The Great Utopia

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The Great Utopia As Voltaire creates the magnificent image of El Dorado in Candide, He describes the perfect utopian society. With plenty of wealth and agriculture, El Dorado is a place free of greed, religious dispute, and suffering. El Dorado is significant because it shows the not so good realities of the world beyond the horizon. Nevertheless, El Dorado is too good to be true, and thus an unsustainable lifestyle to Candide and Cacambo. This could possibly be one of the main reasons why they did not remain. In Voltaire’s Candide, it is said that Candide and Cacambo were both on their journey for Cunegonde, as they reached the unforeseen land of El Dorado. It stated that El Dorado was a land of untold riches. Children played with dolls made of gold, many natives of the land were happy and free of work. This was not only an astounding view for Candide and Cacambo, but it made them wonder why this society was not being affected by any turmoil. As the two men were learning the ways of El Dorado, the king told them that leaving whenever you feel is okay but trying to make your way back up the stream back to El Dorado is a very difficult, let alone impossible process, (Candide 49). All this and much more were advised by the king to Candide and Cacambo. Although they didn’t think much of it, an interesting view point towards Candide and Cacambo’s motif is that they are immersed in salvation, and yet they still do not feel a sense of relief. Instead, Voltaire tries to create the embodiment of greed as Candide and Cacambo leave El Dorado with an abundant amount of sheep, lathered with “gifts of the richest native workmanship and fifty laden with gold and diamonds and other precious stones,” (Candide 50). In Voltaire’s point of view, I believe that this was intended to be written this way because it created a clear picture to the reader that the two men were in a clear
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