Four different soups were being served, each garnished with a brace of parrots, followed by a boiled condor weighing two hundred pounds, two excellent roast monkey, a platter containing three hundred birds of paradise and another of six hundred humming-birds... (44)
"My dear Master," retorted Cacombo, "you are always astonished by everything; why do you find it so strange that in some countries it is apes who enjoy the favor of young ladies? After all, they are one-quarter human, just as I am one-quarter Spanish—" (40)
"You see," said Candide to Martin, "crime is sometimes punished; that blackguard of a Dutch owner got the fate he deserved"—"Yes," said Martin, "but did the passengers on board have to perish too? God punished the thief, but the devil drowned the rest." (57)
"We would be foolish indeed," said the old man. "Everyone here is of the same mind..." (47)
I apologize for the lateness of this. Darn faculty meeting.
So as this short novel comes toward a close, we, with Candide and his friends, have covered much of the world: Europe, South America, and back to Europe (where Volatire's own France comes under his withering stare as much as anyplace in the novel, as Martin, his new traveling companion, says, "I am told there are some civilized people in [Paris]; I should like to think so" [58]). And, voila!, we finally find the best of all worlds—El Dorado! And Candide leaves it.
The novel, at this point, takes on a darker mood, I've always found. The satire becomes less outrageous, less cartoonish. There are no more apes chasing naked girls; no more naked natives tying Candide down with bark in an obvious homage to Swift's Gulliver's Travels, no more imaginary lands like El Dorado. There are, however, black men sold by their mothers to Dutch slavers. And Candide weeps and weeps.
1. In Chapter 8, Cunegonde's horrifying story ends in her large appetite being sated with a nice supper. This is soon followed by the old woman's story, worse even than Cunegonde's, and soon the two women are enaged in a battle of who-had-it-worse. And clearly being infected by the plague is "far worse than any earthquake" (29). War is awful; rape is awful; and yet both happen continually in this book. I would argue that why this is is partly found in the conversations of the old woman and Cunegonde. This is a huge ill, a huge problem, Voltaire highlights in the novel. What's the problem?
2. Candide and Cacombo leave El Dorado after a month, even as Candide admits it surpasses that best of all places, Westphalia. It is, in fact, paradise. How do you read Candide's deserting this place of equality, peace, and harmony? Agree? Disagree? And is Voltaire criticizing his hero—is this a dig at Candide? Or does Voltaire agree? Quote in your answer.
3. Finally: agree or disagree with my statement that the novel takes on a darker mood with the abandonment of El Dorado. And what moment particularly jumped out at you in the reading?
Finally: one of the great film satires of my time: Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Peter Sellers. Check this clip out. A renegade American Air Force general has sent bombers loaded with nuclear bombs to attack the Soviet Union (because fluoridation is a Communist plot that has left him impotent). Here the President of the United States is informing a drunk Russian Premier of the imminent attack.
See you all tomorrow.
1. One problem is that everyone is suffering, and nobody is listen to each other and actually empathizing with others issues. They have become desensitized to the horror, and they almost accept it willingly. They don't like it, but they do little to fight against it or go to the root cause of all this terror (which is hard to define). Each person has gone through so much horror personally, that it is hard for them to focus on anybody else's issues. In turn, this makes it hard to band together and fight against one specific horror. Since everyone is so preoccupied with their own issues, they can cannot all connect and become a greater power to try and end some larger problem (like trying to stop the church from killing people or something similar).
ReplyDelete2. Well, in one way it's very romantic. Candide says "I shall never be happy without Lady Cunegonde", which in this story seems a bit silly because we haven't seen them interact much or form a close personal bond, but in theory that is a nice idea. In one way, Candide leaving El Dorado could be seen as showing the importance of loved ones in your life. I have heard people say it doesn't matter where you are, as long as you are with friends or family, you will feel at home. In this way, it's possible Candide will never feel happy or at home anywhere unless he is with Cunegonde, the love of his life (apparently). However, interpreted another way, Voltaire could be poking fun at human nature. Human search for happiness, for the best thing they can find-- but once they find it, they lose interest and lose appreciation for what they have. Candide leaving could show how humans are on an endless quest for …something… and they will never be satisfied until they realize that endlessly searching may not be the way to find whatever they seek. Also, Candide sees the worth of El Dorado by saying, "If we go back to the old world with a mere twelve sheep laden with Eldorado stones, we shall be richer than all the kings of Europe" showing that he still has that materialistic view of the world. He still looks at the world through a lens of worth and power.
3. What struck me was how Martin said that he felt God had left this world to some mischievous power. Then he says man's origin is evil. This is the first time some says outright that humans themselves are the cause of all the terror in this world. After he says this, Candide changes his outlook a bit on the world. He starts to become more fixed in an negative mindset (which is probably appropriate). Then afterwards, all the events do seem darker, because Candide and readers start to actually accept this world as chaotic and evil, and contemplate how it became this way.
1. The root of the problem, I think, is what we began to discuss in class: human nature. We, as humans, are inherently imperfect beings and our selfish mindsets cause us to harm others. Cunégonde and the old woman are female and so are vulnerable in society, easy victims. Selfishness leads to hatred, prevents empathy, and hinders love and connection. Candide has companions as he goes on his journeys, but he is really quite alone. Cunégonde and the old woman are very much alone. They have been rejected; they are no longer useful for the gain of others and so are tossed aside. As this story goes on, I am thinking more and more that it is the selfishness of humanity that is the problem.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Mira that in a way it could be interpreted as very sweet, romantic, or as a criticism of the materialistic nature of humanity, our desire to always have more. I also think that maybe Voltaire is presenting us, the readers, with a new philosophy. El Dorado seems perfect, but nothing can be absolutely perfect. The people of the kingdom cannot leave: “My subjects have vowed never to set foot beyond our borders, and they aretooc wise to break their oath.” (49-50). There is something that seems threatening, foreboding, to me about this line. Perhaps the king isn’t as warm and loving as he appears. Perhaps he is only kind if you are in his favor and if you cross him then things turn ugly. Utopia and dystopia can be one and the same. I may be reading too much into this, but if I am not Voltaire could be making the point that true happiness needs some struggle, something to work towards, that having everything you could possibly want is not the best world.
3. As I was reading about El Dorado, I felt a sense of impending doom, the calm before the storm. The kingdom is just too perfect for this tragic (satirical) of a story. Cacambo says, “We are at the end of our troubles, and the beginning of our happiness.” (51), which seems to me to be ironic foreshadowing. When Candide is moved to tears by the negro’s tragic tale we see a change in him. He has seen so much suffering, violence, heard so many tragic stories, yet this one makes him cry and cry. I think that this is an important moment in his journey because he is starting to see the world through a more mature, critical lens. He is feeling empathy, feeling the pain of others’ suffering for the first time.
This huge problem is the human tendency for self-absorption. Each person, despite their own grievances towards the world, cannot help themselves from committing crimes against others, and in addition, cannot empathize with others. The son of the Baron, now a baron in title and a Jesuit commander, after bonding so closely with Candide and proclaiming their fraternity, immediately attempts to kill him when Candide makes his intention of marrying Cunegonde known. And when Candide turns away 19 men after they told their heart-wrenching stories, they tell Candide that he “had done them great injustice” (80, Morely translation), implying that they feel as though the world owes them something for their suffering. Instead of trying to fix the world the live in, they content themselves with extracting whatever vengeance they can.
ReplyDeleteCandide's desire to leave El Dorado, this place of equality, peace, and love, can be attributed to him simply being human. Candide does not desire equality, as evidenced when he confides in Cacambo: “If we return to our own world wit only a dozen El Dorado sheep loaded with the pebbles of this country, we shall be richer than all the kings in Europe” (73). When Martin and Candide watch the Dutch pirate ship get sunk by the French frigate, they establish that this is how “mankind treat each other” (82). And as a man, Candide possesses this same bloodlust, and can never be satisfied with peace. And finally, Candide has no need for the love in El Dorado, for his love, Cunegonde, is elsewhere. El Dorado is a utopia in both senses of the word, and never will be compatible with humans, who are grounded in the real world.
The book definitely has taken a darker mood, and the characters now seemed more fleshed out. Candide's emotional reactions are now described in greater detail, such as in chapter 19 when the Dutch traders and government continually scam him, and he becomes “overwhelmed with grief” (79). Perhaps this mood shift begins to reflect Candide's view of he world. Previously, when he believed everything was for the best, the book had a much lighter tone, but now, as he questions this “optimism” and begins to recognize horrors for what they are, the book begins to darken. These catastrophes no longer have much humor in them; there is no comic element in the suffering of the slave, and I felt Candide's frustration when he was unscrupulously swindled, robbed, and swindled again. Voltaire has turned the tables on us, forcing us to recognize the seriousness of the state of the world, as if laughter around the dinner table has been suddenly cut off by a heavy silence.
1. I think the problem in this book is that everyone is suffering but they aren't recognizing the fact that this is happening and that these things are actually bad. They're accepting these problems as issues and are instead comparing their problems as if it's some kind of competition. They're rejecting natural instincts and are accepting these tragedies as social norms that are tearing their society apart.
ReplyDelete2. I highly disagree. I feel all throughout this journey he's been searching for happiness and what the meaning of life is and they literally give him both of these things. I understand that he's "in love" with Cunégonde, but I feel like he could've gotten over her and that life honestly would've been so much if he stayed where he was. I also think that finding the slightest bit of happiness in their world would've persuaded me to stay because their world is terrible and there's no happiness anywhere. So Candide leaving is basically kissing any chance of happiness and a good life away. I think Voltaire agrees because he presents so many aspects of the island that cater to Candide's interests and what he's in search of. For example when he says, "What surprised him even more, and pleased him most, was the palace of sciences" (48) which was obviously somewhere that Candide could've flourished and further explored his interest in metaphysics or whatever else he wants to partake.
3. I thought this part was super weird because coincidentally I'm discussing the same exact views Martin is presenting in the text, in my Ethics and Religions class that I'm taking. We're talking about how the origins of humans is a sin and how we're all basically doomed from the start. I feel Martin has every right to think like this because other than the island they just left, life has been anything but pleasant and it seems as if they've been destined for failure since the beginning of the text. I think the part that stuck with me the most was the part when Candide and Cacambo encountered the slave. I just thought it was really weird because while Candide expressed sadness, it was mainly for the fact that Pangloss' theory was finally proven completely wrong. They could've given the man a diamond or two but they instead just walked away and barely acknowledged the situation he was it. Before when Candide came across Pangloss, he was so quick to give him all that he had, but he doesn't do the same thing in this situation.
1) The problem lies not within the tragedy of the book, but people’s reaction to the tragedy. Candide and Pangloss reacts with in deference, saying it is the way things are meant to be, the best possible way for them to be. Cunégonde and the old woman react by making it into a competition. A battle of who’s life is the worst (which is interesting in the context of this being the “best possible world”). How is anything supposed to change when everyone either uses religion as an excuse for complacency or competes with others to have a worse life than someone else. Nothing changes because nobody actively tries to change them, instead accepting them as “international law” or “natural urge.”
ReplyDelete2) If by disagree you mean I wouldn't have left as Candide did, the of course I disagree. Who doesn't want to stay in paradise (well I guess Candide doesn't, but the point still stands). I think this was a nod to the power of love, maybe a satire of love. The main reason that Candide leaves, besides greed, is his love for Cunégonde. Voltaire may be poking fun at how love can take someone away from a place as perfect as where he was. This is also definitely a satire of human’s system of currency and value. Diamonds and Rubies only hold the value they do because we give them that value.
3) There was a type of…shade over the story of El Dorado. I haven't felt much tension, a little at times but not much, throughout the story, but I always had the feeling something would happen. The book has been so horrible that something bad was bound to happen, right? I was expecting something, anything, to go wrong. Surely Candide can't actually find pure happiness in god’s world. El dorado couldn't be all it was cracked up to be. I especially expected the king of the area to become angry with them when they decided to leave, similar to what the Baron’s brother had done. When they left I felt emptiness in the story. Nothing went wrong, but something definitely felt off. The part that stood out the most to me was when Candide officially opposed Pangloss’s philosophy. “What is optimism. . . It is the mania for insisting that all is well when all is by no means well.” We’re going to start to see a lot more growth from Candide as a person and character, and he’ll become a lot less stale. I should point out that Candide didn't directly oppose Pangloss’s theories. Things can not be well while still technically being the best they possible could be.
1. I think the normalcy of the suffering is the problem. Pain and suffering almost coincide with daily life in this world, that no one seems to separate the two. So when Cunegonde and the old woman share their stories, they try to top each other's experiences instead of sharing their sympathy towards one another. Instead of being enraged at the fact that they both had to go through what they did, they, in someways, made the problem worse by accepting it as their norm.
ReplyDelete2. Candide’s choice to leave Eldorado is completely justifiable on one hand because living there, though it would guarantee him a good life, would not guarantee the same to the people he loves like Cunegonde. Another reason that Candide chose not to stay (which I think is what Voltaire is inching towards) is that Candide doesn't really want to be equal to everyone. He doesn't want to have pain and suffering and he may not even want to see it happen to others, but he on some level wants to be above others: “If we remain here, we shall be just like everyone else” (49). I think Voltaire is showing that even Candide, being the hero of the story, is also susceptible to greed because it's part of that “human thing”.
3. From the moment Candide and Cacambo talked to the king about leaving, things definitely got a bit dark. I even thought that the King was going to punish them for wanting to leave with the sheep. Though he didn't, his overall tone was intense and I felt like the whole time he was talking, he was foreshadowing. When the king said, “All men are free. Leave whenever you please, though you will have some difficulty in getting out” (49), it seemed like he was saying “do what you want, but I'm telling you, you won't make it out”.
1. The issue is human greed and a lack of inhibitions. There's a desire, there's the power to act on it, and the perception that it's normal. Since everyone goes to war, not only does one have an excuse in that everyone else is doing it, but it also makes a need. If you don't fight back, you're in trouble. Since people perceive that war and rape are normal, and if not okay, then at least justifiable, they are willing to do it. Cunégonde tells Candide that she fought back when raped "not realizing that what was taking place in [her] father's castle was the custom on such occasions" (19). People take these things for granted.
ReplyDelete2. I'm not sure if I agree with his leaving Eldorado, but I do kind of get it. Candide and Cacambo are bored. They're both used to moving, and Eldorado presents wealth but no use for it. Voltaire is making fun of it. Here Candide is, constantly hoping to find the best of all possible worlds, and he stumbles into Eldorado. Then, having found the best of all possible worlds, he decides he's unhappy, and leaves. They decide that they'd rather be at the top of a really bad world than very average in a wonderful world. Of course, how likely are they to stay at the top upon leaving. Voltaire writes: "Our two happy wanderers resolved to be happy no longer" (49). They choose to leave this great place in order to search for a woman to be moderately pleased with life with until another army comes through to rape her, kill them, and steal what treasure they get out of Eldorado. Of course, Candide doesn't hold on to the treasure long enough for an army to steal it. He's cheated immediately upon his return to "civilization." Voltaire does not agree with the departure.
3. We see the mood shift when Martin brings up the idea of an equally powerful devil to balance God. Up until this, the assumption was that a benevolent and omnipotent God created the world. This idea that an evil force also had a role makes the very world potentially flawed. Each death has either been explained away by optimism or not looked at for very long. When we see the ship sink, it is the first time anyone has suggested that a death happened for evil purposes. Martin suggested that Satan drowned the whole crew for no reason other than to be evil, and that he had the power to do so.
1. The problem is that everyone has become desensitized to suffering, due to the overabundance of it. Once you’ve undergone as much turmoil as any of these characters has, it becomes impossible to absorb any more suffering, so you begin to turn a deaf ear. As far as the one-upmanship is concerned, I think the characters take a sort of pride in their suffering, seeing as they have little else. Though their lives are horrible, at least they can take some sort of solace in the fact that it can’t get any worse than what they’ve already experienced. Of course, the unfortunate consequence of this is that they fail to connect with one another in any sort of meaningful way. And this disconnect, in turn, breeds indifference, a dangerous thing.
ReplyDelete2. I definitely agree with Candide’s decision to leave El Dorado. Superficially, El Dorado seems like a utopia, with gems instead of pebbles and clothing made of hummingbird down. The town boasts the best amenities and hospitality of any city known to man, yet it has several very crucial flaws. For one, it is entirely isolated from the rest of the world, and no citizen is allowed to leave. This breeds a culture of willful, albeit blissful, ignorance. Additionally, the lack of strife in El Dorado can probably be attributed the city’s overwhelming homogeneity. All the people speak the same language, worship the same god in the same manner, and have the same customs and value systems: “Everyone here is of the same mind”(47). In other words, this peace comes at the cost of any sort of diversity or freedom of thought. In my opinion, there is nothing admirable about the camaraderie of El Dorado. After all, it’s easy to get along with people who aren’t any different from you. However, I also think that Candide’s motivations for leaving El Dorado were not totally pure. His desire to leave was fueled primarily by greed and lust, not by a realization of the problems in El Dorado.
3. I would agree that things have taken a turn for the morose after Candide leaves El Dorado. Immediately after his departure, he encounters the crippled slave, which leads to him finally denouncing Pangloss’s optimism. I think this encounter with the slave, more so than his leaving El Dorado, is the turning point of the novel, a moment that definitely jumped out at me during the reading. Furthermore, Candide goes on to be swindled out of the majority of his remaining wealth and separates from his friend, Cacambo, who has been the only completely consistent and loyal character in the entire book. I also really liked the exploration of Manichaeism, which presents a slightly less far-fetched solution to the problem of evil, compared to Optimism.
I think the main problem boils down to ‘human nature’, specifically different aspects I associate with human nature: self-absorption, greed, desire of power, disregard for others. I think another completely human aspect that contributes to the problems of the novel is our coping mechanisms for these vices: inappropriate humor, ignorance of a real way to handle these problems. I think part of the problem is the complacency people were mentioning in class – this connects with the self-absorption. If people are constantly trying to shove their stories in others’ faces and one-up the other characters, they are wallowing in self-pity but not doing anything about it. At the same time, I think this is understandable. We stick to what is comfortable and familiar – in this case, complaining about our grievances instead of acting to fix them. Oftentimes addressing these grievances and working to change them can be scary because it is straying from the familiar, especially in this world where suffering is the norm for every character.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Voltaire both agreed and disagreed with Candide’s desertion of El Dorado (but maybe I’m just saying that because I both disagreed and agreed with Candide’s actions). I did not like that Candide took advantage of the wealth of El Dorado, which felt wrong to me considering all of the pains he has witnessed or heard about in his world. On the other hand, Candide’s act of leaving combated the complacency that paralyzes many characters. Candide heard what the King said “when you are reasonably happy somewhere, you should stay put” (49) steered his life in a different direction, for the better (I hope). I think it is good for Candide to take a risk in search of true happiness. I also think that Candide needs more intellectual stimulation than El Dorado would has to offer: “Everyone here is of the same mind” (47). El Dorado does not provide the answer to his question of whether Pangloss’ philosophy is the best; while El Dorado is the best possible world Candide has encountered, that does not account for what he has previously endured or what his friends have endured. “Thanking him unceasingly” is not enough for Candide. On a separate note, Candide’s claim that he realizes that riches are not everything could be Voltaire making a dig at him, considering his actions contradict this statement.
I suppose what stuck out to me most in these chapters was not one moment but rather Candide’s general change. I felt that he became much more materialistic and selfish, in chapter 19 especially (when he was “plunged into the blackest melancholy” (54) because he was fined some sum of money and the process with which he selected Martin to be his companion, which felt entirely selfish to me). This made the book seem darker to me, which is ironic considering Candide’s troubles revolved around something more superficial than, say, war. It was as if Voltaire is pointing us more explicitly to human folly on a smaller scale. You would think descriptions of horrors such as rape and murders and war would be more gut-wrenching for Candide than being fined ten-thousand piastres. But the latter was the tragedy for Candide. Especially because I did not find this passage to be written humorously, this felt more like serious commentary rather than an underlying serious theme masked by funny writing. I also found Martin’s and Candide’s discussions more thought-provoking and substantial than previous conversations in the book. While this does not make the book darker (although perhaps it did by giving it a more serious tone) it gives the novel more depth.
1. The issue is a lack of awareness of the big problems plaguing the world with people instead choosing to focus on advancing their status in society in any way possible. The old woman maybe thinks she is someone who deserves more respect than Cunegonde so this is her way of making sure that people know that they should respect her more than Cunegonde. Instead of backing up and reflecting on the big picture of the atrocious things that are plaguing their lives, they instead seek to use their plight opportunistically to gain respect for themselves by impressing people with all their horrors.
ReplyDelete2.His motivation for leaving comes down to his love for Cunegonde or his desire for power. I think both of these together give him enough of a reason to leave beacause “when he [Candide] thought of what remained in his pockets, and when he spoke of Cunegonde...he still inclined towards the system of Pangloss.” [56] Candide reflects on the boat to Martin that the two things that make him happy are Cunegonde and power. The riches in his pocket are the same thing as power. He had happiness and enough riches to live splendidly in El Dorado, but he did not have any power, which means Candide values wealth not for its ability to allow him to live comfortably but for the power it gives him over those who have less wealth. And apparently, reuniting with Cunegonde and having power over other people gives him more happiness than the happiness he experienced in El Dorado. It is unclear whether one of these motivations by itself would have been enough motivation for Candide.
3. I definitely thought the story took on a darker mood after Candide and Cacambo left El Dorado. It felt like they had wasted their only chance to feel happiness in life. I think Voltaire is suggesting that humans find more happiness from feeling heroic and amassing power than by simply allowing themselves to enjoy life and respect others. When they left El Dorado, they sacrificed this lesser form of happiness for a chance at the more satisfying one. I thought this idea that we get a deeper level of happiness by making a comfortable life for ourselves by whatever means necessary in a cruel world, than by living in a utopia, was a dark one.
1. I would argue, though rather hesitantly, that the problem this game of “who had it worse” creates is one where tragedy and pain are quantifiable and that when that can be established, they no longer mean as much. We, the reader, become desensitized by their suffering as we’ve seen so much of it, but rape is still rape and murder is still murder. These aren’t things that should be boasted about or used to make others feeling as though their pain isn’t great enough to be worthy of recognition or respect. There is no respect in this book at all, and although I think that is completely necessary to convey the messages it has set out to convey, it does infuriate me as an avid SVU fan.
ReplyDelete2. I think the reason for Candide abandoning this perfect civilization has to do with everything he’s seen. He has witnessed and has fallen victim to immense abuse, and he knows that there is still more he must do. He has to save Cunegonde for she is the “cause” (4) that makes all his suffering worthwhile. Just as “noses were formed to support spectacles (4), Cunegonde exists to give Candide’s continued painful existence purpose. For that reason, Candide could never truly be happy in this land of peace and prosperity; there is no suffering so there is no true joy, no cause for their effects. This is probably the obvious reason, and it is entirely possible that I’m missing the big picture, but I’m willing to stick by it as my previous assertion that human connection gives life meaning still resonates with me…or at least it continues to in the absence of a greater understanding of the true meaning of this book.
3. Yes, I most definitely think the story takes on a darker turn as we know that nothing Candide faces will ever be as beautiful and peaceful as Eldorado. That said, what made Eldorado a paradise? The riches it held? The lack of violence? The isolation? Perhaps all these things, but it lacked what, one could argue, gives these things purpose…connection. Candide felt no connection to the place. I would argue that connection in its truest form is between people not things, and although Candid is immensely happy at the idea of being rich with the pebbles from Eldorado, all that wealth does is bring him closer to Cunegonde, who is, at the end of the day, the reason he must go forth and suffer further. So, while leaving Eldorado may mean he will go through much more pain and strife, it will be worth it for the sake of seeing Cunegonde again, or at least that’s what I think the story is telling us, but whether it’s telling us this so we can then laugh and say, “but is it really worth it,” and make us rethink how truly meaningful love is in comparison to all this death and suffering, I don’t know. This whole book feels sort of like a trick question to me. Am I thinking what it wants me to think or am I thinking what it wants me to think and then reevaluate myself and my beliefs…that didn’t make much sense, and I’ll try to articulate it better in class, but this is a serious point of contention for me.
1. There's a s startling lack of empathy in the book and the characters focus on how to advance themselves through society instead of helping others, partly because the world is so harsh that it almost feels like the characters need that mentality to survive. They are so focused on themselves that they neglect to think about how others would feel. The old woman and Cunegonde are so focused on their own problems that they neglect to ask about each other. It all becomes about how they have suffered, not anyone else. But I think this also speaks to how characters can't deal with problems. Instead of actually trying to help themselves, they descend into complacency.
ReplyDelete2. I definitely agree with Candide's choice - while El Dorado is Voltaire's vision of a paradise, with no government or religious oppression, it does not exist. It is surrounded by mountains so it is inaccessible to outsiders, and his "cause" Cunegonde isn't there so it doesn't matter how utopian it is because what he lives for isn't there. There's also that element of moderation, how there is no happiness without sadness: it's almost like Candide prefers the real world with its ups and downs because there's the potential for an up, even if he might end up in a bad place. I feel like that speaks to the hope we've seen supporting characters throughout the book. Because there is hope, even if we have something acceptable we will always strive for something better. And while this is sad, because you know something horrible will happen to the characters, it is also kind of beautiful to see them keep striving to do better.
3. The story definitely takes on a darker turn after they leave El Dorado - while I agreed with Candide's decision to leave, there is the undeniable fact that he rejected a utopia for desire. He succumbed to greed when he took the pebbles and desire when he took wanted Cunegonde again. And he did all of this despite the fact that the people of El Dorado told him not to. Before, Candide was an innocent victim. But now, I feel like he almost deserves his suffering because he brought it on himself by succumbing to his desire and leaving El Dorado. What jumped out at me especially was when he finally recanted his support of Pangloss' optimism. For me, this was a big moment for Candide's development as a character; while it let him see the truth I feel like it also brought on that darker, less innocent greed.
1. The problem is that, no matter how awful things are, people just accept it! No one does anything! These horrors are perpetrated so many times that they have become considered commonplace, and thus not only inevitable, but “proper form,” “natural,” even “international law”! They’re so accepted as part of what happens to people - especially lower-class people - that Cunegonde and the Old Woman are inclined to brag about them. They act as though these are not deeply traumatic and harmful experiences that they have lived through, and rather use them against each other as cheap tokens of who should receive more pity or more respect. After discussion of their miseries, they cheerfully turn to dinner, as though this was just small talk. These two not only don’t recognize them for how truly horrific these actions are, but don’t seem to be interested in stopping it from happening! This apathy is allowing more people to be hurt, and more people to be desensitized, and just creates more apathetic people who just take what’s thrown at them and say “that’s just life.” No one is willing to look at these things and say “That’s wrong,” “That shouldn’t be happening,” “We need to stop this,” which is by all means what they SHOULD be saying.
ReplyDelete2. Candide managed to find himself in a world of peace and equality and incredible comfort, and after spending a month enjoying these things, plunges back into the tragedy-ridden world he came from. “'This is a foolish scheme,’ the King told them. […] when you are reasonably happy somewhere, you should stay put.” Whether or not Candide made the right decision is dependent on whether or not you see him as eschewing apathy and aiming for something greater, or if his plan to be “richer than all the kings put together” is just greedy grasping at power - a habit all too common in the lands he came from. As it is, he spent a month and declared that Eldorado could be no paradise if Cunegonde weren’t there, and plunges back into the depths of despair of his world. However, while Candide states Cunegonde as his main reason for leaving, Voltaire writes as though what he and Cacambo really want is some fame and status, “ So pleasant it is to be on the move, to get ourselves noticed back home, and to boast of what we have seen on our travels, that our two happy wanderers resolved to be happy no longer and to seek His Majesty’s permission to depart.” It is good that they aren’t apathetic, but their motivation to not be such is frighteningly familiar. They’re active on behalf of love and greed, which can have some wonderful or disastrous consequences. Voltaire is contrasting Candide’s go-getting attitude to the acceptance of many other characters - it’s not necessarily a better decision, but its a different one and it could bring about some change.
ReplyDelete3. It does take on a darker mood. After seeing that this world can actually harbor a civilization in which everyone is cared for and care free, the monstrous behavior of the other 99% is easier to see. The contrast highlights how awful things are. Not only that, but Candide himself is starting to be deeply impacted in a way he hasn’t been before. Upon seeing the slave, he weeps all the way to Surinam. Things are slowing down - the stories of people’s lives are no longer so short and funny. Voltaire is easing readers into darker and darker realizations and situations that they would have refused to read upon first picking up the book. Can you imagine if the slave had been one of the first characters introduced? Or if Candide had lived in Eldorado before going out into the world? That would be a much grimmer beginning than “Once upon a time.” The parts that jumped out to me were the slave, who’s utter despair and inescapable position was one of the darkest parts of the book so far, but also the fact that Candide was willing to hold some sort of competition of who was the most miserable. Martin won, as though that’s any sort of competition one would WANT to win, and he becomes Candide’s companion. But it was the fact that Candide was willing to announce the contest, and that so many miserable people were willing to share their misfortune just to claim that they had the worst life. It trivializes the woes of real people, just as Cunegonde and the Old Woman have been doing.