"Candide"

Book Review # 93740

English > Comparison
Literature > French
Religion and Theology > The Bible

"Candide"

A comparison of the garden in Voltaire's novel "Candide" with the Biblical Garden of Eden.

1,363 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This essay explores many examples of utopias and analyzes the symbolism of the garden in Voltaire's novel, "Candide." The essay explores the situations where characters of the novel have potentially found utopia. It compares the symbolism of Candide's garden to the Biblical Garden of Eden. The essay concludes by discussing whether it is truly possible for man to "return to the Garden" after having fallen.

From the Paper:

"Humans are more or less nomadic. Life is an unending quest for the things that will satisfy our desires, to achieve the "best of all possible worlds" (35). There is always more to be obtained. People frantically climb mountains to the peak, only to find a higher one to scale beyond it. This relentless mission slowly drains the life out of people, as it becomes clear that they may never reach that optimum, utopian place. Any optimistic dreams of a potentially perfected world are utterly shattered in Voltaire's novel, Candide. Voltaire uses satire and irony to demolish the shaky foundations of optimistic philosophies of the day. These philosophers think people perceive imperfections in the world only because they do not understand God's grand and "good' plan. Voltaire raises up ideas of utopia, frequently referencing the Garden of Eden before the fall of man, and, after establishing these potentially "utopian" states, manages to slam down the work, smashing it to pieces. Demonstrating the loss of optimism in such a way, the question then arises, "is it possible for man to return to the Garden after the fall?""