Interpreting Voltaire

As we take a break from more-recent authors, allow me to touch on philosophy and satire. In the introduction of this book, I stated that I love to read books for the stories within their pages much more than I do than for the hidden meanings within the works. While this is largely true, in many instances, the hidden meaning is the reason behind my incentive to read the work. Of course, in “Candide” (or, “The Optimist”), the meanings are not so hidden; rather, they are almost screamed out at the reader in the best way possible. And naturally, if I am discussing philosophers, I must talk about Voltaire.

François-Marie Arouet, otherwise known by his ‘nom de plume,’ Voltaire, is easily my favorite philosopher. Throughout the Enlightenment, this irreligious Frenchman was a powerful and influential speaker through the early to late eighteenth century. Among his very progressive views were that people of all races are equals, people of both genders are equals, religion is a fallacy (but should still be respected by everyone), slavery is bad, the indigenous peoples of the New World (Americas) deserved to be left alone by their European conquers…Keep in mind, Voltaire was making all of these affirmations back in the 1700s, which was not the most progressive time period to say the least. Therefore, it makes sense that he felt that he required a pen name.

From a historical perspective, one of the reasons for why Voltaire was so influential during his time was because of his writing - it was supposedly very easy to read. I have read “Candide,” and that is about as far as my experience with Voltaire goes, but what a book that is! The entire book is a satire, and it criticizes pretty much everything Voltaire was against, from slavery, to racial and gender inequality, to religion…I will say, however, that the book would be quite difficult to read for those who are not familiar with the time period.

Times change, and though the book may have been easy for the masses to read way back in the 1760s, I doubt I would have been able to read it with nearly as much ease as I had if I had not known much of the history of the time period. For instance, anyone who wishes to read “Candide” better know a good deal about the Protestant Reformation, the Age of Exploration, the political geography of Europe and upper Asia during the mid-1700s, and many of the important people and events that go along with these. If you know all of this, then, yes, “Candide” is quite easy to read (also, the jokes make a lot more sense).

The book is a satire and, in my opinion, the greatest satire ever written. Not only was it incredibly progressive for its time, but it is written like a clever story. The challenges that the characters face are humorously unrealistic and the gore is in most places highly exaggerated…it all makes for a very risible display.

And, of course, the characters are arguably the best part. Voltaire somehow managed to make each one of his main characters a stark opposite of each of the other ones, and the challenges they face exemplify this. For instance, Candide, the main character, who was taught to believe that everything happens for the best, faces a vast amount of terrible misfortunes. Of course, he would simply shrug them off and state: “my, if this was the best outcome, then I’d hate to see the worst!” Of course, then we have Martin, who, conversely to Candide, believes that everything happened for the worst. Then there is the German baron, who is serious and stern; and Cunégonde, who is loving and carefree. Pangloss, the wise old philosopher who preaches good omens; and the old lady, the wise old woman who preaches bad omens. There is also Cacambo, who faithfully accompanies Candide and the gang to the end of the book and is happily a believer in mysticism; as well as Friar Giroflée, who similarly accompanies Candide and the gang to the end of the book, but was forced into religion by his parents.

The entire set of characters are so humorously diverged in their beliefs, yet somehow manage to get along well (except for the German baron, who they finally sell into slavery to get rid of). The plot line is also in many ways very intricate: like a dancer, Voltaire circles around the story line and then finally closes everything together in the ending. There is no unity of place, either, as the story goes from Romania, to Bulgaria, to Spain, to South America, to France, to the Ottoman Empire, and so forth.

The reactions of the characters to their situations alone encompass much of the humor. For instance, when Candide hears from Cunégonde that a Romanian castle was invaded by Bulgarians during the war between the two countries, and the people within it were raped and tortured and killed, and all of their things stolen, Candide is naturally upset. But, not to worry! Because Cunégonde assures him that the Romanian soldiers stormed a Bulgarian castle, and raped and tortured and killed and stole from their inhabitants, so it all balanced out in the end. And, of course, our precious little Candide states: “oh my, it is a good thing that this happened for the best, because I would not want to witness the worst!”

And, finally, to cap off this wonderful satire, our band of characters encounter all sorts of hardships, from warfare, to storms at sea, to theft, to betrayal, to persecution, and even an earthquake…And yet they all still retain the exact same views and beliefs at the end of the book as they did at the very beginning. Because, no matter what happens, it would seem that people are so to stick to their own interpretations of the universe. To anyone who loves the history of the Enlightenment as much as I do, I could recommend no greater reading than that wondrous “Candide” that Voltaire published in 1759.