the road to El Dorado

I've always been impressed with the modernity that Voltaire imparted, or rather channeled, through the character of Candide. The travesty of humanity, so eloquently captured and presented like a decadent treat to be devoured by its entitled reader, often had me wondering... were Candide to suddenly to be sentient, would he bail? Clouds embody the formless traveler in my works... perhaps Candide is indeed just that. He is no more in possession of his thoughts and emotions than the clouds. It is only the viewer or reader who can imbibe the story...become drunk on its shape , and carry it with them towards any meaningful verdict on whether or not we do in fact "live in the best of all possible worlds".