Seeing is Not Always Believing
The line “We must cultivate our garden”(Voltaire 130) in François-Marie Arouet Voltaire 's novella Candide symbolizes the idea that in order to redress a corrupt society we must “cultivate” ourselves by changing our perspective. In the novella Candide, the titular protagonist Candide embarks on a perilous journey with some companions to find his lover Cunegonde. However, Candide and numerous characters face grave tragedies and downfalls because of their inability to have an unbiased outlook in any situation. Thus, “culturing ourselves” would mean to open up our minds to new ideas, resulting in auspicious outcomes and improving our free will to rectify a corrupt society. Evidently, Candide is an impressionable …show more content…
Without any hesitation to question the scenario, he presumes that the girls were in trouble without realizing that they were simply having fun. Later on, he does not completely realize his mistake and even when Cacambo provides an explicit explanation to the situation, Candide goes on to say, “I remember to have heard Master Pangloss say, that formerly such accidents used to happen; that these mixtures… [of] accidents had seen [to be] such monsters.”(Voltaire 52) Subsequently, even after learning that the monkeys were profoundly the sweethearts of the girls, Candide continues to go on about how such coupling were a mistake and intimately insults the people of that society. He remains completely ignorant to the fact that perhaps there were different societies that consisted of different morals. If Candide had not been hasty in his actions and “cultivated” himself by learning about the Oreillons society then he would not have faced a near-death experience with them. Another way Candide epitomizes the ideal that “We must cultivate our garden” means we must change ourselves, is when Candide speaks his mind in front of two …show more content…
Much like Candide, Pangloss faces many misfortunes which could have easily been resolved, if he had not been stubborn on his ideas of philosophical optimism. For example, when Candide meets Pangloss again- after being separated when he gets kicked out of the castle- he says how he has syphilis because of his affair with Paquette where she had, “[caught if from a] learned cordelier, who traced it back its source. He was indebt for it to an old countess, who caught it from a captain cavalry…”(Voltaire 21) Syphilis would have killed Pangloss if Candide did not find and help him. However, Pangloss goes on to say, “it was a thing unavoidable, a necessary ingredient in the best of worlds.”(Voltaire 21) Clearly, this indicates the absurdity of Pangloss’s ideas. If he had “cultivated” or changed his viewpoints on philosophical optimism then he would not have faced the tragedy of syphilis. Likewise, Pangloss knows Paquette had slept with many people as she later on says herself that, “[I have been] subject[ed] to the extortions of civil magistrates…[and] you will conclude I am one of the most unhappy wretches breathing”(Voltaire 103). The recalcitrant Pangloss believed so greatly in Philosophical optimism that he believes getting syphilis was for the best! Concurrently, not only does Pangloss bring great misfortune upon himself, but others as well. When
The line “We must cultivate our garden”(Voltaire 130) in François-Marie Arouet Voltaire 's novella Candide symbolizes the idea that in order to redress a corrupt society we must “cultivate” ourselves by changing our perspective. In the novella Candide, the titular protagonist Candide embarks on a perilous journey with some companions to find his lover Cunegonde. However, Candide and numerous characters face grave tragedies and downfalls because of their inability to have an unbiased outlook in any situation. Thus, “culturing ourselves” would mean to open up our minds to new ideas, resulting in auspicious outcomes and improving our free will to rectify a corrupt society. Evidently, Candide is an impressionable …show more content…
Without any hesitation to question the scenario, he presumes that the girls were in trouble without realizing that they were simply having fun. Later on, he does not completely realize his mistake and even when Cacambo provides an explicit explanation to the situation, Candide goes on to say, “I remember to have heard Master Pangloss say, that formerly such accidents used to happen; that these mixtures… [of] accidents had seen [to be] such monsters.”(Voltaire 52) Subsequently, even after learning that the monkeys were profoundly the sweethearts of the girls, Candide continues to go on about how such coupling were a mistake and intimately insults the people of that society. He remains completely ignorant to the fact that perhaps there were different societies that consisted of different morals. If Candide had not been hasty in his actions and “cultivated” himself by learning about the Oreillons society then he would not have faced a near-death experience with them. Another way Candide epitomizes the ideal that “We must cultivate our garden” means we must change ourselves, is when Candide speaks his mind in front of two …show more content…
Much like Candide, Pangloss faces many misfortunes which could have easily been resolved, if he had not been stubborn on his ideas of philosophical optimism. For example, when Candide meets Pangloss again- after being separated when he gets kicked out of the castle- he says how he has syphilis because of his affair with Paquette where she had, “[caught if from a] learned cordelier, who traced it back its source. He was indebt for it to an old countess, who caught it from a captain cavalry…”(Voltaire 21) Syphilis would have killed Pangloss if Candide did not find and help him. However, Pangloss goes on to say, “it was a thing unavoidable, a necessary ingredient in the best of worlds.”(Voltaire 21) Clearly, this indicates the absurdity of Pangloss’s ideas. If he had “cultivated” or changed his viewpoints on philosophical optimism then he would not have faced the tragedy of syphilis. Likewise, Pangloss knows Paquette had slept with many people as she later on says herself that, “[I have been] subject[ed] to the extortions of civil magistrates…[and] you will conclude I am one of the most unhappy wretches breathing”(Voltaire 103). The recalcitrant Pangloss believed so greatly in Philosophical optimism that he believes getting syphilis was for the best! Concurrently, not only does Pangloss bring great misfortune upon himself, but others as well. When