Throughout much of Voltaire’s life, the nobility reigned in France. After a period of prosperity and total aristocracy under the rule of Louis XIV, France encountered domination by the clergy and nobility, who aimed to keep their many privileges (Reiter 246-281). The "reinfeudation" (Chew 1) which occurred during the reign of Louis XV and Louis XVI, both ineffective and weak kings, displeased much of the population. Despite economic advances during this period, the bourgeoisie and the lower class found themselves excluded form political posts and unfairly shouldering the tax burden (Reiter 268-269). Out of this period of unhappiness emerged Voltaire, whose essays and novels spewed forth a penetrating critique of man and society. Thus influenced by the events taking place in France, Voltaire composed the philosophical tale of Candide, in which he used biting sarcasm to comment on religious fanaticism and the injustices of class distinction and war.
Voltaire was naturally inclined to enjoy life. Everything gave him pleasure from a good meal, a good bed, a merry conversation, or even the effect of a fine poem. He enjoyed being a "poet, historian, physicist, architect, upholsterer, gardener, wine-grower, combatter of errors, and fighter against folly and superstition" (Brandes 116). Comparing his epoch with the past, he felt with satisfaction that progress had been made. Unfortunately, by 1750, Voltaire’s joy in life significantly decreased. Too many horrible events occurred in the world at large and in his own private life. "Lisbon’s catastrophe gave the signal for every sort of public calamity. The fires of religious persecution again flamed up. The Seven Years War drowned in blood all hope of peaceful progress" (Brandes 124).
Voltaire himself stated "…fresh news nearly always means fresh misfortunes. After one has lived for some time, all illusions are gone. Fate hurls us along, toying with us. Let us try, let us try… what a word! Nothing depends upon us, we cannot decide anything, we are puppets, ruled forces" (Brandes 125).
From this mood arose Candide, through which Voltaire mocked optimism. Pangloss, Candide’s mentor and a disciple of the German philosopher Leibniz, was a character who reacted with philosophical calm and accepted all forms of suffering and evil. When an earthquake struck Lisbon, Pangloss was quick to state "…all is for the best. For if there’s a volcano at Lisbon, it couldn’t be anywhere else. For it’s impossible for things not to be where they are. For all is well" (Voltaire 30). Furthermore, Pangloss suffered from a bout of syphilis and was hanged by the Spanish Inquisition only to reappear later in the novel, telling a story of how he came back to life when a surgeon made a "crucial incision" (112). Even through such misfortunes, Pangloss continued to assert that "all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds" (Voltaire 18). Through the character of Pangloss, Voltaire mocked romanticist thinking, which was also present during the European enlightenment.
Candide himself, the young hero of the novel, initially accepts Pangloss’s view of life. Even though he was robbed of his riches and beaten again and again, Candide still maintained the idea that all was for the best. The character of Martin, who reflected Voltaire himself, was included so as to contrast Voltaire’s way of thinking and the thinking of romanticist philosophers of the time. When the Dutch pirate’s ship was sunk, Candide asserted that all was for the best and that the "black-hearted Dutch captain has met the fate he deserved" (Voltaire 79). Martin, on the other hand, questioned whether "the hundred men on the deck of the sinking ship" (Voltaire 78) deserved the same fate as the Dutch pirate, portraying Voltaire’s belief in the injustices of war and his "sympathy and fellow-feeling for the suffering of others" (Byers 15).
The final chapter, the Conclusion, represents the epitome of Voltaire’s opinions and also contains the entire purpose of Candide. In it, Candide and his companions meet a good old man who is enjoying the fresh air in front of his door under an arbor of trees. They ask him the name of a Mufti who had recently been murdered in Constantinople. He knows nothing about the case, but invites the travelers into his house and prepares a choice meal for them. His hospitality is lordly. He possesses a few acres of land which he cultivates with the help of his children. The work keeps them free of three great evils: "boredom, vice, and poverty" (Voltaire 119).
The old man and his lifestyle makes a deep impression on Candide. Pangloss states that "man was not born to be idle" (Voltaire 120), and Martin admits that there is only one way "to make life bearable" (Voltaire 120)—to work without brooding too much. The entire little company is converted to this view. And everyone turns out to be good for something. Even Brother Giroflée becomes a good worker, still more, a good fellow. And when Pangloss wishes to resume his long discourse about how man was perfect before the fall, and that all events are for the best in the best of all possible worlds, Candide interrupts him with the words: "Well said, but we must attend to our garden" (Voltaire 120).
While the final line cannot be called an expression of cynicism, despair, pessimism, or surrender, it essentially represents Voltaire’s own final motto. It is the consolation he holds out to the human race. His sympathy for those who were suffering during much of the Eighteenth Century, led Voltaire to compose Candide. Through Candide, Voltaire expressed his belief that one should work within his capabilities and reject utopian dreams, the basis of romanticism.
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