality, appearance, and other characteristics attract their potential significant other to them. When first meeting someone the last thing on most peoples mind is what is their social status. Unfortunately that subject will eventually come up in conversations in the future. Whether or not money