So Bryce's post and our class discussions really got me thinking. El Dorado, of course, is a utopia. But Candide and his friends also find peace working on their farm at the end of Candide. Like Adam and Eve, they tend the garden or otherwise work, and they seem to be in harmony. They don't even really argue that much anymore; whenever Pangloss attempts to engage them in philosophical discussions, Candide simply replies that they must cultivate the garden and implies that it's time to put away the philosophy. They seem content with what they have, as simple a life as it may be.
But what was Voltaire's point? Not just to their being in the Ottoman Empire, but also in finally having them settle down? Is it more satire?
When Candide left El Dorado, he kind of squandered his money, and not much good came out of it. But this time, he doesn't leave the "paradise" that he's found. Would it be reading too much into it to wonder if Voltaire is again criticizing Candide?
We know that Voltaire despised complacency and criticized the idea of optimism partly for that reason. In response to one of Bryce's posts, I mentioned that one of the reasons I personally would not want to remain in El Dorado is that it seems too much like a life of complacency and comfort, and I mentioned that Candide totally could have used all his gems and gold to actually help some people out who really needed help. This time, he shows complacency not by leaving his paradise and yet still not correcting societal evils, but by remaining in his paradise and doing nothing to help the "outside" world. It's kind of like he's just ignoring the problems that are still out there.
I'm sure there are multiple interpretations of the ending of Candide, so this isn't necessarily the right one of course, and I haven't decided yet what exactly I think either; I just think it's a possible one.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I agree with what you say here, ally. I feel that Voltaire is trying to emphasize that point that happiness can come from the simplest of things. Philosophers continue to ask questions and make the philosophical journey to answer the age-old question: how do humans achieve true happiness? Voltaire uses the garden to show that you don't need a "perfect" Utopia (Eldorado) or a Lavish city of gold (Constantinople) to be at peace. Peace comes when you ignore the traditional process of happiness (work hard, succeed, and build a happy life). You don't need a specific type of belief, mindset or religion to be happy' happy comes from simplicity.
Post a Comment