Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Pangloss
Pangloss is less a well-rounded, realistic character than
a symbol of a certain kind of philosopher. His optimism and logical
fallacies are meant to represent the thought of G.W. von Leibniz
and other Enlightenment thinkers. He is an open symbol of the folly
both of blind optimism and of excessive abstract speculation.
The Garden
At the end of the novel, Candide and his companions find
happiness in raising vegetables in their garden. The symbolic resonance
of the garden is rich and multifaceted. As Pangloss points out,
it is reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, in which Adam and Eve enjoyed
perfect bliss before their fall from God’s grace. However, in Candide the garden
marks the end of the characters’ trials, while for Adam and Eve
it is the place where their troubles begin. Moreover, in the Garden
of Eden Adam and Eve enjoyed the fruits of nature without having
to work, whereas the main virtue of Candide’s garden is that it forces
the characters to do hard, simple labor. In the world outside the
garden, people suffer and are rewarded for no discernible cause. In
the garden, however, cause and effect are easy to determine—careful
planting and cultivation yield good produce. Finally, the garden
represents the cultivation and propagation of life, which, despite
all their misery, the characters choose to embrace.
The Lisbon Earthquake
The earthquake in Candide is based on
a real earthquake that leveled the city of Lisbon in 1755.
Before writing Candide, Voltaire wrote a long poem
about that event, which he interpreted as a sign of God’s indifference
or even cruelty toward humanity. The earthquake represents all devastating
natural events for which no reasonable justification can be found,
though thinkers like Pangloss might do their best to fabricate flimsy
justifications in order to maintain a philosophical approach to
life.
