Voltaire
provides us with an alternate source of comedy in his Candide. The story of a commoner turned fortunate, the central
character is found in Candide and the central plot in his infatuation with
Cunégonde, the daughter of a baron. After a brief fling of romance, Candide is banished
from his homestead and forced to journey the world in search of his denied
lover. What makes this story comical is the absurdity of situation and the
skewed morality of our protagonist. Candide commits many crimes, including
murder and desertion, but nonetheless remains our story’s champion. Along the
way back to his beloved Cunégonde, Candide encounters a character by the name
of Pangloss who has (and has yet) suffered many hardships, namely his
contracting of syphilis from a chambermaid named Paquette. What is humorous
about this character is his unfaltering optimism. Despite his dire
circumstances, Pangloss hopes for greener pastures past the hardships he has
endured and still will endure.
Midway
through his journey, Candide finds himself in the land of El Dorado. The true
utopia of the world, this land has no politics, nor wars nor tribulations. The
only thing that this places lacks, for Candide, is his lost love Cunégonde who
has been passed and sold from one country to the next. After accruing his
wealth from the land, Candide ventures out again to find and marry his life’s
love. Having lost and regained his fortune along the way, Candide once again
meets Pangloss who he believed to be dead but proves to be alive and as
optimistic as ever. It really is funny that his optimism proves to be well
founded in fate as he joins Candide’s party on the final leg of their journey.
With his fortune Candide buys Cunégonde’s freedom and their clan settles as
farmers, relinquishing the adrenaline fueled adventures of their travels around
the world for sake of serenity.
Like
Shakespeare’s Comedies, this story ends in marriage. It was the primary motivation
of conflict throughout the entire story and, upon its resolution, the narrative
finds peace and finality. I think the final joke in this all is the content
that the party experiences once they surrender to the simple life of farming. They
have experienced hell and utopia alike but are satisfied with the mediocrity of
tending the land. There is nothing glamorous or exciting about their newfound
lifestyle, but it is sufficient. This, I believe, is Voltaire’s ultimate
message: that, no matter how much thought and energy is placed into the philosophical
and metaphysical tribulations of life, one may find happiness in a full stomach
and family. Nothing, in the end, truly matter in the face of life’s utter
brevity.
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