Candide, Continued...: Uncle Vanya, Act IV

When life becomes unbearable, the best attitude one can adopt is a Stoic indifference and ability to deal with whatever comes to you. Both Sonya and Voynitsky led a miserable life full of pain and suffering; however, their separate reactions to these adversities were quite different. Uncle Vanya tried to murder the professor and, when this did not work, stole Astrov’s morphia in order to commit suicide. Sonya, although less learned, decided to continue on with life as if there was nothing she could do to remedy her present situation. “I am just as unhappy, perhaps, as you are; but I am not going to give way to despair. I am bearing it, and will bear it till my life ends of itself.” (Act IV, p. 238). This behavior coincides with two of the philosophies presented in the Handbook of Epictetus. Sonya accepted the things that were not up to her and adopted an attitude that would prove favorable in order to withstand the troubles she was facing. The different reactions of Uncle Vanya and his niece towards the same event show how different perspectives mold a certain circumstance into becoming more or less suitable. As Epictetus said, “‘What weighs down on this man is not what has happened, but his judgment about it.’” (Handbook of Epictetus, p. 15).

Apart from withstanding the burdens they were forced to face, the characters in the play proposed a “Candide-ish” way to live life. When overwhelmed with suffering, the best action one can adopt to relieve the pressure is work. “… you must work, my friends! you must work!” (Act IV, p. 240). As soon as the professor and Yelena left the house, Sonya and all the other characters, including Uncle Vanya, felt a certain vacancy and longing in their souls. Instead of lamenting themselves and wishing their family was back, they sat down to work in fixing accounts, knitting, writing on pamphlets, or even playing the guitar for the entertainment of others. It is important to keep oneself occupied in order to distract one’s mind and forget the pain while simultaneously doing something useful. This same point of view was presented at the end of Candide as well; however, the play Uncle Vanya goes one step forward when Sonya mentions at the end of the text that work will precede rest.
“…we shall patiently bear the trials which fate sends us; we shall work for others, both now and in our old age, and have no rest; and when our time comes we shall die without a murmur… and we shall rest. I have faith, I have faith. You have had no joy in your life, but wait, Uncle Vanya, wait. We shall rest.” (Act IV, pgs. 243-244).
Work will relieve pain and suffering and will able us to endure our lives. Eternal rest is guaranteed by offering a more profound and transcendental view of life after death that not only goes beyond that posed by Candide, but also accords with Newton’s third law of motion and the Judeo-Christian view of reward for sacrifice.

Uncle Vanya’s similitude to Candide is also present in the last sentence and titles of both works. Candide ends with the words “we must go and work in the garden,” or something of the sort, while Uncle Vanya is concluded with Sonya’s exclamation “We shall rest!” (Act IV, p. 244). “We shall rest!” implicitly promotes labor by assuring that eternal rest will be the result of hard toil It can therefore be implied that not only do both of these sentences possess parallel structures, but also revolve around the same concept of work as the key to enduring life. The title “Candide” is based on a character who, after having a very naïve and optimistic view of life, was forced to endure a series of hardships until finally, with the help of other characters, he was able to develop a more realistic view of human existence. The title of Uncle Vanya is also derived from a character that, even though possessing an ill will towards life and every mishap he encountered, also led a pretty wretched life and came to develop a different point of view similar to that sustained by Candide. The ideals and perspectives endorsed by both works are practically the same, making their titles bear the same significance. Although written in different geographic and ethnic contexts, Candide and Uncle Vanya share an increased parallelism and resemblance. By further developing the idea of work with a reward after death, the play Uncle Vanya can be best understood as an extended and revised version of Voltaire’s work.