Candide Essay, Research Paper

Beginning in the seventeenth century and peaking in the eighteenth century, the champions of the Enlightenment called for rebellion against superstition, fear, and prejudice. They attacked the aristocracy and the church. Candide, which reflects Voltaire s lifelong aversion to Christian regimes of power and the arrogance nobility, is a prime example of the philosophical values of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment is a term applied to a wide variety of ideas and advances in the fields of philosophy, science, and medicine. Many historians mark the French Revolution as the crowning event of the era. The primary feature of Enlightenment philosophy is faith in the power of reason and rational thought to lead human beings to a better social structure. A spirit of social reform characterized the political ideology.

While Voltaire s Candid is heavily characterized by the primary concerns of the Enlightenment, it also criticizes certain aspects of the movement. It attacks the strain of optimism that holds that rational can curtail the evils perpetrated by human beings. Like other Enlightenment thinkers, Voltaire believed that society could and should be changed for the better. He wanted to see irrational prejudice and hatred abolished. However, he did not suffer from a na ve optimism regarding human nature. He viewed his fellow creatures with a deep permission. The collection of villains in Candide plainly reflects this pessimism. He did not believe in the power of reason to overcome contemporary social conditions. Many thinkers of the Enlightenment found their most vigorous support in the aristocracy, a group of people they also often criticized. This meant the philosophy of the Enlightenment was used to improve rather than undermine the position of the nobility. The Enlightenment spawned the idea of the enlighten monarchy. Rather than denying the divine right of kings, this particular school of thought saw reasons as a way to produce enlightened monarch, rulers who would use their power to ensure the protection of their subjects rights. This school of thought served to justify the increasingly centralized power of some regimes. The reach of the monarch s power was lengthened so that he or she could ensure this prosecution.

For a reader to have a true understanding of Candide, they must know the purpose of Voltaire s writing. Voltaire shows the flaws of Leibniz, a German philosopher of Voltaire s time, idea the world they live in is the best of all possible worlds cause it is Gods creation through the use of satire.

Candide is rooted in historical events of the time, including the Seven Years’ War, the execution of Admiral Byng in 1747, and the war between England and France for Canadian territory. Furthering this time of political unrest was the beginning of the Enlightenment period during which an educated elite called the Philosophes including Voltaire and other well-known figures such as Denis Diderot began questioning European beliefs and institutions and speaking out against intolerance and injustice. While extremely popular with the Parisian public, his contemporaries, and even royalty, Voltaire himself was subjected to injustices (particularly his imprisonment in the Bastille for writing a satire about the Regent of France) that are believed to have influenced his writing of Candide.

As the title of the book suggests, Candide is synonymous with optimism. Pure and unbelievably naive, Candide follows the philosophy taught him by Pangloss that this is the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire uses Candide as a tool to show the absolute ludicracy of complete optimism. At points Candide calls into doubt the credibility of Pangloss’ philosophy, but is sure to return to it when even the slightest bit of hope rears its head. This undying optimism, however foolish it is portrayed throughout the book, does provide for Candide that which is nearly impossible for the other characters in the novel to find; happiness. Though it may be out of naivet or ignorance, Candide is happy at many points in the book, especially any point where he has a chance to see his darling Cunegonde again. He seldom dwells on his misfortunes, and looks to the future for hope while many of the other characters mull over what a horrid existence they lead.

The Venetian Nobleman, Lord Pococurante relates to Candide in a manner slightly different than most of the other characters. While most other characters differ from Candide by their pessimism (most notable Martin, who seems to be the antitheses of Candide’s optimism), Lord Pococurante is unhappy with life because he is supremely jaded with what the world has to offer. He is thus Candide’s opposite as much as Martin, though the opposition is based upon the noble’s jaded state versus Candide’s naive one. By the book’s conclusion Candide is no longer convinced of Pangloss’ philosophy, throwing out systematic optimism. Voltaire has thus used Candide to show the effects of optimism in practice on one’s life, and also to reject the theory, effectively showing Voltaire’s opinion on this philosophy popularized by Alexander Pope in his Essay on Man. Candide’s esteemed teacher of metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigology is portrayed from start to finish as something of a fool. He represents in the book exactly that which he is; a philosopher. Pangloss often gives long speeches full of large words and faulty logic. These speeches most often have little or no value to anyone, including Pangloss, but simply state the obvious, or are invalid and full of logistic holes. An overriding trait Pangloss seems to have is that he never actually does anything other than talk. Similar to nobility, he lives off of the toil of others while accomplishing nothing. An important difference between the philosopher and the nobility is that the philosopher is not actively extorting and oppressing the common people. It is possible that Voltaire views the philosopher as necessary despite their unproductive nature, as Pangloss remains unchanged throughout the book, even when it is shown his philosophy is flawed.

This consistency of character and the fact that Pangloss is thought to have been killed multiple times and kept coming back possibly shows another point Voltaire is attempting to make. That philosophers will always be around, and that while they may be at most times useless, you can’t really get rid of them anyway. Pangloss represents optimism to as great a degree as Candide, although he lacks the naivet of his student. Martin represents pessimism and worldliness more than any other character in the novel. He refutes Candide’s idea that this is the best of all possible worlds, speaking instead of the harsh realities of the world, one in which men war, rape, pillage, envy, lust, are miserable and just don’t seem to get along with each other. In face of the happenings within the novel, Martin is somewhat justified in being a pessimist, and could perhaps be classified as more of a realist. Martin often seems to represent the sentiments of Voltaire, as he is constantly being proven right, as when he predicted the misery of Paquette and Friar Giroflee, and also when he predicted their increased misery by Candide’s donation. Similar to Lord Pococurante, Martin was jaded with the world, though not to such an extreme degree. Martin may also represent reason, and it is through this reason he realizes so much about the world, and is disgusted by it. Candide’s idolized lover, Cunegonde’s character is much less developed than the other main characters. Cunegonde is treated more as an object than a person. She is what Candide is searching for. Candide believes that when he finds his beloved Cunegonde, he will find satisfaction.

Cunegonde’s position as a possession is strengthened by her constant change of masters as she is shipped around the world being a slave and/or mistress. Cunegonde’s object status is similar to that which the old woman speaks of when recounting her difficult life to Candide and Cunegonde. The old woman was an object passed from man to man for sexual purposes in her youth. Following the teachings of Pangloss closely, Cunegonde seems to have little preference for her fate. Perhaps Voltaire is simply portraying the treatment of women at the time, but it is also possible that Cunegonde is extremely manipulative when dealing with men. To be so desired by various men and held in high regard as a mistress, that Cunegonde was likely not as naive as she appeared to be when around Candide. In one of the only parts where she appears in the novel outside the direct perception of Candide, she heeds the old woman and decides to marry My Lord the Governor instead of staying faithful to Candide. Perhaps Cunegonde represents the female manipulative power also represented by the Marquise, but in a more secretive manner. Like other aged females in the book, Cunegonde becomes ugly and shrewish in old age. Even in her age, however, she is shrewd enough to hold Candide to his promise of marriage, using him to escape slavery and become economically sound, whereas in her youth and beauty he could offer her nothing by marriage. The lessons that we get from Candide are all very pertinent in todays society. The lessons that Voltaire discovered that long ago are still having an impact on the global society.