FREE ESSAY ON CANDIDE

CANDIDE

Candide
Wealth and great materialistic possession brings happiness and success to most people's
lives. Although wealth does not always bring happiness, El Dorado was one society where
all it's inhabitants lived lives full of success and happiness. In Candide, wealth proved
to guarantee a person a step forward in life and some sense of freedom. Sometimes when
one lives in an environment consisting of total equality, one may prefer to leave and go
to a different place where they would be considered superior and everyone else inferior
to them.
The people of El Dorado were so wealthy that they abused the things that they possessed
that others would cherish. The children proved this when they were playing at quoits
covered with tattered garments of the richest brocade. It is obvious to see that they
were so rich that the quoits did not have any significant meaning to them. We were able
to see this when upon having to return back to school they left the quoits on the ground
along with their other playthings. Candide was surprised to find out that an adult
schoolmaster would do the exact same when given these quoits which consisted of gold and
precious stones. Candide realized that these children must have been those of a king and
he said, " The king's children in this country must have an excellent education, since
they are taught to show such a contempt for gold and precious stones." (49). Another way
in which we saw that they were very wealthy was the fact that the common pebbles of their
highways were large gold pieces, houses were built of silver and gold, the antechamber
was incrusted with rubies and emeralds. I feel that this was not very appropriate. Just
because they were wealthy does not mean that the money should be wasted in such a way as
to build a highway of these expensive stones, when it could be substituted with a much
less expensive material. 
El Dorado was a place where everyone was extremely happy and satisfied with what they
possessed. This place was seen as heaven on earth. It represented a cultural wealth.
Everyone here was a priest and priests were considered to be pleasant happy beings. We
clearly saw that Cacambo and Candide were very satisfied with their stay here when they
said, "Possibly this is that part of the globe where everything is right for there must
certainly be some such place." (50). They believed that there was such a place because
they followed their great friends Pangloss' idea that everything is for the best. Prayer
was not a part of anyone's life in this society because they all felt that there was no
need to pray since they had everything they needed. We saw that this was a belief of the
Revered Sage when he said, "We have nothing to ask of Him, He has given us all we want,
and we give Him thanks incessantly." (51). To me this way of thinking was very wrong.
Prayer is a big part of my life and I feel that even if one feels that everything is
perfect, prayer should not be eliminated from their lives. Stopping the praying may lead
to great misfortune. As long as you have God in your life you will be protected and cared
for.
Equality and happiness among every single person in a society may lead to one's desire to
escape to another society where they would differ. Here in El Dorado Cacambo and Candide
had the chance to be rich and happy alongside everyone else in their society, but this
was not what they wanted. In societies where everyone seems to be equal, one may at times
feel the want to escape to a place where they would be in some sense different, special,
and superior. If everyone were the same, their lives would not include any type of
competition, and no one would have goals to reach to be better than anyone else. Candide
and Cacambo knew that they would be happy be happy in El Dorado, but they preferred not
to stay and feel this sense of total equality among everyone else. We saw that Candide
did not want to stay and live in this type of society when he said, "If we remain here we
shall only be as others are; whereas, if we return to our own world with only a dozen of
El Dorado sheep, loaded with the pebbles of this country, we shall be richer than all the
kings in Europe." (52). He felt this need to feel superior. They also believed that if
they went back with all this wealth, they would easily recover Miss Cunegund, since money
could get a person almost anything. 
In Candide, although wealth almost always brought happiness, there were a few exceptions.
One example was Miss Cunegund. Due to her beauty, she was able to live in many different
places and with many different people. All these men that she resided with were very
wealthy, and they were willing to provide her with almost anything that she wished for.
This did not guarantee her happiness because she was living in the presence of total
strangers instead of with the one's she loved. Another example was the relationship of
Pacquette and Friar Giroflee. The Friar was wealthy and happy because due to his wishes
he had Pacquette as his partner. Unfortunately Pacquette being the one of less power had
no choice but to abide by the Friar and continue to live unhappy. She also had no choice
but to fake her happiness and fool everyone around. Candide was one of those fooled. When
can see this when he said to her, "you looked so gay and contented, when I met you, you
sang and caressed the Theatin with so much fondness, that I absolutely thought you as
happy as you say you are now miserable." (67).
In my opinion Voltaire was trying to emphasize that there are two different kinds of
people in this world, the wealthy and the not so wealthy. I do not feel that he was
trying to say that all the time but instead that more than half of the time those who are
wealthy live happier and more advanced lives than those less fortunate. In Candide,
wealth can get a person anything or person they wanted. The less fortunate had to obey
and abide by the rules of those more powerful to them. It was almost like they were
slaves to their masters. The wealthy were able to buy their happiness, as the masters and
residents of El Dorado did. This is not only proven in Candide. By looking at the real
world and our everyday lives we can agree with this theory. It is not hard to see that
the famous millionaires in this world live in great beautiful places full of luxuries,
and those that are poor such as the homeless have to get by day by day with no or very
little food and shelter. 
In conclusion, wealth brings most people happiness and pride but only to a certain
extent.