Throughout Voltaire’s Candide, a multitude of themes became evident as one progressed through the narrative. These themes were essential in provoking thought and consideration amongst readers, as well as increasing the interest level that motivated the audience to dive into the meanings of this literary work. The recurrence of concepts that were woven into the narrative, such as wealth, optimism, and organized religion, showed Voltaire’s opinions towards these subjects and the thought processes that a multitude of people held during the period in which he lived. The first theme of interest is wealth.
Voltaire portrays gaining money in Candide as a temporary fulfillment of happiness that will eventually cause the feeling of sorrow to overcome joy. A prime example of this theme occurred through the sudden influx but gradual depletion of Candide’s wealth (Cuffe, (2005)). When he gained the riches from El Dorado, he was in a state of ecstasy, as he was hopeful that this gain would fix the worst of his problems. However, this was not the case, as it eventually caused him to become even more unhappy than when he was penniless at the start of his wild adventures. It could also be said that Candide’s money caused his life to become more complicated, as it attracted people who enacted a veil of false generosity to him in exchange for his riches. Other examples of how wealth can be a double-edged sword include Count Prococurate’s generalized boredom with the presence of valued works of art and books and Brother Giroflee’s and Paquette’s continued misery after Candide donated some of his wealth (Cuffe, (2005)). Voltaire’s interpretation of this influx of wealth is that although poverty is an unfortunate circumstance, experiencing an increase in fortune afflicts the victim with as many problems as it solves and leads him/her down a complicated path of misery and unhappiness. The second theme of interest is optimism.
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Pangloss and Candide supported the philosophical notion that the world exists in the best of conditions and that everything that happens in the world is for the best because it was created by an inherently benevolent God (Cuffe, (2005)). This idea, which they adopted from several philosophers of that time, also stated that evil is technically nonexistent because its existence would go against the notion of God’s benevolence. At the beginning of the novel, Candide strongly supports Pangloss’s optimism. However, as their journey within the narrative progressed, they were placed in certain situations that served to gradually cause Candide’s belief to waver (Cuffe, (2005)). Their exposure to flogging, rape, robbery, executions, natural disasters, and disease have no element of optimism to them and points towards the world’s cruelty and God’s indifference towards mankind. Voltaire emphasized these random and horrific acts to expose the absurd justifications that Pangloss would attempt to make, as they were both nonsensical and failed to account for the needless sufferings of ordinary people. One example of this occurred when he prevented Candide from saving Jacques the Anabaptist from drowning because Lisbon Harbor was seemingly created so that he could die (Cuffe, (2005)). As these chaotic acts increase in frequency, even Pangloss’s belief in the effort of his arguments begins to become disillusioned, as he finally starts to partially believe their validity. This points to the idea that Pangloss is not as intelligent or as experienced in these matters as the other characters in the book, all of whom have reached a more pessimistic conclusion about the world and its inhabitants. For example, the old woman’s experiences of the capability of humans to commit atrocious acts of evil allowed conclusions to be made about her wisdom and credibility (Cuffe, (2005)). This emphasizes the importance of reaching conclusions based on concrete and verifiable evidence and the dangers of choosing who to believe. It is important to note that possessing experience does not mean that one can automatically go about improving the world. For example, Martin, who has experienced various acts of human evil himself, is blindsided by this pessimism, so much so that he only complains about it and withdraws instead of using this knowledge to try to better the world and the people around him. The third theme of interest is organized religion.
One of Voltaire’s more concentrated targets of disagreement, this theme is constantly depicted as being corrupt and containing no morals. He tended to exaggerate his mockery of religion to both show how irrational extreme beliefs in religion can be and imply that there is a large gap between the intention of religion and how it is practiced by people. Most of the religious figures in Candide are depicted as corrupt and immoral hypocrites who are less inclined to help other people besides themselves. Some examples of these figures in the text included a Dutch orator who cared more about imposing his religious doctrine on people than actually helping them out, the Inquisitor who kept Cunegonde as a mistress, the Jesuit baron with homosexual tendencies, and the Franciscan friar who stole Cunegonde’s jewels despite an oath of poverty that members of his order were forced to take (Cuffe, (2005)). An exception to this would be Jacques the Anabaptist, although he held an unpopular religious belief and was subjected to persecution (Cuffe, (2005)). Due to the characteristics and power that these religious figures possessed, they also engaged in inhumane acts of religious oppression against those who did not believe in their doctrines. Examples of the immoral and horrific acts that they committed were the Inquisition persecuting Pangloss for expressing different ideas, persecuting Candide for merely listening to these ideas, and throwing Don Issachar’s corpse into the refuse pile because he was Jewish (Cuffe, (2005)). Despite these oppressive actions, Voltaire did not wholly condemn the practice of religious behavior, as was evidenced by the inclusion of the generous and benevolent Jacques the Anabaptist. Because of this conveyance of past values, today’s readers can try to understand where the characters are coming from and compare and contrast their beliefs with the beliefs of today.
For example, the idea that wealth can cause more complicated issues within a person’s life can cause people today to think wisely about how to utilize the money that they have. Candide’s loss of his money could also inspire carefulness among the audience about how to perceive the intentions of other people when it comes to monetary loans. Optimism is still relevant today because how one perceives this belief is how one tends to view the world and go about daily life. The incorporation of organized religion in Candide is still relevant today as a means to judge whether certain places of worship are either built for the betterment of their followers or to increase the influx of money into the preacher’s pockets. All of these culminate into a better understanding of the values that past societies held and serve as a revealing and engaging point of reference for today’s readers.
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