The Deeper Significance Of Voltaire's Candide

Without careful scrutiny, the story of Candide appears no more than an average tale of an average man in search of fulfillment. In the absence of historical context, the eloquence of Voltaire’s words carries little substance and his vivid description remains empty. While the story of Candide is itself captivating, the work carries a far deeper significance. Candide primarily serves to reveal Voltaire’s Enlightenment philosophies through the satire of numerous 18th century institutions and realities. It reinforces concepts such as religious skepticism, cultural relativism, and secular thought. Voltaire ultimately addressees the reality of human existence and the path to fulfillment. Candide is a fitting Enlightenment doctrine in the context
While on walk, Candide discovers his old teacher Pangloss in a wretched state on the side of the road. Pangloss soon reveals to Candide the death of his beloved Cunegonde. At this point he experiences the full brunt of loss and grief. Throughout the story, loss remains at the root of Candide’s suffering and an important theme in the novel.
Candide, the Anabaptist, and Pangloss sail for the city of Lisbon as a horrific tempest sweeps through their destination. The storm ravages a great portion of the city and this leads the local clergy to look for a means of appeasing God. The religious leaders of Lisbon hang Pangloss and mercilessly whip Candide, in a public ceremony. This satire of Christian corruption serves as an early reference to Voltaire’s secular tendencies.
With Candide near death, a mysterious old woman nurses him back to good health. The woman reveals very little about herself until Candide has recovered from his injuries. After his condition improves, the woman leads Candide to an upscale residence where, to his astonishment, Cunegonde awaits him. Candide soon learns of her arduous journey to Lisbon and that two competing, and powerful, men are courting Cunegonde against her will. In a matter of moments, both suitors appear in succession and Candide slays them with little hesitance. The trio of Candide, Cunegonde and the old woman escape on
After another grueling journey, Candide and Cacambo arrive in Surinam where a conniving sailor steals Candide’s precious sheep and makes off with most of his bounty. Having sent Cacambo to ransom Cunegonde, Candide sets off for Bordeaux. Before the voyage he holds a gathering and chooses a fitting companion named Martin for his journey across the Atlantic. While on the open ocean, Candide remarkably recovers one of his treasure laden sheep after a Spanish vessel obliterated its thief’s ship. Voltaire continues his theme of loss as the unfairness that befalls Candide, throughout the novel, supports the necessity for religious skepticism. He seemingly questions why a just god, meeting the current Christian definition, could act so unfairly upon such a morally sound man as Candide. Such religious skepticism was the foundation of Voltaire’s Deism philosophy. Deism did not deny the existence of God, but rather the existence of divine intervention. Deism, therefore, begged for an increase in human accountability and action as a means of progress. In Deism, there existed no divine hand to arbitrate man’s problems (Spielvogel, 2010).
After a long series of events, Candide arrives in Turkey. For an extended period he mingled with the Paris elite. He then traveled to Venice where he met a number of deposed monarchs, but found no sign of Cunegonde.