Candide: What is he thinking?

During the class discussions of Voltaire’s satire, a few classmates noted that Candide’s thought processes about his actions are not addressed. However, I believe that these three characters: Pangloss, Martin and   the old lady are symbolic of his id, ego and super ego respectively. The role of each of each character is to represent which aspect of his psyche is influencing his action at the moment.

Id is described as the part of the personality that contains basic needs. It operates on a pleasure system and seeks to avoid pain or discomfort. Voltaire uses the characterization of Pangloss’s extremely optimistic philosophy on life as an embodiment of Candide’s id.  A majority of Pangloss’ actions are pleasure-based and when met with harsh reality as a consequence, he avoids discomfort by focusing on positive aspects of the situation. His affair with Pacquette leads to him being infected with an STD. Yet, he recalls his encounters with her as being in paradise and full of love. And down plays the severity of the disease by stating that its spread lead to the introduction of chocolate into Europe.  Candide is depicted to be greatly influenced by the teachings of Pangloss which in the beginning causes him to act solely based to the need to seek pleasure and avoid discomfort. His kissing of Miss Cunegend was as a result of basic need for intimacy. To avoid his unease with her affair with the Jesuit, he kills him quickly only to comprehend the consequences later.

  The ego is the aspect that tries to deal with our desires in a realistic manner. Martin is a symbol of Candide’s ego. On the surface, he seems to be very negative in comparison to Candide optimistic view on life. However, his logical assessment of the world brings Candide the balance that he is in great need of. After being robbed by a Dutch skipper, Candide witness him drown. His id in the form of his philosophy delights in this event, because it eliminates his discomfort about being cheated. However, Martin serving as the “conscience” brings into being the cost of this event. In France, Candide seeks to enjoy the company of the Parisians, all though they are mostly taking advantage of him. Martin, distrust of the Parisians, illustrates Candide’s true thoughts about their manipulative ways and his assessment of the cost of acceptance in Paris.

            Super ego determines morality and chooses what is right based on each situation.  The old lady’s advice to Candide serves as his yard of mortality based on the situation he finds himself in. Candide justifies his impulsive killings of Inquisitor and the Jew on the depth of his love for Miss Cungend and the jealousy it arouses in him. The old lady provides the voice of reasoning by advising to flee. It serves as Candide’s interruption of his killing as right because it was a reaction to the harsh life of Cungend and his need to protect her at all cost. However, the old lady soon advises Candide to let Cungend go instead of being killed by the Governor. His love for Cungend, clouded his judgment about her need to be safe till his super-ego brought it to his attention.

Candide's thoughts processes are made clear by Voltaire creative use of these characters as an embodiment of his mind. 

The role of Cacambo in Voltaire's Candide

Although the main arc of Candide serves to slowly break down Pangloss's optimistic philosophies for the deluded Candide, I believe that Voltaire chose to include the character of Cacambo as a physical extension of Pangloss's thoughts on one's current situation being "the best of all possible worlds." Unlike other characters, who lose loved ones or become victims to violent incidents such as mutilation or murder, Cacambo is the faithful character that, aside from not dying along the way, never turns his back on Candide even when given the chance. Although Candide undergoes many hardships which eventually prove false Pangloss's ideas on the world, Cacambo constantly remains by Candide's side, acting as a guide in Pangloss's absence, loyally helping Candide to his utmost extent to improve their situations and acting as a smidgen of hope in the hellish situations that Candide is put through. Pangloss's belief that "all is for the best" is reborn in Cacambo's character amidst the constant pillaging, rape and war that Candide comes across, through Cacambo's undying devotion to his master and his wisdom on getting them out of tricky situations that sheds light into the brutal and dark world that the two are plunged into. Yet, just as Pangloss eventually met his own fall and his ideas were proved incorrect in the real world, did Cacambo eventually fall prey to the world as well, ending up a slave under a cruel master rather than a generous and willing sidekick to our hero.

The Home and the World

This is a very good novel.  I enjoyed reading it.  Of course through, there are things I like about it and things I do not, and there are characters I like in it and there are characters I did not care for.  I do not care for Sandip and Bimala.  It seems as though Sandip thinks too highly of himself.  Yes we learn he is an educator and he speaks as though he is a philosopher, but he seems to always refute everything Nikhil has to say.  Not only does he seem to always have to disagree with Nikhil, Sandip goes on and on refuting him.  I also did not care much for Sandip because I felt as though he knew what he was doing in stealing Nikhil's wife away.  It is very inappropriate and just disgusting that Sandip would do such a thing.  I feel bad for Nikhil.

I feel bad for Nikhil that Bimala fell out of love with him because she was seduced by Sandip because Nikhil seems like he is a good guy.  Nikhil seems like he has a good heart, good intentions, and he treats Bimala with respect.  Nikhil treats her with more respect then women were treated with during this time period in this place.  One time in specific that my heart breaks for Nikhil is when he is in their bedroom, their bedroom he never goes in anymore.  I feel bad for him because he feels like he is doing something wrong by being in their bedroom.  He expresses that he feels "like a wrong-doer, a trespasser, prying into a secret not meant for [him]" ( Tagore 87).  I feel bad for him because he feels so disconnected from Bimala that he feels strangger in his own room.  This is heart breaking to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N5ARzyx8Sg

This is a link to a clip I found on youtube.com.  In its subtitles you can read all about what this guy delivering the speech was saying about the Swadeshi movement.  I believe that Bimala was attracted to Sandip largely because of his obsession with the movement and his obsession with having her be a big part of the movement. 

The Silver Lining in Candide

Through Candide, it is clear that Voltaire attacks the philosophy of being blindly optimistic about everything despite the bad and unfortunate events that happen in reality.  I liked his sharp satire in communicating the absurdity if this naïve point of view because it is unrealistic to view life through the rose-colored lens of optimism, and constantly ignore things for what they really are.

However, despite Voltaire’s attack on this philosophy through Pangloss’s silly character, I noticed that while he includes an extensive amount of events and that range from unfortunate to absolutely horrific, and people that are ignorant or cruel, he also includes somewhat decent characters throughout the story as well.  Jacques the Anabaptist, the Old Woman and Cacambo are the three main characters that demonstrate kindness and loyalty towards Candide in the outside world away from the castle in Westphalia. They give him advice, accompany him in his travels and don’t try to take advantage of his naivety.  Although by the end of the story Cacambo and the Old Woman are relatively miserable and ill tempered, it doesn’t change the kindness of their actions towards Candide. 

While Voltaire is purposely attacking the idea of Pangloss’s form optimism, the characters that help Candide demonstrate that there are instances in the text where he somewhat upholds the philosophy that he is trying to bring down.  While in the characters mentioned above may not be perfect, they exemplify his statement on pg. 56 when he says to Martin “And yet there is some good in the world.”  I believe that although Voltaire emphasizes the absurdity of “blind optimism” by including an extensive amount of events that demonstrates the cruelty that lies within mankind, he still shows that good things do happen, and that the good in people still exists-which allows for a silver lining on which we can look to in the face of harsh reality.