Candide and the Notion of Utopia

I love Voltaire's Candide. I have actually read it several times for various French classes, and a English "European Lit." class that I took as an undergrad. Each time I read it, however, I enjoy it more- picking up on "new" subtle jokes, descriptions and themes.

I think that one of the reasons that I so enjoy Candide is perhaps because it is universal and timeless. What I mean by this is that everybody can understand the underlying themes of the text (love, pain, destiny, class structure, etc.) regardless of their background or whether they were born in the late 18th century or today. One theme that stuck out for me during this reading was the notion of Utopia, more specifically the personal defition that we each might have for what Utopia is.

In Candide, there are two and a half instances where Utopia comes in to play. The Castle of Baron Thunder-ten- Tronckh, where the novel begins is Candide's Eden. It is where all is for the best in the world, and where he is happiest. In his ignorance of the world, Candide sees nothing but perfection - until he gets kicked out of the castle and sees the world for what it is - a cesspool for deception and the corruption of man-made social institutions.

When Candide's journey takes him to Eldorado, he does not stay citing Cunegonde's (his lady love) absence . Eldorado is described as a place where there are no disagreements, everyone is happy and inviting, and there is an ever available source of gold and riches - the ultimate archetypal Utopia. The fact that Candide found a reason to leave would imply that although Eldorado might be an ideal society, it was not Utopia for him, and possibly nobody else. I can imagine the citizens of Eldorado dreaming for the adventure and the unknown of the outside world. Perhaps this was Vltaire's commentary on the fact that man will always find a reason to leave Utopia (it is just too easy) or that Utopia cannot and does not exist.

Do I believe that Utopia is a possibility? I believe in a personal concept Utopia (see also "satisfaction" and "happiness") such as the one that Candide strived for at the end of the novel when he comes to the realization that we must all cultivate our own garden; both physically work to achieve freedom from societal constraints, as well as intellectually working to acheive personal greatness. For me, it is necessary for us to find our own personal moments each day where we feel the freedom and pure happiness that liberates us from those nagging imperfections that makes the world go around. Perhaps it is those three minutes that one lays in bed before getting up, when the room is still dark, and the world is still asleep. Perhaps it is the rush that one gets at the end of a good workout, or when holding their child for the first time.
Regardless, in those moments where we feel free and happy, we find our own personal Utopias.