The world was in turmoil there in 1700. Wars were fought, corruption was rampant, and a wave of philosophers began to question the social order in the thought we now know as the Enlightenment. Most people, when they read their opinions from the torrent of ideas flooding in such a world, could quietly reflect and be satisfied. Voltaire was extraordinary in this way: he made his opinions, and then evaluated them for the whole world, in such a way that they became the best satires of the age. One of the most poignant of these is Candide, a wittily witty story about a young peasant whose misfortunes lead him from a life of dull study to one of misfortune, misery, and a vanished fortune. Having rejected both the lofty doctrines of the Enlightenment movement and the stagnant views of traditional society, Voltaire represented unique ideas and a flying hybrid, which gathers him generous praise and abundance of time in exile. Voltaire uses Candide to chronicle his personal criticisms of philosophy, religion, and even the Enlightenment movement.
One of Voltaire’s criticisms in Candide is quite in alignment with the dogmas of the Enlightenment: the idea that the church has become irrevocably corrupt and hypocritical and in need of reform is the main theme of the novel. When Candide and his companions come to a place called Gades to gather the military fleet, and the narrator gives this account of the gathering: “The fleet was there in readiness, and the Jesuit Fathers were summoning a group to strike some sense. of Paraguay, accused that one of the nations in the neighborhood of the Holy Sacrament had established a rebellion against the Kings of Spain and Portugal” (23). The common association of priests with peace and purity is torn apart by the idea that they are also driven by the forces behind secular controversies. Although the involvement of the Church in political affairs has never been completely hidden, it is very irreverent to come out right and suggest that the association of the holy man is supposed to be responsible for his wars. The subtlety of the way Voltaire brings the reader to this conclusion. Voltaire does not need to distort the church viciously; He simply makes sharp and slightly slanderous observations, and the reader is led to understand what is behind it. Furthermore, there is evidence of clerical corruption throughout the volume, and most surprisingly in one instance, when Candide deals with Cunegonde’s brother, the baron, a Jesuit priest. Candide and the baron get along very well, but relations between them suddenly sour when Candide intends to marry Cunegonde. The Jesuit baron is so enraged by this news that he “[Strikes Candide] in the face with the point of a sword” (38). The baron’s anger arises mainly from the fact that his sister and Candide are of different social, and his anger seems extreme. unusual and ultra-conservative, even in context. The means of this exchange is to remove the pious attitude, which the most religious members have the advantage of concealing, and to expose the baron for what he really is: a great man, an unscrupulous man, who, though pious, is unwilling. leave matters to God to decide.
Although many criticisms of the book focus on the corruption and hypocrisy of the church, many of Voltaire’s critical black humors are also concerned with the inherent vanity of philosophy. As Candide and his companion Pangloss travel through Lisbon, there is an unfortunate succession of events that almost level the city. The local universities of philosophers and literati are best placed to prevent such disasters: “It pleased the University of Coimbra that the burning of a few people with slow fire and great ceremony is an infallible secret. They prevent the earth from being stunned” (13). to scourge several innocent citizens, Pangloss and Candide included. The obvious value of such a mission is not only to question all the principles of society, but also to create them for the office of public officials. Voltaire not only wove this singular story of philosophical folly, but also repaired the situation to further ridicule< /a> the elevated thought falling and almost killed, Pangloss, whose only real skills are in the field of philosophy, is completely useless for the action of assisting Candide. On this matter, as Candide lay bleeding, Pangloss tries to engage him in a debate, proving himself well suited to the substantial demands of life in the real world;
“Candide had been wounded by some falling stones. He was lying in the street under the rubble.
“Alas!” said Pangloss, “Take wine and oil for me; I am dying.”
“This shaking of the earth is not new,” replied Pangloss. “The city of Lima, in America, experienced the same movements last year, the same cause, the same effects; certainly a train of sulfur underground from Lima to Lisbon.”
“Nothing more likely,” said Candide; “but for the love of God a little oil and wine.”
“How likely?” answered the philosopher. “I assert that the point can be demonstrated” (13).
A friend, though capable of lying in the way, Pangloss has no practical skills, and signifies the futility of complicated philosophical muses. The point to be made, then, is that while a man spent his whole life, worthy of the scholar’s book, knowledge, as still to be utterly inept in the affairs of life, to be acted upon daily by chance. to be unfruitful, and vital, active men should invest themselves more profitably in studies.
Voltaire took up philosophy as a lambast, but he also spends many pages mocking the foolish hope he shares with the Enlightenment. Candide is often cited as one of the pre-Enlightenment texts of the age, but in fact, many of the sentences that appear throughout the text are critical of the Enlightenment movement, especially those expressed by Voltaire. Candide, for example, is regarded with the utmost optimism and simplicity, which is subtly articulated through his actions and words. Although he is supposed to be an adult, he lacks basic common sense, and lacks all the knowledge that is usually useful in life. He is slow to spend, and he believes everything that is said. This innocent credulity and general obscurity is a reflection of Voltaire’s criticism of the followers of the Enlightenment. Candide begins his conclusions near the end, when he concludes from all his life experience that man’s only true duty in life is to “cultivate his garden” (88). In general, Voltaire’s satire is critical of someone who jumps too easily on any bandwagon, and his view of the followers of the Enlightenment was that most of them were quick to support something that they did not yet fully understand. The chief fault in Candide, then, is not that he is anything of simplicity, but that he allows his ignorance to lead him into inconvenient matters. But Panglossa is the ideal model of the enlightened philosopher. He is thoughtful and contemplative, and although he is not for anything more than philosophy, yet that is most healthy. The reproach comes when Pangloss shares his philosophy with others. He spends much of his time impressing Candide with his convictions, many of which are overly idealistic and idealistic. This is where Voltaire most disagrees with the movement of the Enlightenment: Voltaire sees the philosophy of the Enlightenment as equally too idealistic, and therefore deeply flawed. This sentence is reflected in one of the most common words of Pangloss: “This is the best of all possible worlds” (4). Such is this logic that Panglossa applies to everything in Panglossa’s life. He leaves him perfectly content, but his philosophy leads him to ignore the true faults in his society. Voltaire’s voice later enters the novel in the form of Candide, who, after seeing the horrible atrocities and hearing the stories of rape and murder, asks: “If this is the best of all possible worlds, what else is like it?” (15). In the end, the reader is left feeling that all of Pangloss’s theories are fundamentally false, but that he, like any philosopher in the real world, can do the best he can with whom he works. It is then clear that Voltaire is criticizing social institutions and infrastructures, he is not really asking for impossible changes: he is simply trying to reduce the stupidity of the status quo.
Voltaire in the change of time in a time in which new ideas were mixed and old traditions lived. always left His satire, all at the same time political, critical, and philosophical, did not invade any subjects, but not together with any institution. Voltaire was not a follower of any orthodoxy, and his frequent humor exposed the folly in all parts of society, exposing the defects of the institutions of religion, philosophy, and even the popular movement of all things, by enlightenment.
Works Citation
Voltaire Candida New York: Oxford Classics, 1999.
