War has been present since the beginnings of time. We know of wars as old as those in ancient Greece, and as recent as those occurring today like the Palestine-Israeli Conflict. So it should come as no surprise that there are so many wars in Candide. Yet, I was shocked at the amount of conflict there is in this book over such minor disagreements.
Candide starts off with various conflicts and wars. First Candide is banished for kissing Cunégonde, then he finds himself in the middle of war, and then the reader finds out that Cunégonde's and the old woman's stories both revolve around conflicts. I thought war would stop at one point, but so far, it hasn't. Now Candide has traveled to the New World, a place people believed was the ultimate sanctuary and safe-haven. Turns out, Voltaire wasn't one of these people. Once Candide arrives, he finds out the police want him for murder, and then he kills a Jesuit Priest. This is not unexpected, since Voltaire has been criticizing European society all along. However, further ahead in the story, an indian tribe wants to eat Candide and his servant because they believe they're Jesuits. So apparently, Europeans aren't the only ones who fight because of idealistic disagreements.
So it is evident that Voltaire believed it wasn't only people in his society who fought over anything, it was people everywhere. So he must have believed that it wasn't society that corrupted the individual, but that the individual was simply born corrupted. Throughout the book Voltaire demonstrates how discontent he is with European society, and now he criticizes American cultures as well. It is eminently obvious in this satirical quote referring to the cannibal tribe: "'What grand people they are! What fine fellows! And what culture!... When all is said and done, there is a sterling goodness in unsophisticated Nature.'"So Voltaire disapproves of European society. And he disapproves of American society as well. Then is there anything he is content with?
I completely agree with you about Voltaire's problem with society. He has criticized almost ever aspect you can think of: war, religion, government, love, tragedy, optimism etc.
ResponderEliminarI also think that the fact that there are wars over very small reasons is actually a critique. He is mocking society. He is saying that society starts conflicts over minor reasons that have no importance at all.