Date of Defense

4-24-2026

Date of Graduation

5-2026

Department

History

First Advisor

Sally Hadden

Second Advisor

John Saillant

Abstract

Thomas Jefferson and Voltaire’s character Candide (the main character in his 1759 novella, Candide), possessed striking similarities in both their lives and their characters, and the understanding of one man is ultimately enhanced by studying the other. This thesis analyzes three of these similarities in three separate sections, which includes internal conflict, utopia, and gardening.

Jefferson and Candide both battled an internal conflict, represented by the head and the heart for Jefferson and pessimism and optimism for Candide, but their responses in the midst of it were the same as well, most notably when they both acted impulsively in their relationships with their opponents and later regretted it. Even though Jefferson and Candide had distractions, such as work, from their internal conflicts, they were never able to escape them, and they remained a constant presence throughout their lives.

The only way to minimize the burden of their inner conflicts was through their utopias, which was El Dorado for Candide and the University of Virginia for Jefferson. Both utopias, however, proved to be short-lived when Candide left El Dorado to find Cunegonde, and Jefferson lost his vision for the university, as well as his lofty dreams for it, to a violent student riot in 1825. The loss of their utopias only created more regret for both men, and a pressing inclination for retirement, especially from the storms that met them in the world and public life.

To find this peace, Jefferson and Candide resorted to work, symbolized by Voltaire’s metaphor of cultivating the garden, and it allowed them to labor for something greater than themselves. Despite the many problems that they faced in retirement, most of them resulting from their own choices, Jefferson and Candide acquired a shared love of gardening and a newfound purpose in their lives by working the land.

Ultimately, this thesis provides a new analysis of Thomas Jefferson through the lens of Voltaire’s satirical literary character Candide. Viewing the life of Jefferson and the journey of Candide in tandem, this study provides new insights on Jefferson, Voltaire, and the influence of the Enlightenment on the early American republic itself.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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