EduardoMancilla

HIST1004001
11February2015
Candide:AScrutinizationofBigotry,SocialStatus,andGreed
EighteenthcenturyEuropewasdefinedbythespreadofEnlightenmentidealsof
confidenceinhumanreasonandtheorganizationofknowledge.Oneproponentofempiricism
andreasonduringtheEnlightenmentperiodwasVoltaire.Inhissatiricalnovel,Candide,
VoltairetargetsthereligiousbigotrythatadverselyaffectedFrance,hescrutinizesthe
importanceofsocialstatuschampionedbythearistocracyofhisera,andheregardsthegreedy
accumulationofwealthasbeinginadequateintrulyprovidingprogressforsociety.Candidealso
expressesasensibilityoftheEnlightenmentbyquestioningoptimismandconveyingthatbelief
thatcommonsensetriumphsoveritinthequestforsocialchange.
Duringtheeighteenthcentury,ecclesiasticalinquisitionandbigotrycommanded
Europeanlife.VoltairesarcasticallycallsattentiontotheChurchsperversionofpowerwhen,in
Candide,Cacambo,afootmaninParaguay,expresseshisadmirationforthegovernmentin
Portugalbysaying,Oh,itisanadmirablegovernmentthefathersaretheremastersof
everythingthepeoplehavenomoneyatall.ThisisthemasterpieceofjusticeandreasonI
seenothingsodivineasthegoodfathers,whowagewaragainstthetroopsofSpainand
Portugal,atthesametimethattheyheartheconfessionsofthoseveryprincesinEurope;who
killSpaniardsinAmerica,andsendthemtoheavenatMadrid.1Voltairesjuxtapositionof
Cancambosstatementaboutthegoverningfathersasmastersofjusticewithhisotherstatement
aboutthefatherswagingwareffectivelyunderscorethecorruptnessoftheChurch.Although
VoltaireutilizessarcasminCandide,therewereindividualswhosenselesslybelievedthatthe
plightoftheChurchwasjustandreasonable.Inanotherscene,Candide,Dr.Pangloss,a

1Voltaire,Candide,50

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Biscayner,andtwomenbelievedtobeJewishareseizedinLisbonafteranearthquakeandare
torturedbyaFamiliaroftheInquisitionandhismen.TheBiscaynerandthetwoJewishmenare
slowlyburnedaliveasanautodafeandPanglossishangedaswell.Voltaire,disturbedbythe
actsoftheChurch,usedtheautodafetoparalleltheblatantbigotryinEurope.Intheeighteenth
century,itwasbecomingmoreapparentthatnaturallawsgovernednaturaleventsnotactsof
faithsuchasburningapersonaliveandVoltaireusedthisasoneofhisreasonsforcriticizingthe
bigotryoftheChurch.
Voltairealsotookacriticalstanceofthesignificancegiventosocialstatusduringtheeighteenth
century.VoltairehighlightstheundeservedimportanceputonsocialclassinCandidewhen
CandiderevealstotheBaron,thatheintendstomarryhislove,Cunegonde.TheBaronobjects
saying,Youinsolent!...wouldyouhavetheimpudencetomarrymysisterwhohasseventytwo
quarterings2!RatherthanhavingcommonsenseandlookingatwhatCandidehasdonetoearn
therighttomarryCunegonde,theBaronfocusesonCandidessocialstatusandwealth,whichdo
notamounttoanything.HierarchyprominentduringeighteenthcenturyEuropewasthesocially
constructedforcethatmadearistocratsandpeasantsunequal.Aristocratsofeighteenthcentury
Europereceivedmanyundeservedbenefitsandmaintainedthatitwasbybirthrightandother
divineforcesthattheyweredeservingofsuchbenefits.Voltairevividlydescribeshowthe
GovernorofBuenosAyrescarriedhimselfwithsuchintolerablepride,thatthosewhosaluted
himwerestronglyinclinedtogivehimagooddrubbing3.Aristocratswouldtakewhatwasdear
tothepeasantsand,inasimilarfashion,theGovernorofBuenosAyrestookCunegondeaway
fromCandide.TheroleofAristocratsinsocietywasnotsecuredbydiligentworkorby
2Ibid.,55
3Ibid.,47

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contributingtosociety,andVoltairecriticizedeighteenthcenturyEuropeansocietyforallowing
that.
Whenitcomestothetopicofgreed,Voltaireisabletoillustratethevolatilityofwealthandit
temporariness.Inthenovel,Candideisabletoobtainavastamountofwealthfromthediamonds
hetakesfromtheElDorado.Candideisoptimisticandreliesonhiswealthtohelphimfind
Cunengonde.Candidesencounterwithamaliciousskipperresultsinhimhavinghiswealth
stolenandexemplifiestheultimatelydisappointingandunfulfillingconsequenceofsolely
relyingonwealthtoimproveonescircumstances.Europeansocietyduringtheeighteenth
centurywasexperiencingcommercialgrowthbutVoltaireunderstoodthatsocietywasnotgoing
toultimatelyimprovejustbecauseitwaswealthier.TheFrenchwhoweredefinitelyseeing
commercialprosperitywerenotseeingadvancementintheirsociety.TheBritish,ontheother
handwerealsoexperiencingsomeeconomicprosperity,buttheirtaxsystemfreeof
complicationexemptedfortheprivileged4,demonstratedatypeofprosperitythatincludeda
rationalsocialchange.Theresoleinterestatthetimewasnotfinancial(althoughfinancial
interestshavealwaysplayedalargeroleforallnations)anditprovedtoVoltairethatwealthwas
ameantoanend,nottheenditself.
VoltairesawtheEnlightenmentasanopportunityforsocietytoactivelypursuereform,buthe
alsorecognizedanabsurdemphasisputonoptimism.ThisoptimismVoltairebelievedtobe
prominentisportrayedinthebeginningofthenovelwherePanglossdiscussessyphilisand
explains,itwasathingunavoidable,anecessaryingredientinthebestofworlds;forif
ColumbushadnotinanislandofAmericacaughtthisdisease,whichcontaminatesthesourceof
4JoshuaColeetal.,InWesternCivilizationsTheirHistory&TheirCulture,3rdBriefedNewYork:Norton,
2012,page403.

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lifeweshouldhaveneitherchocolatenorcochineal.Whereassomethinkerswereoptimistic
andbelievedthatGodcreatedthebestofworlds,Voltairewascriticalbecausesuchoptimism
wasillogical.VoltaireplacesCandideinsituationswhereCandidesoptimism,derivedfromDr.
Pangloss,actuallyendangershimandresultsinhim,incontrasttothedoctrineofoptimism,
experiencingsomeoftheworststhingsimaginable.
CombinedwithVoltairesrejectionofoptimismishisbeliefincommonsense.Shortly
afterbeingtorturedandseeinghistutorbeinghangedalive,Candidehasarevelatorymoment
whereheasks,Ifthisisthebestofpossibleworlds,whatthenaretheothers?Obviously
Candideisnotinthebestofpossibleworlds,soitiscommonsensetobelievethathaving
unwarrantedoptimismlikeDr.Panglossisdangerous.EuropeduringtheEnlightenmentperiod
wasbeingsweptbymanybeliefsaboutlivinglife,noneofwhichdeterminedcommonsenseas
principalforceofbringingoutthegoodnessinhumanityandestablishingstableauthority.5It
wascommonsensetoVoltairethatburningsomeonealivewasnotgoingtoappeaseMother
Nature.ItwascommonsensetoVoltairethatAristocratswerenotcontributingtosocietyand
theirbenefitsneededtobecut.Voltairebelievedthatcommonsensewouldaidthe
EnlightenmentthinkersinrealizingtheperilsofoptimismandheconveysthatinCandide.
TheEnlightenmentperiodreflectedagrowingdesireforsocialreform.Nonetheless,
Europeanlifecontinuedtobedominatedbyarbitraryandlimitingsocialconstructs.These
limitations(religiousbigotry,undeservedsocialstatus,andthesolepursuitofwealth)werewhat
madeEuropeansocietydespicableattimes.Optimismwasusedtomakesenseofthereligious
bigotry,thesocialstatus,andthetrueinadequacyofwealth.Voltairesgoalwastotargetthese

5Ibid.,406.

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11February2015
topicsinCandidesothatpeoplewouldrealizethattheworldwasnotalwaysthebest.Inspiteof
theworldnotalwaysbeingthebestlikeoptimismregardedittobe,socialchangewaspossible
andVoltaireadvocatedsuchsocialreformthroughempiricismandreason.