Candide's Missed Opportunity In Eldorado

Candide’s Missed Opportunity in Eldorado In the story Candide, written by Voltaire, the main character Candide misses a great opportunity. The opportunity he misses is presented in the story when Candide decides to leave Eldorado. This turns out to be quite a horrible choice in my opinion. One reason this decision is poor is due to the fact that Candide endures countless dangers after leaving Eldorado. Another reason is that when he finally found Cunegonde he didn’t even really want to marry her anymore. My main argument behind him having missed an opportunity in Eldorado is that Eldorado is a much better place than where he ends up. Candide went through more dangerous situations than any other character I have ever read about. He would have

Upon first arrival in Eldorado, Candide knew that it was a great place. Evidence can be found in this quote from the text, “Here now, said Candide, is a country that’s better than Westphalia” (Voltaire 212). His first notion of this country was correct. It was a country littered with gold and other precious jewels. Even in the less nice areas of Eldorado there was still gold everywhere, and everyone was respectful to one another. Voltaire wrote about Eldorado because it was the perfect world. This can be found in this quote from a scholar, “In the 1950’s many literary critics considered Eldorado to represent Voltaire’s perfect society” (Crist, Elizabeth 230.) Another quote that proves Candide was better off in Eldorado comes from William F. Bottiglia, who when talking about Voltaire said, “Immediately after listing the reasons for leaving Eldorado Voltaire warns the reader that Candide and Cacambo lack philosophic maturity to appreciate Eldorado at its real worth, and that their reasons for leaving it are wrong” (Bottiglia 343.) Eldorado is a land filled with riches, happy people and enough resources to survive safely forever. At one point in the story Candide even admits that he should have stayed in Eldorado. Candide could have been rich and safe in Eldorado, but instead he ends up middle class tending to his garden with his