Voltaire’s Candide is a satirical novel that strives to critique all that is wrong in 17th, 18th century society through the journeys of Candide, an innocent young man corrupted by his experiences in the real world. In chapters 18-20 of Candide, the idealistic remarks of the old man and the King of Eldorado compared with the pragmatic beliefs of Candide and Martin the Manichean reflect contrasting views on human nature and religious faith.
The comments made by the old man and the King of Eldorado reflect a positive view of human nature, while the insights of Candide and Martin the Manichean are more cynical and similar to the ideas of Thomas Hobbes and Voltaire himself. In his meeting with Candide, the King of Eldorado explains that there are no prisons, and that “nobody ever went to court” (48). Eldorado has no form of punishment for its ‘naturally …show more content…
It is also clear that love is a natural practice in the utopia of Eldorado, as the common custom for greeting the King is not to “drop to [your] knees” or “lick the dust off the parquet”, but rather “to hug the King and kiss him on both cheeks” (48). This custom reflects the loving nature of humans in Eldorado, and is contrary to the killing that occurs in Candide’s life outside the utopia. Additionally, the King of Eldorado and the old man speak of how “tyranny has no place in [their] customs or [their] laws” and that a despot only operates with “the consent of the people” (46), reflecting a
The comments made by the old man and the King of Eldorado reflect a positive view of human nature, while the insights of Candide and Martin the Manichean are more cynical and similar to the ideas of Thomas Hobbes and Voltaire himself. In his meeting with Candide, the King of Eldorado explains that there are no prisons, and that “nobody ever went to court” (48). Eldorado has no form of punishment for its ‘naturally …show more content…
It is also clear that love is a natural practice in the utopia of Eldorado, as the common custom for greeting the King is not to “drop to [your] knees” or “lick the dust off the parquet”, but rather “to hug the King and kiss him on both cheeks” (48). This custom reflects the loving nature of humans in Eldorado, and is contrary to the killing that occurs in Candide’s life outside the utopia. Additionally, the King of Eldorado and the old man speak of how “tyranny has no place in [their] customs or [their] laws” and that a despot only operates with “the consent of the people” (46), reflecting a