Critical Analysis Essay on Free Will in Voltaire’s Candide
Can I choose the path my life will take? Or is the universe inherently determinist? Can I reconcile Free Will with a Maker’s Grand Design? –Candide
These questions of novel’s main character show one of the most important themes of the story. In Candide, Voltaire tells much about his own beliefs and principles. It could be categorized as one of Voltaire’s anti-religious satires. In this story, Voltaire openly questions freewill, a basic Christian doctrine in Roman Catholicism. According to Christian teachings, man is endowed with reason and he can use his freewill to make a choice between good and evil (Arouet, 11). However, people are also taught of being optimistic that everything happens because of God’s will. Throughout the story, Voltaire portrays that Candide cannot use his freewill in most circumstances. The power of "Maker’s Grand Design” or destiny is always stronger than man’s free will.
In the novel, the concept of free will is constantly contrasted to blind faith driven by philosophical optimism or the belief of the "best of all possible worlds.” His mentor, Doctor Pangloss taught him about being optimistic and believing that everything that happens, no matter how difficult life becomes—all serve the purpose of world’s perfection. Pangloss submits to the belief that because God, the Creator, is perfect, the world he created is perfect too. However, Pangloss fails to perceive that the world is not perfect because there are calamities, evil, and brutality. Candide and Pangloss have seen and experienced unimaginable horrors: whipping, rape, robberies, disease, executions, betrayal, and earthquake. Amidst all sufferings, Pangloss attempts to remain optimistic. He tends to justify the terrible things that happen in the world with illogical or absurd arguments. Thus, Voltaire openly mocks philosophical optimism through Pangloss’ illogical arguments. Voltaire also argues for pessimism, in contrast to philosophical optimism, through the character of Martin. While Pangloss supports his claims with illogical judgments, Martin strongly supports his with realistic examples. Martin himself has experienced and witnessed a great deal of sufferings that have opened his eyes about the reality of life. Martin has completely lost faith to humans because they kill each other; and he believes that God himself has abandoned this world too. This is whey Voltaire also illustrates the Church, not as an agent of God and His religion, but of corruption and violence (Wootton, 49).
In the same way, Voltaire also questions the idea of free will. In the story, Candide is constantly put into a situation when he cannot practice his free will. He is banished from the castle where he is brought up because he kissed the one he loved. He wanders without knowing where to go. Under bizarre circumstances, he is executed wrongly and is asked to choose between thirty-six whips or a dozen bullets aimed to his head. He openly protestss that man has free will and he chooses not to have any of the two punishments. However, he is forced to make a choice. No matter what he chooses, he is dead (Cunningham and Reich, 693). This scene illustrates Voltaire’s regard to free will. This shows that free will is used to choose between two evils, and that the choice does not make a difference at all.
Towards the end of the story, Pangloss is able to regain his belief of having the "best of all possible worlds.” He argues to Candide that if not for all the sufferings that they encountered, they will not be in the place where they finally have peace and solidarity. However, Candide has thought well of the situation because of the company of Martin. Hence, concludes that without free will and stronger Maker’s Grand Design, the best we can do is to "cultivate our garden” or to strive hard in order to have more opportunities in achieving better life (Cunnigham and Reich, 699).
Works Cited:
Arouet, Fracois.CliffNotes on Voltaire’s Candide. Nebraska: CliffNotes Inc., 2010.
Cunningham, Lawrence; Reich, John. Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities with Readings. Boston: 2010.
Wootton, David. Candide and Related Text. Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2000.
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