Everyone has a Superlative Candid

Chapters 10-15 of Candide change the setting of the novel. Before this, Candide seemed a naïve boy in love with Miss Cunegond, but now Candide is a criminal and the couple is running away to the New World. Here I can begin to see how Candide changes from Dr. Pangloss’ innocent apprentice to a real man, a person who has seen the world. This process however, is not immediate as I saw in the following excerpt: “Our excellent Pangloss often proved to me,’ said Candide, with a sigh, ‘that worldly goods are common to all men, and that everyone has equal right to them. That being so, the friar certainly ought to have left us enough to finish our journey. (pg 47)” This quote is absurd in many senses. Pangloss was so naïve in believing this sort of silliness and Candide was so devoted to Pangloss that this was assimilated by him without hesitation. Voltaire might be mocking the stubbornness of high class people. He mocks their hesitation in accepting reality and realizing they do not live like the rest of society. Candide, despite of seeing the worse in society, still hesitates in believing a person would steal from him. Who is capable of stealing while being a rational human? This ingenuity is seen also when the party is on its way to America and they still believe the “best of the best” theory, “We are going to a different world,’ said Candide, ‘and I expect it is the one where all goes well; for I must admit that regrettable things happen in this world of ours, moral and physical acts that one cannot approve of. (pg 48)” By observing the most disgraceful acts in society, Candide’s “best of the best” worlds is crumbling, everything he has believed in is being contradicted by his senses. Because of this, he is desperate to keep believing what Dr. Pangloss taught him, so he begins to take the theory literally. If this world I lived in is in fact, not the best but the worst, then the New World where I am going must be the best wolrd possible. Candide does not want to understand that both Europe and America are part of the same world. Voltaire is criticizing many of the New World colonizers who thought similarly to Candide, their wretched lives in Europe would change by art of magic once they arrived in the “New World”.
Both Cunegond and Candide complained endlessly about their misfortunes, as if they were the most unfortunate souls in the world. This is a very human thing to think, feel that you are the most important part of the universe and if something happens to you it is the worst possible. As I read this, I realized I selfishly felt this way many times in my life. Then Abigail, Cunegond’s assistant tells them her story and the reader can see the contrast between a person who has lived life and a person who hasn’t. Abigail knows she is a mere human amongst million more and what she suffers everyone suffers.

All were killed, both captors and captives, my companions, the soldiers,
sailors, blacks, whites, and mulattoes, and finally the pirate chief; and I
myself lay dying on a heap of corpses. Scenes such as these took place all over
that country, as I know full well – and it is three hundred leagues across. (pg
52)

Had Candide or Cunegond suffered these misfortunes, they would have believed they were the most unlucky people in the universe, or the most hated, or any other superlative. What Abigail has realized and they have not is that everyone has that superlative and everyone goes through terrible hardships in their lifes.
After Candide arrives to America, they are greeted by the governor of Buenos Ayres who is immediately attracted to Cunegond. Here we see a criticism of the arbitrations of power. The governor, realizing he had power, believed he could get Cunegond no matter what Candide felt towards her. At this point I expected Cunegond to say she loved Candide and wanted to stay with his love, but I saw the exact opposite. Cunegond sought the advice of Abigail asking whether she should stay with the governor or not, but she never mentioned Candide in the whole conversation. Cunegond knew she was a criminal and with Abigail’s help realized her best bet to survive and become an aristocrat again was to stay with the governor. Voltaire is criticizing human nature and how self preservation and benefit moves humans beyond morale or values.
In these chapters there is a great mock of religion, be it Catholic or Muslim. “I am the daughter of Pope Urban X and the Princess of Palestrina. (pg 49).” This claim is extremely scandalous as Popes, the holiest people on Earth, are supposed to practice abstinence and work only for God. In other ages Voltaire’s allusion to the actual papacy would have earned him a seat in the stake, but now Voltaire is mocking the Church in two ways: The first being the attack on the Pope’s sanctity and purity. The second attack is that he can say so with little repercussion from the church. Voltaire also attacks the believers of religion by contrasting the real world with religion. “Scenes such as these took place all over that country, as I know full well – and it is three hundred leagues across. Yet they will not miss one of the five daily prayers prescribed by Mahomet. (pg 53)” Killers stop massacring each other to pray. This is ridiculous, yet very true. It reminded me of “la Virgen de los Sicarios” a holy image to which hit men pray to before doing their bloody job. It also reminded me of the Crusades, holy wars to recover Christian land. How can a religion that urges peace and unity amongst all order such butchery? Perhaps the biggest attack on the church occurs when Candide is heading to the Jesuit stronghold in Paraguay:

The reverend fathers own the whole lot, and the people own nothing: that’s what
I call a masterpiece of reason and justice. I don’t think I have ever seen such
godlike creatures as the reverend fathers. They fight the Kings of Spain and
Portugal over here and give them absolution in Europe. In this country they kill
Spaniards, and in Madrid they send them to heaven. Delightful, isn’t it?... (pg
62)

I loved that excerpt. It does a clear satire of the Jesuits who seem to be holy followers on Christ but in reality are like any other political force. They manipulate and act as they please, yet they maintain their reputation of sanctity. This might be perhaps due to the New World where it’s basically an every-man-for-himself game. There is a clean slate and game rules change. Much like Candide, the Jesuits are looking for a new beginning in the new world, and they want power. Voltaire mocks this by showing their hypocrisy. The pledge humility but they own all the land. They kill their benefactors in Europe and send their leaders to heaven in order to maintain favor. Voltaire makes the reader see that religion’s corruption is infinite, whether it is in the terrible world of Europe or the “best of the best” world of America.