Summary
Exhausted and nearly starving, Candide and Cacambo stumble into El Dorado—literally the most perfect place on earth, though they don't realize it at first. After a harrowing river journey that destroys their canoe, they emerge into a land where children play with gold and emeralds like marbles, then abandon them without a thought. When the travelers try to pay for a magnificent feast with what they think are valuable gold pieces, the innkeeper laughs—in El Dorado, gold is just worthless pebbles you find on the road, and the government pays for everything anyway. This chapter brilliantly flips our understanding of value and scarcity. Voltaire shows us a society where the things we kill and die for are literally worthless, while true wealth lies in abundance, generosity, and care for others. The irony cuts deep: Candide has been chasing happiness and security across a brutal world, only to find paradise by accident when he stops looking for it. The contrast with everything they've experienced—war, persecution, poverty, cruelty—couldn't be starker. Here, even the poorest village offers luxury beyond European imagination, and hospitality is automatic. Yet Candide still doesn't fully grasp what he's found, still thinking in terms of his old world's values. This chapter asks us to examine our own assumptions about what makes life worth living and whether our pursuit of material security might be keeping us from recognizing the abundance that already exists around us.
Coming Up in Chapter 18
Now that Candide has accidentally found paradise, the real question becomes: what do you do when you've actually found the perfect place? Can someone raised on struggle and scarcity ever truly adapt to a world without want?
Share it with friends
An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
ARRIVAL OF CANDIDE AND HIS VALET AT EL DORADO, AND WHAT THEY SAW THERE. "You see," said Cacambo to Candide, as soon as they had reached the frontiers of the Oreillons, "that this hemisphere is not better than the others, take my word for it; let us go back to Europe by the shortest way." "How go back?" said Candide, "and where shall we go? to my own country? The Bulgarians and the Abares are slaying all; to Portugal? there I shall be burnt; and if we abide here we are every moment in danger of being spitted. But how can I resolve to quit a part of the world where my dear Cunegonde resides?" "Let us turn towards Cayenne," said Cacambo, "there we shall find Frenchmen, who wander all over the world; they may assist us; God will perhaps have pity on us." It was not easy to get to Cayenne; they knew vaguely in which direction to go, but rivers, precipices, robbers, savages, obstructed them all the way. Their horses died of fatigue. Their provisions were consumed; they fed a whole month upon wild fruits, and found themselves at last near a little river bordered with cocoa trees, which sustained their lives and their hopes. Cacambo, who was as good a counsellor as the old woman, said to Candide: "We are able to hold out no longer; we have walked enough. I see an empty canoe near the river-side; let us fill it with cocoanuts, throw ourselves into it, and go with the current; a river always leads to some inhabited spot. If we do not find pleasant things we shall at least find new things." "With all my heart," said Candide, "let us recommend ourselves to Providence." They rowed a few leagues, between banks, in some places flowery, in others barren; in some parts smooth, in others rugged. The stream ever widened, and at length lost itself under an arch of frightful rocks which reached to the sky. The two travellers had the courage to commit themselves to the current. The river, suddenly contracting at this place, whirled them along with a dreadful noise and rapidity. At the end of four-and-twenty hours they saw daylight again, but their canoe was dashed to pieces against the rocks. For a league they had to creep from rock to rock, until at length they discovered an extensive plain, bounded by inaccessible mountains. The country was cultivated as much for pleasure as for necessity. On all sides the useful was also the beautiful. The roads were covered, or rather adorned, with carriages of a glittering form and substance, in which were men and women of surprising beauty, drawn by large red sheep which surpassed in fleetness the finest coursers of Andalusia, Tetuan, and Mequinez.[18] "Here, however, is a country," said Candide, "which is better than Westphalia." He stepped out with Cacambo towards the first village which he saw. Some children dressed in tattered brocades played at quoits on the outskirts. Our...
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Misplaced Value
We chase what's rare while ignoring what's abundant, mistaking scarcity for value and missing the wealth already around us.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to distinguish between real limitations and manufactured competition designed to keep us fighting over crumbs.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you're told something good is 'limited time only' or 'exclusive'—ask yourself if the scarcity is real or if someone benefits from your desperation.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
El Dorado
A legendary city of gold that Spanish conquistadors searched for in South America. Voltaire uses it as his version of a perfect society where material wealth means nothing because everyone has everything they need.
Modern Usage:
We still use 'El Dorado' to describe any place that seems like paradise or the ultimate goal we're chasing.
Satire
A writing technique that uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize society's problems. Voltaire makes his points by showing us the opposite of what's wrong with the world.
Modern Usage:
Shows like The Daily Show or Saturday Night Live use satire to point out political and social problems through comedy.
Irony
When the reality is the opposite of what you'd expect. Here, the 'worthless' pebbles are actually gold, and the place they stumble into by accident is paradise.
Modern Usage:
Like when you finally stop looking for love and that's when you meet someone, or when you're broke but happier than when you had money.
Utopia
An imaginary perfect society where all problems are solved. El Dorado represents Voltaire's vision of what society could be if we organized it around human needs instead of greed.
Modern Usage:
We see utopian thinking in discussions about universal healthcare, free education, or any 'ideal society' proposals.
Hospitality culture
The social practice of welcoming strangers and providing for their needs without expecting payment. In El Dorado, this is automatic and government-supported.
Modern Usage:
Some cultures still practice radical hospitality, and we see echoes in 'pay it forward' movements or community mutual aid.
Relative value
The idea that something's worth depends entirely on context and scarcity. Gold is precious in Europe but worthless in El Dorado because it's everywhere.
Modern Usage:
Like how water is free here but costs a fortune in the desert, or how a college degree's value changes based on the job market.
Characters in This Chapter
Candide
Protagonist
Still thinking in terms of his old world's values, he can't fully grasp that he's found paradise. He's so conditioned to expect suffering that he can't recognize abundance when he sees it.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who wins the lottery but still clips coupons out of habit
Cacambo
Practical guide
More adaptable than Candide, he quickly understands the local customs and helps navigate this strange new world. He's the voice of practical wisdom throughout their journey.
Modern Equivalent:
The friend who's good at reading situations and knows how to act in any social setting
The children of El Dorado
Symbol of abundance
They play with gold and emeralds like marbles, then abandon them without thought. They represent a society where material wealth is so abundant it becomes meaningless.
Modern Equivalent:
Kids who get bored with expensive toys and prefer playing with the boxes
The innkeeper
Representative of El Dorado values
Laughs at the idea of payment because the government covers everything. Represents a society organized around care rather than profit.
Modern Equivalent:
The restaurant owner who refuses payment because 'you're my neighbor'
Key Quotes & Analysis
"We are able to hold out no longer; we have walked enough."
Context: When they're exhausted and decide to take the river journey that leads to El Dorado
This moment of surrender and accepting help leads them to paradise. Sometimes we have to stop struggling and let life carry us to find what we're really looking for.
In Today's Words:
I'm done fighting this - let's just see where life takes us.
"The children left their game, abandoning their playthings on the ground."
Context: When the children abandon their 'toys' which are actually gold and precious stones
Shows how differently El Dorado values things. What seems priceless to Candide is literally child's play here, revealing how our sense of value is shaped by scarcity.
In Today's Words:
The kids just dropped their stuff and walked away like it was nothing.
"Is it possible that this country should be better governed than the rest of the world?"
Context: When he starts to realize El Dorado might be different from everywhere else he's been
Candide is slowly recognizing that maybe the world doesn't have to be full of suffering and cruelty. This question shows him beginning to imagine alternatives.
In Today's Words:
Wait, you mean things could actually be run better than this mess?
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
El Dorado reveals how arbitrary our class markers are—gold is worthless pebbles, hospitality is universal, and government serves everyone equally
Development
Evolved from earlier chapters showing class as source of suffering to showing it as meaningless construct
In Your Life:
You might catch yourself judging people by their possessions instead of their character and kindness.
Identity
In This Chapter
Candide can't shed his old identity as someone who must pay for everything and prove his worth through possessions
Development
Developed from naive optimist to someone whose identity is now shaped by trauma and scarcity
In Your Life:
You might struggle to accept help or abundance because your identity is built around being self-sufficient.
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
The innkeeper laughs at Candide's attempt to pay because in El Dorado, hoarding wealth would be absurd and antisocial
Development
Contrasts sharply with earlier chapters where social expectations demanded competition and self-interest
In Your Life:
You might feel guilty receiving generosity because your social programming says you must 'earn' everything.
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Candide's growth is stunted by his inability to recognize paradise—he's learned survival skills but not wisdom
Development
Shows how trauma can create blind spots that prevent us from recognizing positive change
In Your Life:
You might miss opportunities for happiness because you're still operating from old fears and limitations.
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
El Dorado operates on automatic hospitality and mutual care, showing what human relationships look like without scarcity
Development
Provides stark contrast to the exploitation and betrayal that characterized earlier relationships
In Your Life:
You might find it hard to trust genuine kindness because you've been conditioned to expect ulterior motives.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What clues tell Candide and Cacambo that El Dorado operates by completely different rules than the world they know?
analysis • surface - 2
Why can't Candide immediately recognize that he's found paradise, even when children are playing with emeralds and gold?
analysis • medium - 3
Think about your own life: what 'gold on the ground' might you be walking past because it doesn't seem valuable in our society's terms?
application • medium - 4
When you desperately want something that's hard to get, how could you tell whether you want it because it's truly valuable or just because it's scarce?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter suggest about the relationship between what we chase and what actually makes us happy?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Scarcity vs. Abundance Mindset
Make two columns: 'Things I Chase Because They're Scarce' and 'Things I Ignore Because They're Abundant.' Fill each column with examples from your life—career goals, relationships, daily experiences, sources of happiness. Then circle one item from the 'abundant' column that you could pay more attention to this week.
Consider:
- •Notice how much energy you spend pursuing scarce things versus appreciating abundant ones
- •Consider whether the scarce things you chase actually deliver the satisfaction you expect
- •Think about people who seem genuinely content—do they focus more on scarcity or abundance?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you got something you thought you desperately wanted, only to realize it didn't change your life the way you expected. What does this tell you about your current pursuits?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 18: The Perfect Society of El Dorado
What lies ahead teaches us isolation can preserve values but limit growth and perspective, and shows us having everything you need doesn't eliminate the desire for something different. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.