During the Enlightenment, two men both wrote about their journeys around the world before finally settling in Europe. One embraced the idea of “everything is as it should be”, while the other vividly described his first-hand experience of slavery. How many connections could be found between these two literary works? According to Dr. John Douglass, there are more than one can imagine.For example, it has been argued, both follow the path of Enlightenment from their homes to the New World, and then off to Europe, where they make new homes. Both authors are involved in the Seven Years’ War-Voltaire’s Candide as a soldier, and Olaudah Equiano as a slave who is accompanying his master on a warship. The level of carnage description in both works is also very similar.
There are also many other similarities, such as Candide experiencing an earthquake, while Equiano dealt with an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The descriptions of separation from friends and family match, as do the temporary reunions and finally, the long partings. But why would Voltaire’s fictional story and Equiano’s true account be so alike in detail?
As Dr. Douglass explained, Voltaire’s could have come from a common acquiring of knowledge of this period. The stories of “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift and “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe were parables of life between Enlightened Europe and the rest of the world, meaning that Voltaire could have very well been inspired by these previous works. And although Equiano’s account was far from the pretend adventures of these three writers, it nevertheless proves an important point-sometimes, one must be Enlightened about the world through a certain degree of personal suffering. Only through going through hard times can one appreciate one’s life more during the good times.