Voltaire’s Candide as a Journey of Philosophy and Discovery

Voltaire’s Candide is one of the most famous works written by the French Enlightenment writer and philosopher Voltaire. Published in 1759, this short novel explores both the physical and philosophical journey of its main character, Candide. The story reflects many of Voltaire’s own experiences and his sharp view of the world around him.

Travel and Discovery

Although Candide is often read for its humour and shocking events, it also follows the tradition of travel writing. This type of writing usually tells the story of a person or group travelling from one place to another, mixing real and imagined experiences. Through these journeys, writers explore different societies, ideas, and cultures, often comparing them with their own.

In Candide, travel becomes more than just a movement across places. It is a way for the main character to face the world’s contradictions such as the cruelty of war, the corruption of power, and the hypocrisy of religion. Voltaire uses these travels to highlight both the beauty and the ugliness of human nature.

Society’s Flaws

Travel writing can sometimes lead authors to make negative or biased judgments about other cultures, revealing not only what they think of others but also what is wrong within their own societies. In Candide, Voltaire uses satire to expose these flaws and show that no society is perfect. The people Candide meets on his journey represent greed, arrogance, and false optimism, qualities Voltaire saw everywhere in eighteenth century Europe.

Utopia and Dystopia

Many travel stories are inspired by the ideas of utopia and dystopia. A utopia represents a perfect world imagined by the writer, filled with peace and harmony. Dystopia, on the other hand, shows the opposite, a society that appears ideal but is actually full of suffering and absurdity.

Voltaire plays with both ideas in Candide. The protagonist dreams of finding a perfect place, but every destination disappoints him. Even when he discovers Eldorado, a land of equality and happiness, he eventually leaves it behind. Through this contrast, Voltaire teaches that the search for a perfect world is unrealistic and that happiness might come only through hard work and acceptance of life’s imperfections.

Conclusion

In the end, Candide invites readers to question how people search for meaning in an imperfect world. Through travel, satire, and philosophy, Voltaire reminds us that understanding life often comes not from finding perfection, but from learning through experience.

References

Allington, Da & Mayor, Ba (eds) 2012, 'Communicating in English', Routledge, Canada.