Critique of Utopia in "Candide" by Voltaire
Critique of Utopia in "Candide" by Voltaire
Voltaire's satire, Candide, is a novel that critiques and creates the perfect world. Two different situations paint inaccessible images of the earth at her finest. The first Utopia visited is El Dorado, a country in the New World where all men are equal and money is worthless. Another incident of a perfect world is the final chapter of satire, where Candide is reunited with his friends. These journeys show Voltaire’s ideas of near Utopias and their characteristics.
El Dorado is a magical country that Candide and his valet, Cacambo, miraculously stumble upon while floating down a dangerous river. In this perfect environment “all men are free” (pg. 46), and unlike Europe and the rest of the world, there are no jails or lawsuits, and the government provides guests with wonderful food. Young children play with the plentiful supply of quoits, or precious stones and gold, because they are mere pebbles to the citizens of the country. The two travelers encounter different characters, such as the King of El Dorado, who treats Candide and Cacambo beautifully by providing them with all they need and embracing them when they leave. They also visit the old Master of the Horse to the King who explains the history of El Dorado. The old man says that the citizens are “sheltered from the rapaciousness of the European nations” because many years ago they pledged never to quit the kingdom. This promise, as well as the great physical barriers of the country, allows the people to keep their purity, innocence, and passions for life and learning. Although El Dorado is a home of unlimited happiness, Candide is not content without his love, Cunegonde, or the remaining memories of his lost friends back home.
In the final chapter of the novel our traveler finds all of his friends, and that his sins appear forgiven. After Candide and Cacambo leave El Dorado, they bring the quoits along with them in order to have a great supply of money. This section of Utopia guides them to the next, a perfect world made up of their friends and personal enjoyment. On the great voyage from Venice to Constantinople Candide finds the Baron, Cunegonde’s brother who he thought he had killed, and Pangloss, Candide’s philosopher friend who he had seen being hung. This scene displays two different aspects of the perfect world that Candide experiences. First, after...