Voltaire’s adventurous, yet satirical, story of Candide sheds light on not only the extreme optimism that some possess, but also deep pessimism as well. From the start of Candide’s treacherous, yet enlightening, journey in Chapter 1, that takes place in the German province of Westphalia to this final destination in Constantinople in Chapter 30 of the book, the main question of this world being, “the best of all possible worlds” (page 2) is explored through the eyes of Candide and his traveling companions. Throughout this essay, these ideas and the symbolism behind them will be thoroughly examined and explained.
For starters, Voltaire (also known as François-Marie Arouet) was a one of the world’s most famous philosophers. He was well-known for his wit and satire within his works. Not only that, but he was a crusader against bigotry and tyranny, and he advocated for basic civil liberties such as freedom of religion and trade. Because of this, he was an outspoken supporter of social reform and criticized intolerance along with the religious stigmas that may align with it. Relating all of Voltaire’s philosophical beliefs to his book Candide, there is a reflection of Voltaire’s lifelong aversion to Christian regimes of power and the arrogance of nobility.
Not only that, but it also criticizes certain aspects of the philosophical movement of the Enlightenment. It attacks the ideas of optimism and asserts that rational thought can restrict the evils committed by human beings. Candide was also a reflection of Voltaire’s thoughts on the popular thinkers of the Enlightenment period. The philosophes of one these thinkers, Gottfried Leibniz, was one of the main motives behind Voltaire’s Candide, because of Leibniz’s narrow-minded view of optimism. In Candide, Voltaire makes an intentional parallel from a character of known as Pangloss to Leibniz’s beliefs. On page 2 in the book, Pangloss makes a reference to Leibniz’s view of optimism by stating, “… Noses were made to wear spectacles, and so we have spectacles. Legs were visibly instituted to be breeched, and we have breeches…” Voltaire is making fun of the way that the effect justifies the cause in this quote, therefore, mocking the ideas and beliefs of Leibniz.
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These ideas of optimism shape the way the book is read and understood. It also gives the reader a better understanding of the character’s thoughts throughout their travels. The first parallel between the ideas of optimism and Candide’s first destination in Westphalia was made on page 3 of the book. This was when Candide was kicked out of the castle for becoming romantically involved with his lover, Cunegonde. He is then forced to travel and ends up joining the army of the Bulgars (Prussia at the time of the Seven Years War).
In the midst of this horrendous war, Candide faces mass destruction, death, and butchery. All of this chaos and heartbreak alone beg the question in Candide’s mind from Pangloss’s teachings, is this the best of all possible worlds? Even when Candide had to choose between execution and running the gauntlet, this thought was questioned. And it was questioned because of this: how could this be the best of all possible worlds if all of this misery and pain could occur only to him? He states that Pangloss’s teachings are nothing but a mere lie on page 15 of the book, “Pangloss must have deceived me cruelly when he told me that all is for the best in this world.”
This idea of optimism is still questioned when Candide and his companions set off to South America, on quest for the best. When Candide and his traveling companion, Cacambo, discover El Dorado, they believe, for just a fleeting moment, that Pangloss’s teachings might be true. El Dorado is Voltaire’s utopia, featuring no organized religion and no religious persecution. None of the inhabitants attempts to force beliefs on others, no one is imprisoned, and the king greets visitors as his equals. This king was far from autocratic. In fact, the king was described as an enlightened king. This kingdom of El Dorado is described as having an advanced educational system and poverty is nonexistent within its boundaries. This world is clearly the best of all worlds, and seems to be the “best of all possible worlds” in terms of Pangloss’s views. On page 33 in the book, Candide even admits to this, “Here now, said Candide, is a country that’s better than Westphalia.”
Upon his arrival to his final destination of the book, Constantinople, Candide openly states that, “… all is for the best…” (page 66). It is only a few pages later that Pangloss recounts the horrific things he has experienced so far. Whether it be a botched hanging from the Holy Inquisition or being wanted in general, he says at the bottom on page 70 that while it was miserable and almost unbearable to go through what he did he is, “…still of my first opinion. For after all, I am a philosopher and it would not be right for me to recant since Leibniz could not possibly be wrong…” It is at this point in the book that we see the very obvious parallel and reference to the basis of the book itself.
This is not the only comparison we see in the last few chapters, though. In the very last chapter of the book, Voltaire wraps up the story by saying, “Il faut cultiver notre jardin.” or “We must cultivate our garden.” This line makes a reference to the very beginning of the story when Voltaire uses Candide’s beginning to reference the Garden of Eden. Voltaire designed Chapter 1 of Candide in a way that is recognizable to readers as a written parody of the story of the Fall in the Bible. In this chapter, Voltaire effortlessly correlated the characters together to display his connection to the Fall. For example, there was a pretty obvious correlation between the character Candide and Adam and Eve.
The kiss in the first chapter represents the forbidden fruit as it is depicted in the book of Genesis (The Bible). When Candide was banished from the castle, this signified the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Because of the way Voltaire introduced the relation between the two books (the Bible and Candide) in the first chapter, it allows Voltaire to show readers the route in which he is taking this story. This subtle comparison alone makes a strong connection the ending theme of “the garden” in the final chapter of Candide.
I think what Candide means by stating “we must cultivate our garden” is that there is a motivation for self-improvement, a want for being content with oneself and your surroundings, the need for caring for others, and the imperativeness of making the most out of what you have and have experienced. This can relate back to the Chapter 1 garden reference because that implied “the fall of mankind”, however, this use of the garden is taking the mistakes and the experiences you have gone through to make you a better, more content, individual.
