Zadig

“Crush the loathsome thing” was Voltaire’s Enlightenment motto for overturning the clergy and royalty in Europe with their persecution, intolerance, and superstition. As a firebrand rationalist opposed to abuse of power and decadent thinking, Zadig is Voltaire’s avatar in the ancient world. Zadig confronts many clear abuses of power: from unjust punishment under Babylonian law and crimes fabricated by vindictive priests to the self-righteousness of Hermes in disproving Zadig’s recovery. However, the essence of the cry to “crush the loathsome thing” is a call to self-examination. The forces at play in the story work through people: Setoc hesitates to condemn the Pyre of Widowhood despite thinking it is cruel because he fears questioning tradition, and the conscientious Egyptians who treat Zadig’s wound and take the time to verify his story suddenly become cruel when they begin following the law, condemning him to slavery for self-defense. Zadig’s journey is primarily about his inner transformation as he wrestles with and finally abandons the “loathsome things” within himself.

The only gap in Zadig’s rationalism is his belief that there is a system of divine reward and punishment responsible for all fortune and misfortune. A sharp observer of the natural world capable of discerning things unnoticed by others, Zadig remains oblivious to the evidence that people, not God, are to blame for his misfortune.