Candide · Chapter
XX: What Happened at Sea to Candide and Martin explained
Candide and the philosopher Martin sail from Surinam to Bordeaux, debating moral and natural evil.
What happens
Candide and the philosopher Martin sail from Surinam to Bordeaux, debating moral and natural evil. Martin declares himself a Manichean, believing the world is governed by a malignant being. They witness a naval battle in which a Dutch pirate ship sinks; Candide recovers one of his lost sheep from El Dorado. Candide sees the event as divine punishment, while Martin questions the fate of innocent passengers. Their philosophical dispute continues for fifteen days without resolution.
Themes in this chapter
Optimism vs. Pessimism
Candide clings to hope of finding Cunégonde and sees the sinking of the Dutch ship as divine justice, while Martin argues that the world is ruled by evil and that innocent passengers also die.
Suffering and Human Cruelty
The naval battle and sinking of the ship illustrate human cruelty and the indiscriminate nature of suffering, as Martin points out that both guilty and innocent perish.
Characters to notice
- Candide
Debates with Martin about good and evil, rejoices at recovering one sheep from El Dorado, and still hopes to find Cunégonde.
- Martin
The old philosopher who declares himself a Manichean, arguing that the world is abandoned to a malignant being; he has no hope and disputes with Candide for fifteen days.
- Mynheer Vanderdendur
The Dutch pirate who robbed Candide; his ship is sunk in battle and he perishes with his plunder.
Key passages
“I cannot help thinking that God has abandoned it to some malignant being.”
Martin believes the world is under the control of an evil force, not a benevolent God.
Martin's Manichean worldview directly challenges Pangloss's optimism.
“God has punished the knave, and the devil has drowned the rest.”
Martin sees the Dutch skipper's death as divine punishment but the passengers' deaths as the devil's work.
Highlights the ambiguity of justice and the problem of innocent suffering.
“Since I have found thee again, said he, I may likewise chance to find my Cunégonde.”
Candide takes the recovery of his sheep as a sign that he might also be reunited with Cunégonde.
Shows Candide's persistent optimism despite all evidence.