El Dorado: A true “Utopia”

[Before I start, an apology: I actually have a different edition of the book than most of the class, so I won’t be able to provide page numbers.]

It’s funny how often the word “Utopia” is used without a solid understanding of its meaning.  The word itself comes from Thomas Moore’s book of the same name published in 1516, in which he describes the archetypical Utopia.  However, many have wondered if Moore was being satirical in his work, as many of its themes (Euthanasia, Divorce, etc.) were deeply at odds with the strict Catholic Doctrine he eventually died for.  Perhaps the greatest clue was in the title; “Utopia”, when translated from Greek, literally means “No Place”.

So, with this in mind, let’s take a look at Voltaire’s El Dorado, another archetypical “Utopia”.  On the surface, it appears to be everything that Pangloss has ever dreamed of.  The people are kind and beautiful, the government is just and rewarding, and the culture on a whole seems to breathe the very essence of Voltaire’s enlightenment movement.  Gold, Silver and Jewels mean nothing here, while the Arts and Sciences are held in the highest regards.

The deeper we examine the society of El Dorado, however, the more faults and flaws emerge in its idyllic image.   Most glaring is the fact that Class and Poverty are still very much alive in the mythical city.  Take the comments that Candide and Cacambo’s hosts make in Chapter 17; “You had a bad meal here,” our heroes are told, “Because it’s a poor village.  But go elsewhere and you will be treated as you deserve.”  The humor here is that the “bad meal” was an opulent feast beyond compare in the European Candide’s eyes.  But this is simply a matter of perspective; the host’s comments make clear that, by El Doradoean standards, his entire village lives in poverty.  A different standard of poverty than we are used to, to be sure, but enough to show that the village lives a significantly less privileged life than others in their nation.

There are several other instances that seem to unravel the perception of El Dorado as a flawless Utopia.  For one, Chapter 18 makes it clear that the Old Man, and therefore most likely many others, still employ servants of low rank in society.  Secondly, the citizens of El Dorado do not turn down or refuse the concept of material wealth; only the gold and jewels that make up the “mud” of the nation.

So, can we say that El Dorado is just another vile city no different than any other in Voltaire’s work?  Of course not; the city and its people are leaps and bounds ahead of those shown in Paris and England.  However, it would be just as foolish to accept it as a faultless, perfect existence.  The only true place to find a “Utopia”, after all, is no place.