Optimism Like A Farce In Candide - Research Paper Example

Optimism Like A Farce In Candide Voltaire satirizes optimism per se and humanity’s perverse nature and their abominable social and political institutions in his novel, “Candide.” Candide is a naïve, illegitimate son, and for some time, he believes in his teacher, Pangloss, who claims that the “best of all possible worlds” already exists and it is only waiting for people to enjoy it (Voltaire 2). Pangloss justifies that the causes of people’s tribulations should be seen as the means of producing the best of all worlds. After Candide’s brief kiss with Cunegonde, however, life goes downhill for him, as well as the other main characters, such as Pangloss. Candide’s journey proves that this is not the “best of all possible worlds,” or that optimism is a farce, because disasters can change fortunes in an instant, the political systems of the world are corrupted, people are immoral and stupid, and society is filled with cruel institutions; thus, the only best world is the one that people make on their own, by maximizing their own abilities and resources. Voltaire shows that people cannot enjoy the best of all worlds when nature and fate are fickle-minded elements that can reverse fortunes immediately. Candide and Pangloss suffer several natural calamities that pushed them to near-death experiences. First, they were shipwrecked, and when they reached land, they experienced a horrendous earthquake. People blamed them and other people’s wicked doings for the earthquake and Candide and Pangloss almost died from their punishments. Second, during their numerous journeys, they experienced being stolen from or deceived. The old woman, the maid of Cunegonde, also suffers from numerous natural mishaps that she grew old without ever regaining her former social stature. Marsh highlights that the old woman depicts the transition from “beauty to ugliness” and “sin to grace” (146). This old woman is Voltaire’s symbol for the uncertainty of life. Vicissitudes can happen anytime, because people cannot control nature and destinies. The best that can happen can be ruined or never happen at all because calamities and fortunes are like earthquakes and storms. They can occur anytime and any place and destroy what is “good” to people. Politics and its systems are corrupt and they eradicate the possibility of achieving the “best of all possible worlds.” Watts argues that this belief comes from Voltaire’s awareness of “Eurocentricism” that does not offer “alternative systems of war and peace, notions of friend and enemy” (343). Wars are one of the most senseless outcomes of political decisions. Chapter three of “Candide” depicts that wars produce the worst results for people who do not even choose to be at war- the ordinary masses. After Candide deserts the Bulgarians, he sees the numerous negative consequences of the war: “The earth was strewed with brains, arms, and legs” (Voltaire 10). Old men and women, who have survived, weep inconsolably over their missing body parts and burnt properties, while their daughters are either raped or killed or mostly both (Voltaire 10). What is more disconcerting is that the actions and intentions of war are arbitrary and stupid. When Candide finds Pangloss, the latter relates how “vengeance” (Voltaire 14) drives the war. The Bulgarians attacked the Baron’s lands and the Abares reaps revenge by replicating what the Bulgarians did to the Bulgarian’s baron. Hence, when politics are ruled by human stupidity and avarice, achieving the best world can only be a dream. The best of all worlds cannot be waiting in the open because people are evil and dim-witted. Pangloss makes the mistake of making love with a wench, which gives him syphilis. Despite what happens to him, he retains his optimism by saying that the cause of his condition is “a necessary ingredient in the best of worlds,” in the same way that Columbus, by virtue of getting the same disease, has allowed present generations to enjoy “chocolate” and “cochineal” (Voltaire 15). This analogy, nevertheless, shows stupidity because of its superficiality. It is true that European conquests and colonial endeavors brought new products and resources to the Old World, but it also destroyed Americas’ environments and wiped out millions of indigents. Voltaire touches upon this subject when Candide and Cacambo reach El Dorado. The old man of the village recounts the greed and materialism of Europeans: "… We have hitherto been sheltered from the rapaciousness of European nations, who have an inconceivable passion for the pebbles and dirt of our land, for the sake of which they would murder us to the last man” (Voltaire 81). Voltaire uncovers the happiness of ancient civilizations that European conquistadores have ruined. In a sense, he sheds the evil of colonialism, because it emphasizes greed and materialism. In addition, Pangloss says contradictory statements, which emphasizes his ignorance, not his wisdom. He believes that all causes lead to good ends, but he also tells Candide: “…all over the globe, there is no letting of blood or taking a glitter, without paying, or somebody paying for you” (Voltaire 16). This means that in this world, people look out for their self-interests and are not naturally good. Pangloss reveals his ineptitude with his illogical philosophical beliefs, while the rest of the world remains largely evil. Where is the best world in this kind of world? It must be further showed that Candide’s journeys describe many people who have mixtures of good and bad natures, while some are entirely evil. James the Anabaptist seems to be a kind person because he helped Candide and Pangloss, but Scherr notes that he is more of a “self-interested businessman” (74). A careful examination of his actions reveals that he also helps people because he knows he will gain from it. For instance, he helps Candide but he uses the latter’s skills to support his business. James also assists Pangloss and pays for his medicine, but only for a quack doctor, since “[he] lost only an eye and an ear” (Voltaire 17). Later, James makes him his “bookkeeper” (Voltaire 17). James confirms his self-serving nature when he later argues with Pangloss that "…mankind have a little-corrupted nature” (Voltaire 17). Still, some characters are vile to the extreme and Voltaire uses paradox to demolish the argument of optimism. For instance, a “reverend Grey Friar” robs Cunegonde of her money and jewels, while James helps save a sailor, but when the former is thrown away to the sea, this sailor “left him to perish, without deigning to look at him” (Voltaire 18). The old woman, who narrates that at fifteen years old, she expects help from a fellow since they share the same language, but instead, she is sold to slavery. These events demonstrate that good people and acts of kindness are rewarded by indifference or evil. Racial discrimination is also a senseless human behavior and an indicator of human’s inhumanity. “Candide” demonstrates overt racism against the Jews. For instance, the Inquisitor, by virtue of “auto-da-fé” bullies a Jew to share his house and Cunegonde with him (Voltaire 32). When the Inquisitor and the Jew also died: “…the Inquisitor was interred in a handsome church, and Issachar's body was thrown upon a dunghill” (Voltaire 37). These two dead bodies are both human beings, but only one is respected, while the other is treated like an animal. There were also instances mentioned of people enslaving blacks because they are physically and culturally different. People have produced inept and stupid social institutions that further render the best life as hardly achievable. One of these institutions is the educational sector. Candide and Pangloss escaped shipwreck, only to face another disaster, an earthquake in Lisbon. Voltaire narrates that “it had been decided by the University of Coimbra, that the burning of a few people alive by a slow fire, and with great ceremony, is an infallible secret to hinder the earth from quaking" (23). This superstition undermines the "wisdom" of the educational system. There is apparently no connection between earthquakes and people's actions, and yet this honorable institution decides to follow barbaric and ancient ways of appeasing the gods of earthquakes. Religious institutions also render stupid acts. The old woman recounts that she loses one of her buttocks, because of famine and an Imam orders soldiers to “cut off a buttock of each of those ladies… heaven will accept of so charitable an action, and send [them] relief" (Voltaire 52). This example shows that depths of human greed in the face of physical problems, such as hunger. They forget that their human beings so that they can do evil actions against other humans. The only best world is the one that is cultivated. Candide stresses this when he says: “…we must cultivate our garden” (Voltaire 167). Voltaire still ends his story on a positive note, because the world can turn fortunes around in a second, but at present, people can succeed in being happy with what they have if they will work hard and mind their own businesses. He depicts that the absence of politics and colonial economics can make it easier to achieve a better, if not the best, world. Voltaire makes fun of optimism as Candide and his friends tumble on one misfortune to another despite remaining positive in thought and actions. “Candide” depicts that the notion of the best world is a joke, because people, their institutions, and nature are chaotic and uncertain. Nevertheless, Voltaire gives hope to the “determined”. The world’s circumstances and people’s cruel mindsets and behaviors might make it difficult to have the best of all worlds, but at present, people who do their best with what they have can experience a sense of happiness and fulfillment, which should be enough to give meaning in their lives, at least momentarily. Works Cited Marsh, Leonard. “Voltaire's Candide.” Explicator 62.3 (2004): 144-146. Print. Scherr, Arthur. “Voltaire's Candide.” Explicator 59.2 (2001): 74-76. Print. Voltaire. Candide. 9 Sept. 2011. Web. < http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19942/19942-h/19942-h.htm>. Watts, Carol. “A Comedy of Terrors: ‘Candide’ and the ‘Jus Publicum Europaeum.’” South Atlantic Quarterly 104.2 (2005): 337-347. Print. Read More