The Garden of Eden

The key major actions are coping, bearing and alleviation instead of the removal or elimination of evil. However evil come in various ways such that the working alone is not enough to distract away. Poverty, vice and boredom on the other hand can be settled through working which an idea that has its own ways and methods of enriching it uniquely. Other evils include the above mentioned earthquake like the Lisbon earthquake and the other man-made evils that are created constantly as a result of greed and envy.

Optimism a doctrine that was largely believed did not solve most of the problems nor did nothing to eliminate the many evils. It can be seen as a false hope as most problems come in many forms. Man could therefore come to terms through working which is done through cultivation of the garden. Optimism as a belief gives a blind look at the problems and evils that have manifested themselves. Evil has spread everywhere through optimism which has mad it a fact not to be avoided but accepted so as to justly live in the garden and nurture it.

Several gardens are discovered by Candide in his journey. The initial was one that was contiguous to the garden where Candide studied optimism. This is because is because everything was provided. Beauty and grace were further highlighted by his lover. Candide was later introduced to the gardens and environment of humanity. In the latter gardens, there was exposure to the life of full where suffering, horror and evil took place. All these shock Candide though had to face up with his own actions like kissing which caused suffering.

This garden has acceptance of the world which are pragmatic meaning the world is basically there to be cultivated. Man has no choice therefore but to cultivate the garden. This garden is however far from being paradise the Garden of Eden. Candide’s garden need to be cultivated from the scratch that unlike Garden of Eden which has already been cultivated from God. The garden has the full stewardship of the man and the absence of God is highly felt through useful labor rather than through false beliefs like optimism. The outcome of the garden is to the credit of Candide and not God making it appear as a false garden.

Recreating the garden means working on the garden as man was born to work and not idle. Man when first put on the garden was meant to cultivate it. This shows that man was born not to idle but to work. This can be seen in the general agreement that life can only be truly tolerable if when on works. To explain this, the garden provides an explanation of the common analogy of one reaps where on soars. It’s through the cultivation of the garden that the garden that gives purpose to the man’s life. It’s what one sees that on gets. This means one has to face the reality and expecting more unless one works hard towards getting it. This garden is the attitude that one has towards life. Presence of optimism is what hinders on in the cultivation of Candide’s garden which comes as a result of rigorous cultivation of the garden.

The garden signifies that what one sees is what one gets. One must face reality and not expect anything more unless one single-handedly works for getting more (or so to speak, improving the garden through personal effort) (Paul, Gary, David, Patricia & John, 2000: p60). . The garden is thus an attitude towards life. Candide’s garden doesn’t come out of nowhere, but it comes from their rigorous cultivation.

Candide wandered into El Dorado a city that is isolated from Utopia with its streets enclosed with most valued stones. There is absence of priests in El Dorado and king’s stories are comic. El Dorado represent Voltaire’s ideal society therefore making it not exist but make it is realized by as mankind or by few sages. Its critics mentioned the following as what characterize El Dorado utility blended with charm, luxury with natural simplicity, good taste, happiness, tolerance, wisdom, justice, peace, public-works policy that is enlightened. This ideal is seen as a good standard of perfection that is supremely desirable but cannot be fully attained though it is more or less approachable.

In conclusion, Candide finally dishonored his mentor and tutor by dismissing his belief of optimism. This left the unresolved issue of what philosophy he the protagonist would to accept. The analysis of this controversial issue makes the ending mysterious as Voltaire develops no proper and methodical philosophy for the involved characters to approve. This further makes the conclusion have a prescribed practical outlook and rather having a philosophical or optimistic alternative. Candide however tried to advocate for pessimistic philosophy that he and his following later gave up for the hope they had for a better tomorrow.

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