Candide's Punishments: Do They Fit the Crime?

It's hard to say whether or not Candide's punishments fit the crime or not because there is no direct "yes" or "no" answer, but rather all answers would be based on how an individual was raised in their society. In the society that we live in, I think it's safe to say that most people would think that his punishments were too extreme and that he didn't deserve those punishments based on what he did. For example, in the beginning of the book, Candide was tricked into joining the army and soon after decided that he wanted to leave. His punishment for leaving was either to run the gauntlet 36 times or get 12 bullets in the head. Our society would certainly say that those punishments are outrageous, but clearly the army thought those punishments fit the crime. Different societies have different perceptions of many things. This idea is demonstrated in Eldorado most clearly. In that society, everyone is happy and has all of their needs met. They see no value in diamonds or gold because it's everywhere and everyone can have it. However, our society puts a high value on those things because they are rare and not everyone can have them. This connects to whether or not the punishments fit the crime because every society has different values and rules, and what may be expected or normal in one society may be completely unheard of or absurd in another. It all depends on how one is raised and what they are taught to believe.