Life as an Origami Sculpture: Candide, Chapters IV - IX

Voltaire’s Candide, as Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, portrays a conformist society in which individuals are forced to accept every occurrence as the best and only possible outcome. As the Tralfamadorians explained, the human race possesses a limited view on the reality of the universe, a view that challenges mankind’s ability to question and draw conclusions about particular events. As Pangloss explained, there is a Universal Reason that guides men and helps them develop the appropriate reactions to certain events. “‘This will never do, my friend; you are not obeying the universal rule of Reason; you have misjudged the occasion.’” (p. 34). By acknowledging the existence of an omnipresent force which individuals are free to obey, Voltaire is actually recognizing the capacity of the human race to formulate their own thoughts and inferences based on the mental attributes they possess. This Universal Reason provides a “reasonable” explanation to the events that take place throughout our lifetimes by showing that everything has a determined purpose in life:
“He wanted to throw himself into the sea after the Anabaptist, but the great philosopher, Pangloss, stopped him by proving that Lisbon harbour was made on purpose for this Anabaptist to drown there.” (p. 33).
This quote brings me back to the point I mentioned at the beginning of the entry: conformism. By merely accepting a reality and letting events take their due course, the characters of Voltaire’s Candide are succumbing into an attitude where human free will is permanently overshadowed by their “so it goes” view of reality. The ability to disobey the Universal Reason (like the burglar did) is being completely undermined by Candide’s and Pangloss’s hollow interpretation of events, an explanation that appears to lead to an optimistic view of life but that in reality makes our existence futile and meaningless. “For it is impossible for things not to be where they are, because everything is for the best.” (p. 35).

Based on the previous comments, I can infer that life is like an origami sculpture. Millions of hidden details and explanations lie entwined in between the many curves and folds that coexist together in perfect harmony in order to produce a perfectly balanced and beautiful creation. If we do not dare to unfold the creases in the paper, we will never be able to discover the underlying principles of life and, subsequently, will fail to obtain the plain, wrinkled, clear sheet of paper that serves as the pillar on which our existence rests upon. Our origami sculpture of life will remain untouched by the eager hands of human restlessness. The work of art, intact, will seem promising and optimistic, yet unable to release the potential energy that hides behind its creases. Like Pangloss’s existence, the nicely-folded sheet of paper will look good, but will never be able to yield any valuable teaching. The unfolded sheet of paper, although weary and discouraging, will have managed to wring out life’s juices of knowledge.

Like T.S. Eliot, Voltaire emits a public outcry to protest against the hollow men that attempt to provide a reasonable explanation of life during the so-called “Age of Reason.” These, however, have become alienated from the realities and horrors present in the society of their time, adopting a shallow view of life and its meaning.