The Cult of the "Natural Person"
The Enlightenment thinkers, especially in France, created a kind of cult of the "natural person," whom they declared to be the product of nature itself and endowed with healthy feelings and aspirations. All the bad in the real-historical individual was considered as the result of the pernicious influence of the social environment. From here, a conclusion about the depravity of the modern world, about the uselessness of feudal civilization, about the need to replace perverse social institutions with healthy, rational social institutions, was made. The philosophers of the 18th century correctly pointed out the negative aspects of their contemporary reality, but could not understand their origin and thereby outline the correct ways to eliminate them.
In the “L’ingenu,” this theme is developed through the image of the Huron, who falls into a comic position due to the violation of all kinds of social conventions. He judges everything from the point of view of the “natural law,” without recognizing any moral restrictions (such as his attack on St. Yves, caused by the desire to marry her immediately). At first, Voltaire good-naturedly laughs at his hero and at the same time makes fun of the cult of the “natural person,” showing how inconsistencies can be caused by the behavior of a “natural person” who ignores the mores of a civilized society.
Vices
The theme of vices is developed through the example of French society of the 18th century, and how poor St. Yves has fallen under its influence and has been crushed. To rescue the Huron from prison, St. Yves sacrificed her honor. The moral “fall” had such a strong effect on the psyche of the girl that she dies from unbearable awareness of her deed. St. Yves was entirely persuaded by the representatives of the court that there was no other way to help the Huron, and her sacrifice would be in the name of love. But she considered herself a criminal, not understanding the sacrifice she made. The beautiful St. Yves became the victim of the vices and of the moral rigor that was common in bourgeois society. Reproaching herself for “faint-heartedness,” she did not realize how much virtue was in that crime for which she reproached herself. French bourgeois society was built of the principle of such sacrifices—all the ranks and the positions at the court were reached by the “sacrifice” of beautiful wives.
Education
During his stay in the prison, the Huron enriched his worldview by reading different books and discussing them with Gordon. Gordon became sort of the Huron’s spiritual guide and friend. Voltaire tries to show that education only adds to a person’s individuality, and what is more important is comprehension of the received knowledge. The Huron becomes a different person after prison; he starts understanding the way the world is built, but at the same time he manages to save his simple-mindedness, and does not let his heart harden. Education is the way to enlightenment.
