Essay Response to Questions on Voltaire's Candide:
Candide was a satirical story written by Voltaire in 1759 to illustrate the lack of clarity man has in regards to his environment. It suggests that society impresses upon man at an early age the myths that he will live his life by. This causes a cycle, as each generation passes to the next the ‘philosophy of life’. To Voltaire, who seemed to have found many of these ideas unintelligent, it was about time that someone notice that the welfare of every single individual should not revolve around the welfare of the local or global rulers. He very well pointed out that money, philosophy, rank, love, and religion had little impact upon the overall ambience of Candide’s life.
To distribute this philosophy in wide circulation, where masses of people could read, discuss, and further distribute the idea that a happy life was not dependant on such materials or actions, could prove absolutely disastrous to a ruling system. At the end of Candide, happiness was not attained about through wealth, love, position or any of the things Candide had thought would make him happy, but simply by keeping himself from the “three great evils: boredom, vice and poverty.” (Voltaire’s Candide, page 119) For, without a need for money, rank, or religion, the masses don’t need the oppression and poverty that come with their lot in the current social environment. Instead, each individual desires the right to have an attempt at a pleasing life where needs are met, instead of accepting a life designated by caste position. Once the masses realize that they really don’t have to live in poverty, it’s a matter of time before they figure out how to remove the oppressions and free themselves to a lifestyle where they can keep themselves busy and have enough to survive. Once the system as a whole fails, it must be replaced to fit the current needs of the people. At the time this book was written, this meant that the small rich upper class would have to be removed, and the wealth (not just money, but the staples of life including food and a place of safety) redistributed to a more equal level, with a large middle class. Now, if a king, who was taught that there can be no better life than one in his position, could help avoid the fate of losing all of his power and wealth (and maybe a head) to a notion being distributed by a book, wouldn’t he try? What better way than to ban the book, thus damaging the character and validity of the source along with the idea?
Whether or not a similar work would be banished today depends on a couple of key factors. The first is that the book would only be banned if it would be damaging to the person or group with the power to ban it. The second factor is that the masses may be able to override this power. Currently, the United States would have a harder time banning and burning a book, than to simply pay for it to not be published. For, if the book is published and distributed anywhere, interested citizens will find a means of procuring the information. Also, the age of the internet makes the passage of information much more difficult to control.
The best theme of the Enlightenment to be seen in Candide is equality amongst the people. Almost every negative incident is caused by greed or lust of some sort. The Grand Inquisitor and a Jew were killed through Candide’s jealousy. Candide lost his fortune to theft. Cunegonde’s brother the baron was sold back to slavery because of pride. True happiness was only attained when each person contributed equally to the cause of the whole. This was done by each person using his or her own talents and abilities to satisfy needs of the group.
To a certain extent, that ideal lifestyle can still give us a lesson today, well after the Enlightenment. Even though the wealth may now be distributed among a larger group of people than the few nobility, there are still those that have much difficulty meeting the food and security needs to live a humane life. There are still those that kill, steal, connive, and lie for little personal benefit, causing major pain and anguish to other individuals, or even to society as a whole. Perhaps someday we will find a way to overcome the idea that the value of our individual success is greater than the success of all society, and we will create the utopia that has eluded us for so long.
All writings © 2000 Derek Lamb
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© 2000 brmusic@yahoo.com