CanDIDe and What He DID

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Candide by Volatire follows the story of a man, Candide, who travels the world in search for his love Cunegonde. On his journey he encounters many diverse people and places such as Eldorado, a city made of gold, and a cannibalistic tribe.

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            Voltaire satirically reflects the philosophical thinkers of the Enlightenment with one of his characters named Pangloss who presses on Candide that “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.” Candide holds on to this optimism while he is ruthlessly beaten with unfortunate events throughout the novel such as floggings and robberies. This leads to the characters and the reader to wonder whether or not there is truly a “God” and whether or not he is “good”.

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            From Voltaire’s perspective, there is a Clockwork God who designed the universe, pressed a button, and watches the repercussions. The reader must make the assumption that every action is the result of a cause that is not intentionally bad or good but the result of another cause. Bad and good things will happen out of the control of people in general. Voltaire represents this through his characters with Candide and his many trials (bad) but he ultimately receives (an ugly) Cunegonde and a farm with all his friends(good). Sadly, Candide and his friends face a brutal boredom that leaves everyone quarrelsome.

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            Candide and his friends avoid boredom by cultivating their garden. By sitting around and philosophically speculating about the world, everyone is left with an empty unfulfilled life. They all seek change in the world around them and expect it to happen on its own. Working on their farm finally gives them a productive result they can see and touch. Voltaire teaches the reader that though you can stop to philosophize about the word, to create real results you must make a change by taking action because God only watches and does not intervene. You must be the change you wish to see in the world (Mahatma Ghandi).