One of the primary goals of the Enlightenment was to promote reason and rationalism as a method of achieving social and political reform. However, Voltaire, a powerful and renowned philosopher and writer of the period, often criticized particular aspects of Enlightenment philosophy. In his short novel Candide, Voltaire rather harshly attacks the optimism so widespread among philosophers such as Leibnitz, choosing instead not to ignore the pervasive presence of natural and human evil. In this work, the main character, Candide, undergoes drastic changes in thought and maturity. With the conclusion of Candide's geographical and philosophical journey, it is clear that Voltaire wanted to emphasize that man's purpose is not to idly speculate on philosophy. Rather, man should become an active member of a world more realistic and more suited to his natural oscillation within physical and psychological states. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay It becomes apparent from the beginning of the work that Voltaire wishes to promote both the material and mental independence of the individual: a task that can usually be achieved through travel. The novel itself is based entirely on a dynamic and complex journey undertaken by Candide, as well as portions of the paths taken by others close to him. In fact, the point of view changes continuously throughout the thirty chapters of the work, alternating narrators to encourage the accessibility of the journey to all men and women. As the plot develops, the events taking place in each location begin to speak to the universality of human suffering. This universality is a reality that Candide – and any other individual – must recognize in order to ultimately reduce the amount of suffering they experience. An old woman much more knowledgeable in worldly affairs than Candide offers him insights into this concept, telling him that if he were on a ship: “let each passenger tell you his story; and if there is anyone who has not often cursed his life, who has not often told himself that he is the most unfortunate of men, throw me headlong into the sea” (260). Indeed, virtually every chapter contains horrific stories of violence and misery that extend to members of every social and political class. Two other more knowledgeable acquaintances, Cacambo and Martin, offer slightly different perspectives on the nature of human suffering. When Candide is shocked to learn that in a foreign country women have relations with monkeys, Cacambo asks him: “why should you find it so strange that in some countries there are monkeys who obtain the favors of women? They are one-quarter men, as I am one-quarter Spanish” (269). Experiencing different forms of suffering, Candide begins to realize how travel promotes independence and acceptance, and he himself states: “certainly a man should travel” (277). Martin later makes some of his own observations, telling Candide, “I cannot tell you whether there are more madmen in one country than in the other” (301). Therefore, it appears that travel is a useful method for gaining visibility and understanding of the similarities between different cultures, and in particular the invasive nature of human suffering within each population. Closely related to the recognition of universal suffering is Candide's need to accept or change. certain evils of the world. Several Enlightenment philosophers promoted rational thought as a way to alleviate the effects of evil, but Voltaire encourages Candide and his reader to admit that evil exists and, instead of embracing it, urges them to attempt to alleviate some of its effects by promoting change . There are two forms of evil: onethat cannot be changed by man (for example natural disasters) and the other that can (for example war). Rather than speculate on the ultimate reason for these evils, Voltaire believes that man must deal with them to the best of his ability. It satirizes metaphysicians known for spending their time considering the reason for evil; at the beginning of the novel, when Candide is about to be brutally killed, the narrator says: "at that moment the king of the Bulgarians came and inquired about the crime committed by the victim...he understood from what he learned about Candide that he was a very young metaphysical ignorant in worldly affairs” (233). It is also clear that Voltaire highlights the cruelty of men which seems to perpetuate evil. For example, a certain learned character, Jacques, comments: “Men… must have corrupted nature a little, because they were not born wolves, and became wolves. God did not give them twenty-four-pounder guns or bayonets, but they made bayonets and cannons to destroy each other” (239). While this metaphor obviously criticizes men for their savage violence, it also helps to make the distinction between natural evils and those created by men. In the rest of the novel, evil is commented on as Candide's journey allows him to evolve to a higher state of independence. and maturity. The evil practiced by man is finally questioned by Candide, when he asks Martin: "Do you believe... that men have always massacred each other... they have been liars, cheaters, traitors, brigands, weak, fickle, cowardly, envious , gluttonous, drunken, greedy and cruel, bloodthirsty, backbiting, dissolute, fanatical, hypocritical and foolish? Martin replies: “Do you think… that sparrowhawks have always eaten the pigeons they encountered?… well… if sparrowhawks have always had the same nature, why should you expect men to change theirs?” (290). Observing this surplus of unpleasant traits recognized by Candide, it is evident that he has already been exposed to evil in the most diverse forms. Furthermore, Martin's logical response expresses a pessimistic view of human nature that often stemmed from the experience of various forms of transgression. Another character, Cunegonde, expresses similar disappointment in her experiences, referring to her old optimistic philosopher: "Pangloss deceived me cruelly when he said that all is well in the world" (248). However, a wise man, Dervish, reminds the reader that it is useless to simply consider the origin of evil. When Pangloss attempts to discuss philosophy with him, Dervish asks, "what does it matter... whether there is evil or good?" and tells Pangloss that he should simply "hold his tongue" (326). It therefore seems that Voltaire encourages man to recognize the existence of evil, but not to try to reason about it. Instead, it guides the reader to follow the message found in the rest of Candide's journey, which suggests that humans should respond to evil by trying to make a change. As Candide's experience continues, a particularly important pattern in human behavior emerges: it seems that human beings do not simply desire a pure state of happiness, but rather are accustomed to fluctuating between states of boredom, indifference, and suffering. This idea presents itself in a completely unexpected way when Candide and Cacambo decide to leave El Dorado, an oasis full of riches and free of violence and persecution. Candid reasons: «if we stay here, we will be nothing but like everyone else; but if we return to our world with only twelve sheep loaded with Eldorado pebbles, we will be richer than all the sheep put together,” to which the narrator comments: “Cacambo agreed with this; it's so pleasant to travel, to show off in front of friends, to show off the things you've seen in theown travels, that these two happy men decided not to be happy anymore” (279). The men go radically against what most would expect, especially the King of El Dorado, who states that "when we are comfortable everywhere we should stay there" (279). The departure from the oasis may be Voltaire's way of suggesting a reason why humans continue to suffer for each other. It could also be a commentary on the need for competition and variation among individuals, since Candide's main reason for leaving is to escape uniformity in exchange for a new status among his peers. An experienced older woman met soon after suggests that the behavior is developed in the novel to emphasize a peculiar weakness of human nature. After telling a horrendous story of a life of suffering, the woman states: “a hundred times I wanted to kill myself but I still loved life. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps the most disastrous of our inclinations; for is there anything more foolish than to desire... to caress the serpent that devours us until it devours our hearts? (259) The biblical allusion to the serpent may also suggest that this flaw in human nature was triggered by original sin. In both cases, it is clear that this curious human behavior is reiterated throughout the rest of the novel. A conversation with a Venetian gentleman later in the novel provokes an interesting observation from Candide, who asks Martin, "is there no pleasure in criticizing, in finding fault where other men think they see beauty?" which Martin agrees with: “namely…that there is pleasure in not being happy” (312). This behavior persists throughout the rest of the novel. In the conclusion, the main characters have settled on a small piece of land where they live free from most of the evils encountered earlier in the novel. However, the narrator still describes a continuation of the trait seen in both the old woman and Martin. Voltaire could try to strengthen the validity of the behavior by manifesting it in the two characters who turned out to be particularly cultured and mature. The narrator says: "when they weren't arguing, the boredom was so excessive that one day the old woman dared to say... 'I would like to know which is worse... to endure all the miseries we've been through, or to stay here and not do nothing?'” and “Martin above all concluded that man was born to live in the convulsions of anguish or the lethargy of boredom” (324-325). It is clear that Voltaire believes that human beings are naturally inclined to exist in a state that oscillates between boredom and suffering. An interesting conclusion can be drawn by combining the above-mentioned aspects of Voltaire's work. An individual must first reach maturity by experiencing different cultures and making inferences about human behavior. These experiences, in turn, help an individual make decisions about the presence of evil, allowing him or her to recognize the existence of evil without having to speculate philosophically about it. Furthermore, people often realize that, by their nature, they constantly oscillate between boredom and distress. Based on these premises, individuals can conclude that to avoid some of the evils perpetuated exclusively by humans (but without wasting time on speculation), useful work can be done. Practical work can keep individuals away from some evils and help them avoid extremes of boredom or distress. This idea is subtly hinted at at the beginning of the novel, when Cacambo distances himself from Candide. The narrator says: “Cacambo…was desperate to leave a good master who had become his close friend; but the pleasure of being useful to him overcame the pain of leaving him” (283). In this case, useful work allows Cacambo to avoid the unwanted.