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Candide

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A satire by Voltaire.

Historical Context

In the 18th century new ideas and philosophies were popping up everywhere. An intellectual movement in Europe known as as the Enlightment started to change the way man viewed his world. Also known as the age of reason, this was the road to understanding in which Voltaire lived. Isaac Newton introduced the idea that the universe was governed by setlaws that were also able to be discovered. This concept was detremental to the way people had prevously thought because it undermined the faith in a personal God. It was believed by many philosphers, such as Voltaire, that churches should not interfere with scientific research. By the end of the 1700's, the idea of self-government had changed in England and started a revolution in France and America. Europe moved from an rural farming economy to an industrial one. At the end of this century the world had changed dramatically as the advances in science, political democracy, and religious freedom swept away the last traces of the Middle Ages.

Themes

The Folly of Optimism

The Folly of Optimism is a recurring theme throughout the novel. By most definitions, optimism is a positive outlook on life and situations, assuming there are good times to come even in the darkest of hours. However, through this novel, optimism is at times not seen as a beneficial outlook. According to Candide himself, optimism "is a mania for saying things are well when one is in hell" (Voltaire 410). Optimism is seen as a slight sign of insanity, a trait that causes a person to constantly suffer in the mere hopes that troubled times will one day turn around.

The old woman is a prime example. Through all her hardships, all her torturous sufferings, she carried on; a glimmer of hope inside her that all hope is not lost. In telling her story, she talks of an optimistic outlook, of her own optimism; "A hundred times I wanted to kill myself, but I always loved life more. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps one of our worst instincts; is anything more stupid than choosing to carry a burden that really one wants to cast on the ground" (Voltaire 396).

Candide is another example. He went through some hardships as well. Candide says "The enormous riches which this rascal had stolen were sunk beside him in the sea, and nothing was saved but a sheep" (Voltaire 413). He was talking about the man who had robbed him of his possessions. He said very optimistic things about the fate of this man and the sheep that was his was saved.

Although their optimism is the main reason for their survival and ability to continue on through their sufferings, the characters view their optimism as one of the main causes for those sufferings they must go through.

The Folly is the belief that Candide is going to find Cunegonde like he first loved her. Even though this doesn't happen, that is where optimism comes into effect. With her breast fallen, Candide still took her to be his wife, what "Optimism", what a man (Voltaire 435).

Is There Truely A Utopia

The Uselessness of Philosophical Speculation

Throughout Candide, three different philosophies are presented: optomism, pessimism, and skeptism. Pangloss is the character who embodies optomism. He states: " It is clear that things cannot be otherwise than they are, for since everything is made to serve and end, everything necessarliy serves the best end" (378). He also argues: "that there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause" meaning that everything in the world has a specific purpose and reason (378). Martin, however, is the total opposite of Pangloss. He only sees the worst of any situation due to the hardships he has faced. He has survived being robbed by his wife, beaten by his son, deserted by a daughter foolish enough to get kidnapped, and being fired from the modest job that provided his meager existance. At this point in his life, he has nothing to live for, and therefore, finds no joy in living. He states that "I have seen so many extraordinary things that nothing seems extraordinary anymore" (414). Cacambo is the skeptic. His belief is somewhere in between that of Pangloss and Martin: "That is, Cacambo embodies the notion that one cannot know whether or not ultimate reality can be proven by reason" (Beck). Cacambo has talents: " he had been choirboy, sacristan, sailor, monk, merchant, solider, and lackey" (398). These talents have furthered his knowledge, and he has learned through personal expriences to take a more realistic view on life.

Greed

One of the major themes in Candide is greed. In Candide’s world greed is like an infection that has spread almost everywhere. The only place untouched by greed is Eldorado. Almost everyone Candide meets is driven by the need to acquire wealth. These individuals are portrayed as evil people with no morals.

The merchant Vanderdendur steals Candide’s last two sheep that carry Candide’s jewels. Vanderdendur is one of many characters in the story that is portrayed as being truly evil. Before Candide meets Vanderdendur he meets a slave that was once owned by Vanderdendur. Vanderdendur has cut off this slave’s right hand and left leg and left him on the side of the road.

Candide and Pangloss met a sailor on Jacques’s ship. After a massive earthquake this sailor runs through the ruins looking for anything he can take. His only desire is to gain wealth. As with Vanderdendur this sailor is also shown as being evil beforehand. On Jacques’s ship this sailor attacks Jacques. The violent movements of the ship knock the sailor overboard. Jacques helps the sailor back up. Jacques then falls over the side. The sailor does nothing to help Jacques. He watches as Jacques drowns.

The only place that the disease of greed does not touch is Eldorado. Eldorado is a mythical city filled with gold and jewels. Everyone seeks Eldorado but very few reach it. Greed does not exist there because the gold and jewels have no value. There is so much of the gold that the inhabitants see them as pebbles on the ground. The people of Eldorado live peaceful lives. They are not greedy so they have no need to make war upon each other.

Sexual Exploitation

Resurection

All throughout Candide we see characters being "resurrected". For example, Cunegonde's brother, the Jesuit Baron, is resurrected at the end of the story and also Master Pangloss. Both of these men had supposably been killed earlier on in the story but show up in the end. Candide was to have killed the baron with his sword when he slit his chest open. Pangloss was to have been hung and then burned, but got rescued from the actual burning. The rope that was around his neck was not tight enough, therefore he was still breathing. Also, Candide was badly beat but survived and was nursed back to health. The entire story is really an example of resurrection because everyone was seperated at some point, but all of the main characters end up reunited back together.

The Evil of Poverty

In the story Candide almost everyone in the story is or at once in the clutches of poverty. This seems to be a vice that no one can escape. At one point in the story Candide has supper with six people that used to be kings. Now they were all stripped of their glory and reduced to taking handouts. The old woman that helped Cunegonde was a wealthy princess at one time and also reduced down to slavery. Maybe Voltaire's use of this theme was to show how bad poverty was during his lifetime. He might have felt he could show people how poverty effects those that have to endure it. As Bell says, "After all, without evil, how could individuals exercise free choice" (Bell)?

Immorality

Characters

Candide

A good natured fellow who is in love with Cunégonde. His love for Cunégonde gets him banned from The Baron of Thunder-Ten-Tronckh's castle, for stealing a mere kiss from his beloved crush. It is also important to remember that Candide is the Baron's illegitimate nephew. He seems to have a "black cloud" covering him wherever he goes. This is shown when he starts murdering his beloved's capturers, in order to save her. His choices are easily influenced and they lead him down a path of destruction and dispair wherever he goes.

Cunégonde

The young beautiful daughter of the baron. She is raped and tortured by the Bulgars, while witnessing her family's execution. She is traded may times as a slave. She is given an old slave woman, whom finally reunites her with Candide. While on their journey to South America and out of money, she becomes engaged to Don Fernando d'Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza, the governor of Buenos Aries. It seems that no matter how hard they try, she and Candide cannot seem to get together. However, in the end all the determination of Candide pays off when the two are finally reunited for good.

Pangloss

An optomistic philosopher in the Thunder-Ten-Tronckh's castle. He served as Candide and Cunegonde's childhood professor and later as Candide and Jacques' philosopher. His views on life are that everything that happens, whether it be good or bad, was meant to be. He proves his intellect to Candide by reasoning that "the bay of Lisbon had been formed expressly for this Anabaptist to drown in" after Jacques' death (384). Pangloss is finally hanged for his beliefs during a auto-da-fe.

Jacques

The good Anabaptist who rescued Candide from the “cruel and heartless treatment” inflicted by the black-coated man and his scandalous wife (381). He graciously took Candide home and gave him a bath, bread and beer, two florins, and a job. His charitable nature also moved him to take in Candide’s long-lost friend, Pangloss, and have him cured of the pox at his own expense. Two months later his good deeds cost him his life: Jacques drowned during a horrible tempest after aiding a merciless sailor.

Like Martin [Martin], Jacques is pessimistic towards the behavior of the human race, but Martin believes that man is inherently cruel. Jacques' philosophy is as follows: "It must be, said he, that men have corrupted Nature, for they are not born wolves, yet that is what they have become" (383). In other words, mankind were not created with a predisposition to kill one another, to thrive on the misfortunes of others, or to just be cruel. However, over periods of time, that is what happened.

The old woman

She was born the daughter of Pope Urban the Tenth. She was the Princess of Palestrina until her ship was taken over by pirates. The old woman's life parallels that of Cunégonde in the way that they were both born into a life of privilege and eventually end up as slaves. Both being tortured and raped many times over and left for dead. The old woman, despite life's challanges, states, "I wanted to kill myself, but always I loved life more" (Voltaire 396). She seems real optimistic and seems to hang in there during the trials and tribulations of her life. These two women form a common bond, and the old woman finally reunites Candide and Cunégonde. She remains a servant until she is befriended by Candide and Cunégonde.

Paquette

She is the maidservant to the Baroness. She "caused these torments of hell" from which Pangloss is suffering (383).

Cacambo

He was brought from Cadiz to be Candide's valet. He is honest and speakes many different languages. He even saves Candide from Biglugs, and becomes a valued friend and confidant.

Don Fernando d'Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza

He is the arrogant governor of Buenos Aries. He is the normal stereotyped government official, "he address[es] everyone with the most aristocratic disdain, pointing his nose so loftily, raising his voice so mercilessly, lording it so splendidly, and assuming so arrogant a pose" (396). He finds Cunegonde to be "the most beautiful creature he ha[s] ever seen" (397). Despite Cunegonde and Candide being engaged the governor takes her in as his mistress and plans to marry her.

Martin

A scholar whom Candide meets while traveling. He is very intelligent, but has a pessimistic view of the world, perhaps due to unfortunate events in the course of his life. "Martin bends all perceptions of good into a system that makes evil (anxiety, boredom, etc.) the dominate force in the universe" (Campbell 113).

Martin is a direct counterpart to [Pangloss]. Pangloss sees the world as the best possible place, while Martin sees it as the exact opposite. Martin's philosophy is as follows: " Do you believe, said Martin, that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they could get them? Well, said Martin, if hawks have always had the same character, why do you suppose that men have changed?" (414). Thus, Martin believes that men have always been cruel and will always be cruel. Martin's pessimism also draws parallels to another character, [Jacques the Anabaptist]. Jacques is also pessimistic, but unlike Martin, he believes that kindness goes a long way towards redemption for mankind.

Don Issachar

A wealthy, Jewish man known as the "most choleric Hebrew seen in Israel since the Babylonian captivity," who tries to win Cunegonde's love (389). He shares custody of Cunegonde with The Grand Inquisitor and is also killed by Candide.

Critical Perspectives

Analysis of The Old Woman

The Old Woman is unique in that she is the only character to experience no change throughout the story. She comes into the story "immune to change," and is "an icon of what all will become by the end of the tale" (Marsh). It is the old woman who proves that only true effort and work will rebuild and regenerate these other characters who have suffered so much throughout the story (Marsh).

Resources

Works Cited

  • Bell, Ian. "Candide: Overveiw." Reference Guide to World Literature, 2nd ed. St.James Press, 1995.
  • Campbell, John. The Book of Great Books. New York: Metrobooks,1997.
  • Voltaire, Francois "Candide." The Norton Anthology of Western Literature Ed. Hugo, Howard, et al. 8th ed. New York: W W Norton & Company, 2005. 377-438.
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