Voltaire's Candide: Basic Ideas Of Optimism
Candide Essay
In the novel, Candide, Voltaire uses many symbols and motifs to satirize the basic ideas of optimism during the eighteenth century. However, Voltaire was not just able to sway the minds of his contemporaries, but he has also left a lasting impression on the modern world by satirizing tenets that have remained from his time to ours. One of the more important symbols in Candide is El Dorado. Voltaire successfully satirizes optimistic thought by using this South American city to represent the follies of two concepts that have been continually linked to optimism for over three hundred years: utopian societies and immense wealth. The city of El Dorado is portrayed as a utopian society in every sense of the term. The city is strewn with precious gems, the food is good, the sleeping accommodations are free, and there is no religious persecution. Candide, after having these utopian attributes reaffirmed by the town sage, optimistically declares that this city is the “best of all possible worlds”. He even goes as far as to say that El Dorado is better than his homeland, a place he believed was also a utopia.
“This is a far cry from Westphalia . . . had our friend Pangloss seen …show more content…
. . and we shall easily rescue Cunégonde.” (Voltaire, 49) Upon leaving, Candide feels some regret but is adamant about rescuing Cunégonde. The message Voltaire is trying to send is that one cannot remain in a utopian society for long. In Eden, the apple spelled doom for Adam and Eve. In El Dorado, the gold not only lessens the regret for leaving, but it also gives Candide a sense of security to fall back on during the quest for his apple, Cunégonde. However, this immense wealth, which seems to be the “best of all possible worlds”, proves to be the exact opposite for
In the novel, Candide, Voltaire uses many symbols and motifs to satirize the basic ideas of optimism during the eighteenth century. However, Voltaire was not just able to sway the minds of his contemporaries, but he has also left a lasting impression on the modern world by satirizing tenets that have remained from his time to ours. One of the more important symbols in Candide is El Dorado. Voltaire successfully satirizes optimistic thought by using this South American city to represent the follies of two concepts that have been continually linked to optimism for over three hundred years: utopian societies and immense wealth. The city of El Dorado is portrayed as a utopian society in every sense of the term. The city is strewn with precious gems, the food is good, the sleeping accommodations are free, and there is no religious persecution. Candide, after having these utopian attributes reaffirmed by the town sage, optimistically declares that this city is the “best of all possible worlds”. He even goes as far as to say that El Dorado is better than his homeland, a place he believed was also a utopia.
“This is a far cry from Westphalia . . . had our friend Pangloss seen …show more content…
. . and we shall easily rescue Cunégonde.” (Voltaire, 49) Upon leaving, Candide feels some regret but is adamant about rescuing Cunégonde. The message Voltaire is trying to send is that one cannot remain in a utopian society for long. In Eden, the apple spelled doom for Adam and Eve. In El Dorado, the gold not only lessens the regret for leaving, but it also gives Candide a sense of security to fall back on during the quest for his apple, Cunégonde. However, this immense wealth, which seems to be the “best of all possible worlds”, proves to be the exact opposite for