Lessons Of Enlightenment: Discussing Voltaire's Candide

Voltaire's Life and Philosophy

Question:

Discuss About The Lessons Of Enlightenment Search For Truth?

The above quoted lines of Voltaire clearly give a portrait of Voltaire, the man himself. François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), the real name of the famous French author Voltaire, was a “creature of his age” who raised himself above his other contemporaries by virtue of his philosophical as well as literary works (Cronk 2017). The name of Voltaire is famous as a “French Enlightenment” writer, philosopher and politician, who through his work try to propound the themes of “freedom of expression”, “freedom of religion”, “freedom of speech”, “the separation of Church and the State” and various others (Cronk 2017). His most remarkable works include “Candide”, “La Henriade and Mariamne”, “History of Charles XII (1731)” and various others (Majksner and Oswald 2016).

“Candide, ou l'Optimisme”, the original French work of Voltaire was published in the year 1759. The English version of this play was published in the year 1759 with the title “Candide: or, All for the Best” (Voltaire 2005). The entire play revolves around the central character Candide and his journey through the play (Majksner and Oswald 2016). The play is often seen to a satirical portray of the philosophies of Voltaire himself. The play intends to portray the philosophy of Voltaire which he stated in the poem “Poem on the Lisbon Disaster”,

“Unlucky mortals! O deplorable earth!

All humanity huddled in fear!

The endless subject of useless pain!

Come philosophers who cry,   “All is well,”

And contemplate the ruins of this world.”

According to the friend of Candide, Pangloss, “we live in the best of all possible worlds”(Voltaire 2005). However, the world which Voltaire portrays in the play is a very bleak one. Voltaire himself repudiates this particular optimism of Pangloss by saying, “If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?” (Voltaire 2005). It is to be noted that Candide from the very beginning of the play is not a very optimistic person and after his expulsion from the castle of the baron he comes to repudiate the rosy optimism of Pangloss (Israel 2013). It is to be noted that by the end of the play he comes to hold the view which Voltaire himself articulates in his famous poem “Poem on the Lisbon Disaster”,

“Behold the debris and ashes of the unfortunate—

These women and children heaped in common ruin,

These scattered limbs  under the broken marble.

See the            hundred thousand whom the earth devours!

Torn, bloody, and still breathing, they are

Entombed beneath roofs, and die without relief

From the horror of their suffering lives.”

It is to be noted that the central idea which keeps Candide going through out the play is his wish to marry the daughter of the baron Cunégonde. He says, “It is love; love, the comfort of the human species, the preserver of the universe, the soul of all sentient beings, love, tender love” (Voltaire 2005). The optimistic philosophy which is taught by Pangloss to Candide is seriously challenged in the world outside the castle, for example during incidents like the death of Jacques, who dies while trying to save Candide and Pangloss, the horror of the war in which he participates on behalf of the Bulgars and others (Besterman 1971). The fate which Cunégonde and Pangloss meet in the world outside the castle also shakes the optimistic view taught to Candide by Pangloss. The hypocrisy of wealth is indicated by the acquisition of wealth by Candide and his loss of that (Israel 2013). It is to be noted that at the end of the play he finds the solution to these problems, “Our labour preserves us from three great evils -- weariness, vice, and want” (Voltaire 2005). The hypocrisy of the concept of liberty is portrayed in words like “All men are by nature free; you have therefore an undoubted liberty to depart whenever you please, but will have many and great difficulties to encounter in passing the frontiers” (Voltaire 2005).

Overview of Candide

This particular play of Voltaire seeks to portray evil through the symbolism which the work uses. Evil has been portrayed in several ways in the play like the depiction of the war, the suffering endured by the characters Pangloss, Cunégonde and others, the death of Jacques, the brutal rape of Cunégonde and the old woman who stays with her, the greed of wealth and others (Cronk 2017). It is to be noted that the evil portrayed in the novel is considered to be in synchronisation with the view of evil articulated in the poem

Who lie bleeding at their mother’s breast?

Did fallen Lisbon indulge in more vices

Than London or Paris,            which live in pleasure?

It is to be noted that the work of Voltaire often questions the nature of evil in this world. Thus, Voltaire himself justifies the atrocities which Candide undergoes while serving in the army of the Bulgar, “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets” (Voltaire 2005). Therefore, it can be said that Voltaire portrays evil as a natural thing in the world and hence this particular play of his also portrays the same theme.

It is to be noted that there are several incidents as well as events which Candide encounters during his sojourn which shakes his belief in the concept of optimism. One of the major characters whom Candide encounters during his sojourn is Jacques, who provides him in time of his need and also to Pangloss. However, he is drowned while Candida as well as Pangloss both survives the storm. Another incident to be noted is the incidence of his acquirement of wealth and its subsequent loss. The rape and the slavery of Cunégonde is another incident which shakes his belief in the concept of optimism. Thus towards the end of the play he says that optimism is the "obstinacy of maintaining that everything is best when it is worst” (Voltaire 2005).

It is to be noted that since the beginning of the play Candide is not a very ardent believer in the concept of optimist. However, during the course of the play his view of optimist is shaken and at the end of the play it would not be too far-fetched to say he loses his faith in the very concept. It is to be noted that since the beginning of the play the only thing that kept him going was his love for Cunégonde and his desire to marry. However, towards the end of the play he finds her to be very ugly and after marrying her he finds out marrying her has not solved the dilemmas faced by him in any way. Thus at the end of the play Martin says, “Let us work without reasoning, it is the only way to make life endurable” and he totally agrees with that (Voltaire 2005).

It is to be noted by the end of the play Candide does starts to repudiate the view point of Pangloss, especially his rosy concept that this is the best of the world (Voltaire 2005). Thus, towards the end of the play along with Martin he turns towards work to find solace from the mundane realities of the world.

In my view the perspective of Candide changes as he gets to know about the ugly as well as the mundane realties of the outside world. It is to be noted that at the castle he was protected from the outside and did not have much idea about the concept of evil. However, once he left the castle he experienced evil at first hand and this was the reason for his repudiation of Pangloss’s optimism.

Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that the play, Candide is one of the best plays of Voltaire. In this particular play, he has given voice to some of his personal opinions about the nature of evil and optimism. Therefore, the character Candide and his journey through the play are often seen as satirical representations

References

Besterman, T. ed., 1971. Philosophical dictionary (Vol. 3). Penguin UK.

Cronk, N., 2017. Voltaire's Candide: Lessons of enlightenment and the search for truth.

Israel, J., 2013. Democratic enlightenment: philosophy, revolution, and human rights 1750-1790. Oxford University Press.

Majksner, I. and Oswald, T.V., 2016. Popularization and/or Trivialization of Philosophy in Voltaire's Narrative Candide or Optimism. CLEaR, 3(2), pp.32-39.

Voltaire, F., 1912. Poem on the Lisbon Disaster. Tolerance and Other Essays, pp.255-263.

Voltaire, F., 2004. Philosophical dictionary. Penguin UK.

Voltaire, F., 2005. Candide: Or Optimism (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition). Penguin.