27 IEP David Liu
Garden of Advancement
David Liu
Mr. de Groof
Grade.12 Literature
01/11/16
27 IEP David Liu
In Voltaire’s novel Candide, the protagonist Candide witnessed a world full
of evil after he got kicked out from his comfort zone, Westphalia. During his
journey, Candide expanded his horizon by absorbing new perspective from the
outside world and started to question Pangloss’ philosophy about the “best of
all possible world”. Candide and his companions finally ended their journey in
a garden in Constantinople, and later he lived a self-sustained life by
cultivating his own garden. Candide chose to live a richer and better life rather
than spending time in the evil society. The garden they arrived not only
symbolizes the transformation of Candide, but also a relief from a corrupt
government. The Phrase to “cultivate one’s garden” in this conte, or short story,
tells the reader about Voltaire’s concept of meliorism, a philosophy that
contradicted to Pangloss’ optimism. In addition, it made Candide more isolated
from the corrupt society. This is one of the main themes in Candide that to
consider what is the best way to live in a world full of evil. Voltaire used the
example of cultivating one’s garden to inform his audiences that the only way
to improve one’s life is to work hard rather than reasoning.
The garden in the last chapter alludes to the Garden of Eden. The Garden
of Eden is a religious term that explains human progress from purity and
paradise to knowledge of wickedness, melancholy and at last to extermination
27 IEP David Liu
(Encyclopædia Britannica：Garden of Eden). When Candide mentioned that
they must cultivated their garden first ,Pangloss responded to Candide :“You’re
right,” said Pangloss, “because when man was put in the Garden of Eden, he
was put there “to dress it and to keep it,’ that is, to work; which proves that man
was not born to be idle” (113). Voltaire made this satire on religion by showing
that, different from Adam who first lived happily in the garden but later on
banished by god, Candide was banished from the garden in the castle at the
very beginning by Baron. After years of traveling, he settled himself in a garden
and learned to work for himself. Voltaire overturns the situation of Adam is to
advocate the idea of human progresses from sinful and melancholy into purity
and bliss. He tried to encourage people to manage their lives like Candide in
clandestine, claiming that this is the way to be far for the polluted society.
The garden is also a symbol of Candide’s changing philosophy. During the
days in Westphalia, the naive Candide was giving lectures by the great
philosopher, Doctor Pangloss, who preaches optimism. Candide’s immature
characteristic made him believe in the idea of God creates the best of all
possible world. This natural philosophy was later on challenged by the events
that Candide witnessed on his journey. For instance, the disastrous Lisbon
earthquake had killed thousands of innocent people. Additionally, the good
27 IEP David Liu
Anabaptists drowned in the sea because he was trying to save a dissolute
sailor. Some other disputable events including blameless passengers drowned
with the avaricious Dutch captain and an African slave who was dismembered
by his master and think that this is his fate. Candide considered these were not
the world that Pangloss mentioned of, but a world full of evil. At the end of the
story, when Candide realized that the self-sustained Turkish farmer lived better
than the six kings they had supper with in chapter 26, he decided to completely
abandon the beliefs taught by Pangloss. He starts to plant foods by his own
hands and manage his own fortune. “I also know,” said Candide, “that we must
cultivate our Garden”(113). This shows that Candide has changed his ideal
that the only goal to live in a peace and stable live is to exercise meliorism, a
philosophy claims that men did not live in a world of perfection, but could
improve their own lives by getting to work and better the condition they are in.
Cultivate one’s garden symbolizes a practice toward happiness.
There are many themes inside “Candide”, one of them is Voltaire satirized
about the unscrupulous society. He criticizes the ruthless monarchy and the
Church official’s overwhelming authority. He believed that their practices have
made the world glutted with evil. Despite to the abundance of wealth and army
they’ve owned, their lives seemed to appear as miserable and gloomy rather
27 IEP David Liu
than the people who live their lives delightfully and tranquil. He compared the
six kings that had a supper before with him and a farmer who owned only
twenty acres of land. “That good old man seems to have made himself a much
better life than the six kings we had the honor of eating supper with.” This is
absolutely an ironic Voltaire that was trying to make fun of the aristocrats. A
man who owns the whole kingdom couldn’t even live richer than a farmer who
owns a garden. The garden, in this perspective, symbolizes true wealth.
The garden was one key point in this conte that Voltaire tried to use it as a
symbol to emphasize his belief. Philosophically, the garden embodies the
positive attitude toward life. It gives the reader a concept of how to improve
one’s situation using the act of Candide cultivating the garden as the reflection,
and furthermore it compares it with the Garden of Eden. Moreover, Voltaire
satirized the corrupted government by comparing the value of gold and crops.
Henceforth, Candide has concluded that true happiness is to farm in a garden
and support oneself by the result of every day’s hard work, but not gold and
fame. The author designed the garden as Candide’s destination in the story
after he experienced evil during the journey to reveal his idea of the best way
of living.
27 IEP David Liu
References:
1. "Garden of Eden". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica
Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 07. Jan. 2016
<http://www.britannica.com/topic/Garden-of-Eden>
2. Voltaire. Candide. Trans. Lowell Bair. New York: A Division of Random
House, 1959. Print.