The Eldorado Episode in Candide

Author(s): William F. Bottiglia

Source: PMLA, Vol. 73, No. 4 (Sep., 1958), pp. 339-347
Published by: Modern Language Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/460253
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 THE ELDORADO EPISODE IN CANDIDE
By William F. Bottiglia

submission?in sum, of grateful acceptance?are

A LITERARY
episode analysis
in Candide shouldof the Eldorado
undertake to an? to the utopian condition, constitute its
germane
swer three interlocking questions: (1) Whatsole is
cultic
its observance, and obviate the need for
philosophic meaning in relation to the professional
whole? priests by automatically conferring
(2) By what artistic devices is that meaning con- on all.3 The political structure of this
priesthood
veyed? (3) How successfully has Voltaire fused
model society also proves the centrality of the
form and substance? To date no such deistic analysisengagement. Idealizing his preference for
exists. Questions 2 and 3 have been handleda either
beneficent monarchy (Pellissier, pp. 235 ff.),
Voltaire
scantly or not at all. Question 1, while much moreinvents a philosopher-king totally com?
frequently and for the most part satisfactorily
mitted to deism and governing a nation of deists.
It is no wonder, then, that he avoids describing
treated, has in a few instances produced divergent
interpretations springing from divergencies of
the organization of the State (Falke, pp. 33, 40).
critical approach. It is the purpose of this essay
to elaborate an analysis of the episode which
1 The fifteen are: (1) Gustave Lanson, Voltaire, 2nd ed.
will, among other things, provide a standard for
(Paris, 1910), p. 151, and Vart de la prose, 13th ed. (Paris,
evaluating the partial answers thus far n.d.),
offered.
p. 184; (2) Andre* Morize, Candide ou Voptimisme
(Paris, 1913), p. 111, n. 1; (3) Pietro Toldo, "Voltaire Con-
Fifteen of eighteen critics maintain that teur et Romancier," Zeitschrift fiir franzosische Sprache und
Eldorado represents Voltaire's ideal society and Litteratur, xl (1913), 173; (4) Daniel Mornet, Histoire de la
that, as such, it does not exist.1 Five of six critics literature et de la pensU franqaise (Paris, 1924), p. 145, and
argue that it can be realized or approximated, Histoire des grandes ceuvres de la littSrature franqaise (Paris,
1925), pp. 171, 173; (5) George R. Havens, "The Nature
whether by the whole of mankind or by a few
Doctrine of Voltaire," PMLA, xl (Dec. 1925), 857; Candide,
sages.2 As for the distinctive traits of this perfect ou Voptimisme (New York, 1934), pp. lii, 125, and The Age of
State, the critics as a group mention the follow? Ideas (New York, 1955), p. 201: (6) Andre Bellessort, Essai
ing: utility blended with charm, luxury with sur Voltaire (Paris, 1925), p. 262; (7) Philippe Van Tieghem,
natural simplicity; comfort, good taste, an en- Contes &* romans (Paris, 1930), i, xx; (8) Louis Flandrin,
(Euvres choisies (Paris, 1930), p. 724; (9) Dorothy M. Mc-
lightened public-works policy, peace, happiness, Ghee, Voltairian Narrative Devices as Considered in the Au?
liberty, equality, tolerance, wisdom, justice, thor's Contes Philosophiques (Menasha, 1933), pp. 70-71; (10)
deism. Norman L. Torrey, The Spirit of Voltaire (New York, 1938),
Now, an ideal may be reasonably defined as a p. 49; (11) Raymond Naves, De Candide d Saint-Preux
(Paris, 1940), p. 17; (12) Roger Petit, Contes (Paris: Clas-
standard of perfection supremely desirable but
siquesLarousse, 1941), i, 9, and ii, 6; (13) F. C. Green, Choix
not fullyattainable, though more orless approach- de contes (Cambridge, Eng., 1951), p. xxix; (14) William F.
able. In terms of this defmition, reflection on Bottiglia, "Candide's Garden," PMLA, lxvi (Sept. 1951),
Voltaire's life and intellectual development con- 722, 727; (15) Rita Falke, "Eldorado:Lemeilleurdesmondes
firms his emphatic approval of the fifteen dis- possibles,-"- Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century,
ed. Theodore Besterman, n (Geneva, 1956), 25-41, passim.
tinctively Eldoradan traits listed and his con? References 2, 5 (Candide), 7, 8, 12, and 13 involve editions of
sequent promotion of the ideals which they em- works by Voltaire.
body. The key trait is not tolerance as the ground The three critics with divergent interpretations are: (1)
of liberty (Falke, pp. 33, 35, 37, 38, 40-41), but Friedrich-Melchior Grimm, Correspondance litteraire, philo-
sophique et critique (by Grimm, Diderot, Raynal, Meister,
deism as the ground of a unanimously cultivated
etc), ed. Maurice Tourneux, rv (Paris, 1878), 86 (1 March
social and practical morality which produces all 1759); (2) William R. Price, The Symbolism of Voltaire's
the other traits. The entire episode displays the Novels with Special Reference to "Zadig" (New York, 1911),
deistic ethic in its manifold applications, while pp. 209, 211; (3) Ludwig W. Kahn, "Voltaire's Candide and
the conversation with the old man drives home the Problem of Secularization," PMLA, lxvii (Sept. 1952),
the deistic view of the relationship between God Quotations from the text of Candide will follow the spelling
and man. Since, according to this view, God and
is punctuation of the Morize edition.
the supreme Clockmaker honor-bound by His * The five who roughly agree are Mornet, Naves, Green,
own laws not to interfere with the functioningMiss Falke, and I. The divergent critic is Toldo.
of His cosmic chronometer, prayers of petition8 For the elements of Voltairean deism, see Georges Pel-
lissier, Voltaire philosophe (Paris, 1908), pp. 67-68; Lanson,
are ineffectual and even blasphemous. On theVoltaire, p. 178; Havens, "The Nature Doctrine of Vol?
other hand, hymns of adoration, thanksgiving, taire," p. 857, and Candide, p. 126; Torrey, pp. 227 ff.

339

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340 The Eldorado Episode in "Candide"

In such circumstances it tends to and an ambitious

wither away? public-works program. Theat?
which is why there are no courts orrical spectacles are offered, and the arts are
prisons.
pursued.
Ludwig Kahn nonetheless contends that So are
thethe mathematical and physical
sciences;
absence in Eldorado of priests and and, in addition to a "Palais des
litigations
proves it to be a mock paradise at Sciences,"
variance Eldorado
with has a corps of engineers who
the author's dream of perfectionsupervise
(p. 888). the Evi?
public-works program and manu-
facture
dence to the contrary is found, machinery
not only in for special purposes. The
truth is that
Candide, but also in the correspondence. TheVoltaire has described, not a static,
following typical passages are drawnbut a dynamic
from perfection. If his ideal society in?
letters
evitably lacks
written shortly before the composition of Can-the challenge of amelioration, it
doesjesuites.
dide: "Je suis tres-aised'&treloin des provide the. challenge
." of maintenance in
perpetuity.
"Pour moi, dans la retraite ou la raison Its inhabitants obviously can have
m'attire,
/ Je goute en paix la Liberte. / nothing to pray
. . . Loin desfor, but they do have every?
courtisans dangereux, / Loin des fanatiques
thing to work for, to live for.
affreux . . ." "Mais tout cela importe Another
fort aspect
peu aof Kahn's analysis also de?
un philosophe qui vit dans la retraite, mandset close scrutiny
qui n'a in connection with the
ni rois, ni parlements, ni pretres.Voltairean J'en souhaite
conception of the ideal. To support his
autant a tout le genre humain." ".thesis of progressive
. . libre dans secularization in Western
ma retraite aupres de Geneve, libre Europe over ade
aupres period of several centuries, he
Lausanne, sans rois, sans intendant, sans develops a parallel between Goethe's Faust and
jesuites ..." "Nous avons etabli l'empire des Candide, concluding that both works glorify the
plaisirs, et les pretres sont oublies."4 "new 'religion' of activity," which promotes
"life and activity (almost synonymous)" as
Kahn also contends that Eldorado offers a life
"ends and values per se," not as "a means for
without challenge, hence sterile, where science,
having been perfected, lies stagnant; where some higher or ulterior purpose" (pp. 886-887).
It is always dangerous to labor such generaliza?
prayers of petition are meaningless, so that its
inhabitants have nothing to work for or live for;tions and such comparisons, and particularly so
where, in other words, there is no opportunity when they involve world classics autonomously
produced by highly individual geniuses out of
for amelioration or activity, social or otherwise
(pp. 887-888). Voltaire's views on prayer have unique inspirations amid special circumstances.
already been summarized. It should be added Insofar as the parallel in question is suggestive,
that Kahn's analysis tends to blur the distinc?Henry N. Brailsford had already drawn it.6 Inso?
tion between the actual and the ideal.5 A standard far as Kahn's intention is to stress Voltaire's this-
of perfection cannot by defmition be improved worldliness and his unconcern about an afterlife,
beyond itself without ceasing to be a standard ofat least for the intelligentsia, there can be no
perfection. The Eldoradan society, by its very objection. But if he means that Voltaire had no
nature, allows for no amelioration. It does, how?fixed principles or that he lived and acted without
ever, allow for activity, social and otherwise. regard for mankind and its future, then objec?
Eldorado is cultivated "pour le plaisir commetion becomes unavoidable. Norman Torrey has
pour le besoin." Men and women are seen travel?clearly shown that Voltaire's deism postulates
ing in sheep-drawn carriages. Children go to "basic, fundamental, universal principles . . ?
school, and receive instruction from professional common moral principles which God has en-
teachers. Palatial private dwellings have been
built and are maintained every where in the
4 Voltaire, (Euvres compUtes, ed. Louis Moland (Paris,
country. The same is true of inns, which are 1877-85), xxxix, 58, 236, 262, 291, 418?hereafter referred
regularly staffed with hosts, waiters and to as "Moland," with citations from Vol. xxxix only.
waitresses, chefs, and so on. Musicians are em? 5 E.g.: "The trouble with any 'perfect' or 'best' world is
ployed for both secular and religious functions.precisely that it does not leave any room for amelioration or
The meals which are served presuppose a highlyfor activity, social or otherwise" (p. 887); "Paradise, Eden,
the City of God are places of rest, not to say of otiosity, be?
organized economy, and in fact there is mentioncause they are perfect" (p. 888); "When Candide inquires
of merchants, carters, servants, a special Eldo?how people pray to God in Eldorado, the sage answers:
radan currency, markets, and commerce. The 'Nous ne le prions point, nous n'avons rien a lui demander.,
government, it is true, has withered away to the Can this be an ideal? A world where there is nothing to pray
point where courts, prisons, and a military for is also a world where there is nothing to work for, nothing
to live for" (p. 888).
organization do not exist; but it does have a 6 Voltaire (London, 1935), p. 164. See also "Candide's
king, court officials, a ceremonial palace guard, Garden," p. 732.

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 William F. Bottiglia 341

graved in the hearts of all

taire ismen, which
understandably arethe
writing under true
spell of
at all times and in all latitudes" (pp.
the lure. He is, moreover, 228-229).
discussing peace based
This belief appears as early as 1722
on universal tolerance, not thein the com?
multifarious
ponents unshaken
?pitre d Uranie,7 and remains of a model society.through?
In Candide he more
objectivelytoward
out his life. As for his attitude sets up an ideal State which men
posterity,
it is no accident that the great
may approach, humanist quotes,
but which they cannot completely
in a letter dated 1 October realize. The examination
1757, of artistic La
from devicesFon-
which
taine's fable, "Le vieillard et les trois jeunes follows shortly will, I hope, corroborate this in?
hommes": "Mais planter a, cet age! / Disaient terpretation. As to whether all men or a few can
trois jouvenceaux, enfants du voisinage; / As- approximate the utopian condition, Eldorado?
surement il radotait" (Moland, p. 272). The the ideal?provides felicity for everyone, while
old man's apologia includes a perspective Candide's garden?the optimum present reality
cherished and acted upon by Voltaire: "Mes ?provides contentment for a small group. Be?
arriere-neveux me devront cet ombrage: / Eh tween these termini and necessarily short of the
bien! defendez-vous au sage / De se donner des former, humanity's future possibilities seem in-
soins pour le plaisir d'autrui? / Cela meme est un determinately variable, though the philosophers
fruit que je goute aujourd'hui ..." If, then, Can? chances are of course far better than those of the
dide derives mature satisfaction from cultivat- average man.
ing his garden, it is not "merely because he lives One such philosophe is Voltaire himself, and
and acts," but because he lives and acts in ac? the correspondence about the time of Candide
cordance with the fixed principles of the deistic repeatedly suggests that he found "Les Delices"
ethic for purposes which extend far beyondahis present reality bearing some resemblance to
"petite societe" both in space and in time. (See Eldorado. In this hermitage (Moland, pp. 364,
also "Candide's Garden," pp. 722, 732-733.)408, 443, 451, 467) or retreat (pp. 349, 353, 354,
This brings us to the problem of humanity's 365, 379, etc.) which deserves its name (pp. 184,
future possibilities. Can it ever fully attain 433),the having renounced the world (pp. 301, 354),
supremely desirable standard of perfection which he lives without priests, litigations, generals, or
Eldoradan society represents? Toldo declares earthly kings (pp. 262, 435): "bien loge, bien
flatly that it cannot (p. 173). Naves suggests that meuble, bien voiture" (p. 219); enjoying excel?
the philosophic minority can (p. 17). Mornet lent meals and good company (pp. 361, 365, 389);
holds that men in general are capable of building contentedly absorbed in works of peace?the
an Eldorado "ou l'on soit tolerant, bon et cultivation of his garden and of the arts (pp. 414,
heureux" (Histoire des grandes ceuvres, p. 173). 416, 420, 428). This existence blending utility
Miss Falke concurs, and supports her argument with charm has taught him the final wisdom:
with a quotation from Voltaire wherein peace"Quand on est si agreablement etabli, il ne faut
based on universal tolerance is envisaged as pas changer" (p. 338; Havens, Candide, p. 126).
gradually replacing "Pinfame," despite wide- The spot he has chosen is the freest, the calmest,
spread stupidity, through the efforts of the the most becautiful in the world (pp. 189, 263,
philosophic minority, for "le petit nombre, qui 433), and its isolation seems symbolically guaran-
pense, conduit le grand nombre avec le temps" teed by the Alps, which can be seen on the hori?
(p. 35). Green states that a better world, prob? zon thrusting up to the very sky (pp. 349, 354,
ably resembling Eldorado, is possible, provided 361, 364). In this seat of fruitful tranquillity, he
man revises "his present scale of values" (p. goes so far as to say: "je suis si heureux que j'en
xxix). Now, it is the function of a vital ideal to ai honte" (p. 47), and again: "on y est presque
serve as a lure so powerful that it seems fully degoute de la felicite paisible qu'on y goute"
attainable and is in fact approachable; yet, by (p. 456). The resemblance to Eldorado is ob?
defmition, it must remain forever beyond com? viously there, yet it must not be exaggerated. The
plete realization. This is why, in my study, ideal is approached; it is not fully attained. Even
"Candide's Garden," I described Eldorado as at "Les Delices" Voltaire finds himself plagued
"the distant future goal," and again as "an ideal by "le mal physique"?his poor health (pp. 17,
State which, if only a mirage today, may yet be? 47, 309); and haunted by both "le mal physique"
come the shining reality of a distant morrow" ?earthquakes (pp. 310, 371, 442), and "le mal
(pp. 727, 722). I thereby meant to accentuate the moral"?the inhumanity of man to man (pp.
attractive power of the ideal, but without ab-
solutely committing myself to its full attainabil- T Ira O. Wade, "The &pttre d Uranie," PMLA, xlvh
ity. In the passage quoted by Miss Falke, Vol- (Dec. 1932), 1066,1076,1111-1112.

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342 The Eldorado Episode in u Candide'

383, 456). It is true that at times heFinally,

gives the there is the relationship between
impression of not knowing or caring Eldorado
aboutand theCandide's garden. The former
offers
latter (pp. 202, 219,225,355,390, etc.); this,a dream
how?of perfection, a philosophic ideal
ever, is merely his way of turning for human
his back aspiration.
on The latter depicts the
public abominations in a gesture of optimum present reality, which calls for work
philosophic
disdain ("Candide's Garden," pp.illumined
729-730). by a sense of social purpose, with the
Actually, if he is ashamed and almostformer as the distant future goal ("Candide's
disgusted
Garden,"he
at being so happy, it is precisely because pp.does
722, 727). Eldorado provides
know and care, because he pities mankind
happiness forand
an entire society; the garden, for a
can neither sink into indifference norfew. Eldorado
remain is another world sufficient unto it?
sat?
isfied with setting a distant exampleself,(ibid.,
hence can
pp.have no actual connection with
722, 728, 732-733). In Candide hethis builds
world, up a by way of inspiration. The
except
synthesis out of these elements. He is
garden attacks
very much a part of this world, and is
social evil, he promotes constructivededicated
deism, to influencing
and it. Such are the basic
he projects his vision of the perfectdifferences;
State. That but there are resemblances, too,
vision is in part a product of hiswhich help to clarify the author's design. Both
intellectual
development, but it is also in some Eldorado
measureand the
angarden are model societies
whose
idealization of his experience at "Les inhabitants have learned the value of
Delices."
The meaning of the Eldorado episodesettlingcan
downbe to dynamic activity: in one case for
further elucidated by an inspection ofperpetuation, in the other for pursuit, of the ideal.
its relation?
At the
ship with other episodes in the tale. For very beginning of the Eldorado episode
example,
it is not by chance that Candide's ascent
Voltaire to the keynote of his message, for
strikes
theadventure
utopia comes between his perilous first thing which he has Candide notice is
among the South American cannibals and
that the his is cultivated. He thereby subtly
country
grim sojourn in Surinam. Miss McGhee
prefigures has
the cultivation of the garden.10 And
called attention to the use of contrast in this the vow of the Eldoradans adumbrates, not only
arrangement. She finds that the exotic splendor the decision at the end to settle down, but also
of this imaginary kingdom contrasts sharply the gesture of philosophic disdain.
with "the simple landscape of the Oreillons"The contention has been put forward by Kahn
which precedes; that, "as a background for the that Candide leaves Eldorado partly because of
acquisition of Candide's fortune," it is "a par?his yearning for Cunegonde, but basically because
"Eldorado prove[s] unsatisfactory and [can] pro?
ticularly effective prelude to his immediate loss
of that same fortune"; and that it provides by vide neither an end nor a consummation" (p.
antithesis an excellent opportunity "for present888). It has also been maintained by Flandrin
satire and irony" (pp. 70, 71, 116).8 It should that
be Candide, though he leaves for the sake of
added that these episodes reveal the following his beloved, appreciates "a sa valeur cette
merveilleuse contree" (p. 724). Voltaire gives
significant sequence of social conditions: the
several reasons for Candide's departure: (1) his
amorality of suBcivilization, the moral perfection
of suPERcivilization, and the immorality hope
of of happiness with Cunegonde, (2) his han-
civilization. By juxtaposing the first and the
kering for superiority and power through wealth,
third of these conditions to the second, Voltaire
is in effect afiirming, for polemical purposes, that
8 See also Bellessort (p. 262), Havens (Candide, pp. Iii,
125, 126, and The Age of Ideas, p. 201), and Miss Falke (p.
they are equal in their abysmal inferiority to the
ideal. 31) for variations on this theme of contrast.
9 Miss Falke accordingly distinguishes between Pan-
Again, in disproof of Grimm's notion that gloss's "meilleur des mondes possibles," which is a sham call-
Pangloss should have accompanied his pupil toing for refutation, and Eldorado, whereby "Voltaire a com-
"le pays ou tout va bien" in order to enjoy the
pl6te" sa critique par sa propre these" (p. 38).
triumph of his philosophy (iv, 86), four times 10 There is, to be sure, an element of abrupt contrast be?
tween the uncultivated and the cultivated as Candide and
while there Candide expresses his preference for
Cacambo emerge from the country of the Oreillons into El?
Eldorado over the Westphalian "Paradis ter-
dorado. But the "cultiv6" looks forward as well as back?
restre" depicted in the opening chapter.9 On one
ward. It is indissolubly linked with the phrase "pour le
of those occasions he refutes Grimm by antic?plaisir comme pour le besoin," and thereby not only leads
ipation: "si ndtre ami Pangloss avait vu into Voltaire's depiction of the ideal but also projects beyond
it to the optimum present reality of the garden, where the
Eldorado, il n'aurait plus dit que le Chateau de "petite societ6" works toward the ideal envisaged as a blend
Thunder-ten-trunckh etait ce qu'il y avait deof "le besoin" and "le plaisir" ("Candide's Garden," pp. 722,
mieux sur la Terre ..." 732-733).

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 William F. Bottiglia 343

(3) his restlessness, (4) his departure,

desire the to
cultivation
boast of the
of country,
his the
travels. The first two reasons are restated in
dwellings and public monuments, the conversa?
combination at the moment of leavetaking, tionas with the other diners at the inn and at the
Candide speaks of ransoming Cunegonde and king's table, the social and economic organiza?
tion, the intellectual and artistic activity. It is
then buying a kingdom. Nowhere in the tale does
apparently for the same reason that he refuses
Voltaire say or imply that any of these motiva-
tions are laudable. In fact he makes it his busi? to name a single Eldoradan; and for the same
ness to purge his puppet-hero of them. Immedi? reason plus the one already given that he omits
ately after listing the reasons he makes the fol? all particulars of the political structure.
lowing comment: "les deux heureux resolurent This general haziness is countered, and there?
de ne plus l'etre . . ." He thus warns the reader fore reinforced, by a few physical descriptions and
that Candide and Cacambo lack the philosophic oral discourses which Voltaire has chosen to
maturity to appreciate Eldorado at its real present in some, though not much, detail be?
worth, and that their reasons for leaving it cause are of the impression they make on Candide
wrong. In the course of his subsequent travels and should make on the reader. The description
Candide refers on six occasions to Eldorado, and of the children at play illustrates the unreality
his references are uniformly favorable (Morize, of Eldorado, parodies actual and extraordinary
pp. 134, 143, 167, 170, 176, 177). To clinch voyages, and satirizes by contrast human no?
matters, at the end he has been shocked outtions of of wealth. The meal at the inn repeats in
his sentimental quixotism, has lost his wealth, its way the themes of unreality and parody. The
has learned the dangers of power, has settled host's discourse develops the satire on wealth;
down, and is at work with his friends in a situa? the king's does the same, and also attacks by in?
tion of modest fraternal equality. Thus Can? direction human restlessness and tyranny; the
dide's several reasons for departure are utterly old man's varies the motif of parody, aims satiric
invalidated.11 There is, in addition, a reason hits at restlessness, wealth, and war, and voices
which is not his, but Voltaire's. Candide must an ironic indictment of institutional religion. All
leave Eldorado because it is a myth, a dream, of these discourses, moreover, re-emphasize the
and, as such, unreal. Imperfect man cannot theme of unreality. Morize has criticized the old
sucessfully inhale the rarefied air of the heights man's exposition of deism as being brief and
of perfection. He must redescend to the grosser superficial in respect of fundamentals (p. 116,
atmosphere of this world. On the other hand, n. 1). By way of explanation it may be suggested
having scaled the Eldoradan plateau, he will that Voltaire intentionally avoids a systematic
eventually realize that, though its air is humanly exposition because he wants, as if in the natural
unbreathable, its way of life offers the only model course of a conversation, to indict institutional
worthy of human aspiration. By returning from religion by stressing its embarrassingly obvious
utopia and establishing himself in the garden, aberrations in the light of deism, which is just as
Candide comes to understand what his ideal obviously the one true faith?for Eldoradans and
should be, how it differs from the actual, and how
philosophes.
its perfections may at least be approached The
by haze is further complicated by an admix-
imperfect man in this imperfect world. ture of filtered luminosity. Gleaming highways
But such an ideal is more easily conceived
andin
carriages, big red sheep, singularly good-
the abstract than imagined in sensuouslylooking
con? men and women; clothing made of gold
crete form. Voltaire the artist has surmounted
11 Both Green (p. xxix) and Miss Falke (p. 38) make the
the difficulty by presenting Eldorado as a vision
far distant and half lost in a luminous haze general point that Candide errs in leaving Eldorado to pursue
a happiness purchasable by material means, hence inferior
("Candide's Garden," p. 721). and, of course, illusory. In specific connection with the first
A general effect of haziness is found throughout
reason for departure, it is necessary to distinguish between
the episode. Naves notes that the entry into
the object of Candide's hope, which is unworthy, and the act
Eldorado, which others would have treated of hope,
at which is salutary. Cf. Martin's comment (Ch. xxv) :
"C'est toujours bien fait d'esp6rer." In connection with the
length and very colorfully, is passed over in
third reason, it is interesting to note that Candide, lovesick
silence; and suggests that the author therebyand impecunious, drifts into Eldorado urged on by Cacambo,
evinces his disdain for "l'emotion toute faite et who, as always, is seeking "des choses nouvelles"; but does
his own urging, once he has found the financial means to
la resonance facile" (pp. 22-23). To this explana?
revive his hope of happiness with Cun6gonde. Thus, in the
tion may be added Voltaire's deliberate vaporiza-
presence of a genuine perfection he cannot yet fully grasp, he
tion of the miraculous, which would account aslongs for something different which only the ripeness of time
well for his refusal to handle descriptively thewill prove unworthy.

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344 The Eldorado Episode in "Candide"

fabric; children playing with gold, dwindle away moreand

emeralds, slowly, in part to prolong
the satire onpebbles
rubies, which turn out to be worthless human greed, which has no geo-
graphical boundaries,
there; palatial inns and private dwellings; an in- in part to make the con?
describably vast and magnificent clusion just possible.
royal palace; Their final disappearance is
public works to match, including nicely timed:
evenit sky- occurs at the precise moment
scrapers; a wondrously elaborate when machine
Candide is about to make his great affirma-
for
lowering the two travelers back to tion in favor of
reality. productive activity.
Along
with these dazzling material phenomena, As for the count-
sheep, unreal ones go grazing
less irradiations of "bienfaisance": through
utilitypastoral
blended romances whose heroes, like
with charm; disregard for wealth Candide in Chapter xix, rapturously carve the
as ordinarily
understood by humans; generalnames or initials of and
affability their sweethearts on trees. At
cooperation; general courtesy and the consideration;
end of Chapter xviii, Candide obsessively
unanimous acceptance of deism; resolves to offer his
absence ofsheep to Cunegonde. But
courts and prisons, as well as of along with the pebbles,
a military or?most of the bearers dis-
ganization; encouragement of the appear during the descent from Eldorado back
mathematical
and physical sciences; cultivation to of
earth.theIn Chapter
arts of xx Candide recovers one of
peace; a king who is every inch a philosophe.
the sheep,13 and, caressing it, expresses the hope
that he willdoes
These imaginary splendors, as Voltaire also someday
not recover Cunegonde. In
fail to point out, appropriatelyChapteramaze xxiv,
evenafterthe
hearing Paquette's story, he
self-possessed Cacambo. reiterates this hope: "il se pourra bien faire
Among the material phenomena qu'ayant
two rencontre
stand out mon mouton rouge & Pa-
because they are put to special use: quette,theje rencontre
precious aussi Cunegonde." The
association ofR.
pebbles and the big red sheep. William thePrice
sheep with his dream of amo-
interprets them symbolically as rous bliss thus occurs
Frederick's (thethree times?which streng-
king of Eldorado) literary works, thens the possibilityen-
"securely of a symbolic overtone. The
cased in red-bound sheep-skin,"implication
which seems Voltaireto be that, though the dream
(Candide) is forced to surrender will
ateventually
Francfort lead him to Cunegonde, it will
(Surinam), where the pebbles prove
alsotorepresent
have been a sentimentally quixotic
yearning
"large sums of money, the equivalence incapable
of of taking root and fructifying
all that
Voltaire had obtained from Frederick during
in the world hisreality. Also, in Chapter
of objective
xxii, there is Candide's donation of his last
stay in Prussia" (pp. 209, 211). Unfortunately,
Eldoradan
this interpretation exploits certain fancifulsheep to the Academy of Science at
anal?
Bordeaux.
ogies without adequate regard for The subject or
consistency of that year's prize com?
for correspondence to Voltaireanpetition
thoughtprovidesproc-
a delightful opportunity for
esses and literary methods. ridiculing the unreality of a certain Northern
Both the sheep and the pebblesscholar's metaphysical formulations.
are apparently
made to serve a double purpose. OnThethe
impression of distance is driven home by
one hand
they definitely have a literal stress
value, for
on the they
extreme inaccessibility and isolation
of Eldorado.
spring from the author's interest It is elevated,
in touches of both physically and
picturesque realism. As Morize points
spiritually, out,
far above the surrounding territory,
so that
Garcilasso and Raleigh harp on thethe two travelers
precious- "de l'autre Monde"
reach it by(pp.
pebble theme in their travel accounts a miracle,
107, and leave it with the aid of a
n. 1; 109, n. 2; 110, no. 1; 112, n. 2;
unique etc); and
mechanical invention, the work of three
Garcilasso describes a beast of burden called the thousand engineers. The old man's historical
"huanacu," and notes that the wild species is "de
couleur baie" (p. 106, n. 3), or "rouge brun."12 12 fimile Littr6, Dictionnaire de la langue franqaise, i
On the other hand it would seem that they also (Paris, 1885), 278. The EncyclopHie, moreover, in volumes
acquire a symbolic value, for they are so handledpublished in 1765, applies the colors rougedtre (ix, 177, s.v.
"Laine") and roux (x, 827, s.v. "Mouton") to the fleece of
as to reflect the unreality of Eldorado.
sheep.
The pebbles become unreal by reason of their 13 Voltaire states at this point that "Candide eut plus de joie
profusion and worthlessness. In Chapter xix al? de retrouver ce mouton qu'il n'avait 6te afflige" d'en perdre cent
most all of them are lost as the travelers come tous chargds de gros diamants d'Eldorado." Havens (Can?
back down to this world, so that Candide, withdide, p. 130) has pointed out the similarity with the Biblical
parable of the lost sheep, which is found both in Matthew
unconscious irony, remarks to Cacambo: "Mon(xviii. 12-14) and in Luke (xv.3-7). He adds that this sim?
ami, vous voyez comme les richesses de ce monde
ilarity may be "purely fortuitous." If not, then it may be a
sont perissables . . ." The remaining pebblesparody invented in passing by association.

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 William F. Bottiglia 345

haze. the
account of a withdrawal from Only three
world personssealed
seem to stand
by out with
any distinctness:
solemn vows adds a voluntary note to the host,
this the effect
old man, and the
of remoteness. king. They have apparently been chosen to
Unreality, haziness, and parody are variouslytypify, on the ideal level, the willing follower, the
combined in the indications of incredible huge-intellectual leader, and the active leader: the
ness which Voltaire scatters through his depic?commoner, the sage, and the statesman. More
specifically, the host sets the tone for Eldoradan
tion of the model society. The two travelers dis?
cover, upon arriving, "un horizon immense." Thecourtesy, consideration, affability, and con-
royal palace displays a portal "de deux centtempt of lucre. The old man, a traditional figure
vingt pieds de haut, & de cent de large." The in imaginary voyages, serves as a venerable fount
of historical information and of civilized wisdom,
capital has "les edifices publics eleves jusqu'aux
nues, les marches ornes de mille colonnes," andwith
a particular attention to deism. The king, a
Hall of Science containing "une galerie de deux ruler such as never was, proves democratic of
mille pas, toute pleine d'instruments de Mathe- access, miraculously witty, and graciously liber-
matiques & de Physique." These indications of tarian. Thus all three are mouthpieces for the
hugeness are rounded out by analogous effects ofauthor, their goodness is totally abstracted from
exaggeration, such as: the meal at the inn; the oldpersonality, and they, too, are half hidden in the
man's age; the five or six thousand musicians atluminous haze. It is a point of special interest
morning services; the two rows of a thousandthat the theme of woman is muted throughout
the episode. We are told that Candide and Ca?
musicians each, lining the approach to the king's
apartment; the royal witticisms which retaincambo see "des hommes & des femmes d'une
beaute singuliere" riding in carriages; that Can?
their point in translation; the labor and cost in-
volved in constructing the hoist. dide and the old man discuss women in the course
This brings us inevitably to the device of
of their long conversation; and that several ladies
satiric humor, which takes several forms in the sit with His Majesty and the travelers at the
episode. There is, to begin with, sustained irony palace dinner?nothing more. Other females
of contrast between the ideal and the actual lower in the social hierarchy appear, but just as
(McGhee, p. 116; Bellessort, p. 262; Havens, incidentally. The reason suggests itself at once.
Candide pp. lii, 125, and The Age of Ideas, p.
It simply would not do for Candide to become in?
201). There is also irony directed against Can?with an Eldoradan belle. The design of the
volved
dide, who fails to appreciate the genuinetale demands that our callow hero leave to re-
happi?
ness of life in Eldorado and leaves it of his own sume the chase after Cunegonde, so Voltaire has
accord because he thinks he can buy his way him to perforce remain blind to the superior allure-
happiness in this world (Miss Falke, p. 38;ments of utopian femininity.
Green, p. xxix). There is parody of popular fic?The language utilized to convey this manifold
tion, with emphasis on its "unreality and exag? of ideas and devices is in general simple, sober,
geration"; and of real and imaginary voyages, concise, swift, and lucid yet subtle. There is an
with emphasis on their idealization of the exotic effective counterpoint, to be sure, of neutral,
(Morize, pp. xlix ff.; Havens, Candide, pp. colorless, and abstract terminology, such as
xlix-lii). The satiric humor of the episode finds accords with a philosophic recital, and of con?
expression in stylistic details as well as in more crete, localized, picturesque vocabulary (Lan-
general procedures, and an analysis will shortly son, Voltaire, p. 154, and L'art de la prose, p. 171;
be made of those details. In an overall view it Petit, i, 9), such as will lend glamor to the ideal,
seems especially significant that, while Voltaire substantiate the unreal, and parody the South
jocosely dwells on the unreality of his utopia, American
at extraordinary voyage. Naves, how?
no point does he mock the ideal itself. ever, wisely warns against exaggerating the ex?
Mention has been made of his refusal to name tent of the latter (pp. 21-23). Voltaire does not
any of the Eldoradans. This is doubtless because, luxuriate in exotic particulars. He deftly selects
whether individually or in groups, they are just enough of them to produce a passing illu?
doubly unreal?as puppets and as utopian fig- sion. In sum, the picture of the model society far
ments. The people riding in the carriages, the distant and half lost in a luminous haze is to the
schoolmaster and his pupils; the fellow diners, conception of the ideal as means to end, and the
the waiters, the waitresses, and the hostess at the style reflects this proportionally, not only in the
inn; the court ofiicials and attendants, the other description of the setting, but also in the report
guests at the king's table, the musicians, the of events and the manipulation of character.
engineers?all appear barely visible through the Within this broad linguistic pattern there are

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346 The Eldorado Episode in "Candide"

uneproject
several devices of detail which help to maison fort
the simple, ear la porte n'etait que
picture and to communicate the conception. d'argent, & lesOne
lambris des apartements n'etaient
such device is accentuation through que repetition
d'or" (Candide, p. lvii). The full sketch also
with variation: Candide's four mentions of the exemplifies ironic understatement. Additional
difference in quality between Eldorado and instances of the surprise twist are: Candide's in-
Westphalia; the smiles of the schoolmaster ference,
and unconsciously chaffmg the unreality of
the old man, the laughter of the host and hostess
the ideal, after learning of utopian deism and de-
and the king; the blushes of the old man; the
claring Eldorado superior to Westphalia?"il
est certain qu'il faut voyager"; the answer given
excuses offered by the host and the old man; the
to Cacambo's question caricaturing elaborate
light pastel sketches of the inn, the old man's
home, and the royal palace. court ceremonial?"L'usage ... est d'embrasser
A second is contrast between things Eldoradan
le Roi & de le baiser des deux cdtes";14 the revela?
and things terrestrial. Mention has already been
tion regarding His Majesty's wit, which astounds
made of Candide's remarks on Westphalia. There
Candide by its ultramundane flexibility?"Ca-
cambo expliquait les bons mots du Roi a Can?
are several further examples. The big red sheep
dide, & quoique traduits ils paraissaient tou?
surpass in speed the finest horses of Andalusia,
Tetuan, and Mequinez. The least of the precious
jours des bons mots."
pebbles would be the greatest ornament on the A sixth is delayed-action irony. Candide rec-
Mogul's throne. The inn resembles a Europeanognizes again and again the inferiority of West?
palace. The greed of the nations of Europe
phalia to Eldorado, yet leaves to resume his
would drive them to massacre the Eldoradans, if
pursuit of Cunegonde. Also, when the children
they could lay hands on them. The buildingabandon their precious quoits, he exclaims: "il
material of the royal palace is inexpressibly
faut que les enfans des Rois de ce pays soient bien
superior to the pebbles and sand we call goldeleves,
and puisqu'on leur aprend a mepriser l'or & les
gems. And the king cannot understand whatpierreries."
the Nonetheless, he takes away with
Europeans find so attractive in the yellow mud
him a great load of these base minerals for the
of his country. sake of base objectives.
A third, which is a variation of the preceding
A seventh is foreshadowing by means of a key
one, involves contrast between Eldoradan and word subtly dropped in passing, notably, the
terrestrial standards of valuation, and goes"cultive"
be? at the beginning of the episode, which
prefigures the conclusion of the tale, and the
yond, though it prominently includes, the method-
ical reduction of gold and gems to mud and "vagabonds" at the end, which suggests that the
pebbles (Havens, Candide, p. 1 viii). The "Pre- two travelers will suffer for their restlessness.
cepteur de la Famille Royale" is actually a village Finally, there is the quintessential set speech or
schoolmaster, and "leurs Altesses Royales" are dialogue wherein, without even a pretense of
little ragamuffins. Candide and Cacambo are characterization, Voltaire makes use of uniform
escorted into the king's presence between two utterance to put across his message. Examples
rows of a thousand musicians each, "selon are the speeches of the host and the king, the old
1'usage ordinaire." man's historical account, and his dialogue with
A fourth is the game of easy familiarity played Candide on deism.15
by the author with his readers to induce an affec-
tation of belief in the impossibly fantastic. Thus, 14 Miss McGhee sees a specific instance of irony in the two
upon entering Eldorado, the travelers are de? travelers' incongruously "undignified" response "to the
scribed as "nos deux hommes de 1'autre Monde"; formal directions for greeting a monarch" ("Candide &
upon leaving it, as "nos deux Voyageurs." At one Cacambo sauterent au cou de Sa Majeste* ..." [p. 131]).
Voltaire, however, appears to be mocking, not their delighted
point Voltaire speaks of "ces cailloux & . . . ce response, but the complicated and degrading formulas of
sable que nous nommons or & pierreries." At an? obeisance demanded by earthly rulers.
other, to back up Cacambo's knowledge of the 16 Morize comments as follows on Voltaire's later expan-
Peruvian language spoken by the Eldoradans, he sion of the phrase describing the physics gallery in the "Palais
des Sciences" to include mathematical instruments: "II ne
begins his mischeviously quaint explanation with me semble pas qu'il faille chercher le motif de cette addition
the words: "car tout le monde sait que . . ." ailleurs que dans le souci artistique d'amSliorer le rythme de
A fifth is the "unexpected conclusion" or sur?la phrase et sa cadence un peu seche: je ne vois pas Voltaire,
prise twist, which Havens illustrates by quotinga la fin de 1760, particulierement occupe* de mathSmatiques"
the host's comment: "Je suis fort ignorant, &(p. 122, n. 1). In addition to a concern with stylistic rhythm,
Voltaire, as a Newtonian of long standing, may have decided
je m'en trouve bien"; and part of the author's to revise his sentence so that it would associate in an ideal
sketch of the old man's home: "Ils entrerent dans partnership the two foundation sciences of the Enlighten-

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 William F. Bottiglia 347

derivative
Few value judgments have been madelevel
ontothe
create an e
Eldorado episode. Andre Le Breton
tively condemns
original it
as the character
the philosophic
in a phrase: "rien de plus froid."16 tale
But Candide is allow.
favorably
a philosophic tale, not a novel. disposed:
One demands of he
a cons
highlyincandescence;
novel that it generate fictional effective in bringing
of ou
a philosophic tale, that it tween
irradiate illusion and reality (p.
a phosphores-
is certainly
cent glow. There is well-nigh unanimous true as far as it
agree?
ment on the phosphorescent analysis
effect ofhas of necessity
Candide as gon
probing
a whole. In this essay I have triedthe
to meaning
show that of the epi
the same effect suffusesthe thewhole and episode.
Eldorado the artistic dev
meaning
Toldo (pp. 173-174) and fimile is conveyed?far
Faguet17 take a enou
consdescending view of the prove thatpresentation
entire Voltaire has fused f
because they find it more soor successfully as to produce
less derivative and a
piece.
very deficient in imagination. Their criticism is
answerable to some extent on the same
Massachusetts ground
Institute as
of Technology
Le Breton's; partly by invoking the nature of
Cambridge 39
methodical parody; partly by pointing out that
neither of them takes the episode seriously
ment. (For further observations on this revision, cf. Pe
enough to give it his sustained
n, 36, n. 2.)
attention. A com?
parison of Voltaire's utopia with
16 Le roman others
au dix-huitieme would
siecle (Paris, 1898), p. 212.
reveal that he has risen far above
17 Voltaire the
(Paris, 1895), pp. 194-195. merely

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