English 120 E - Candide

Damian De Santo

Professor Martin W. McCormack

English 120 E

21 September 2014

Candide

        “Everything is for the best of all possible worlds” is a quote derived from the optimistic views of the philosopher Gottifred Leibniz, claiming that everything that happens is for the better.  In Voltaire’s Candide, the author uses satire to bash and completely reject this philosophy.  A satire is a literary genre in which the author mocks and exposes the flaws in a particular institution, idea, philosophy, or even a group of people.  Along with satire, come the two main pillars of a satire which are irony and sarcasm.  In most satirical writing, the author stirs up humor and amusement or mordancy and bitterness. Voltaire utilizes the genre of satire and the components of irony and sarcasm to create the foundation of the novel Candide, and often presents this satirical writing with both humor and bitterness.

        Throughout Candide, Voltaire mocks the philosophy of “Everything is for the best of all possible worlds”.  Voltaire creates a character by the name of Pangloss to represent Leibniz’s philosophy.  Pangloss is both a tutor and philosopher for the young main character Candide and believes that everything that happens is for the good of the world.  Pangloss also claims that there is no effect without a cause and everything that happens is for a purpose.  His views are optimistic even after he has experienced misfortune.  For example, after having an affair with the maid of the castle, Pangloss soon acquires syphilis.  After meeting with Pangloss who is dying and diseased, Candide questions what might have caused this misfortune.  Candide wonders whether it is the devil’s fault or not. Pangloss simply replies to Candide’s questioning with “Not at all”.  Since syphilis was traced back to the voyage of Christopher Columbus and was brought to Europe from the New World, Pangloss says that if the disease did not exist, there would not be chocolate or cochineal in Europe.   Pangloss’ optimistic views cannot be soiled even after his body has been ravaged by disease and he has lost an eye and an ear.   The fact that he encounters many misfortunes and is still fused to his philosophy expresses how pompous Pangloss is and it exemplifies the use of humor by Voltaire in this novel.

        When Pangloss and Candide land in Lisbon, the city has experienced an earthquake.   Pangloss and Candide volunteer to help the dying and wounded and Pangloss tries to comfort the people with his philosophy of everything is for the better.   Pangloss claimed that the earthquake was for the best.  A Catholic Inquisitor accuses Pangloss of heresy because one that is an optimist cannot believe in original sin.  The Catholic Inquisitor believes that original sin is the fall and punishment of mankind.  As a result of the punishment of mankind, the Inquisitor says that Pangloss’ philosophy is bogus and hangs Pangloss.    

        Voltaire also satirizes war in his novel.  Candide is involuntarily added to the army because of his toast to the king of the Bulgars’ health and the acceptance of money. Candide is then put in shackles and is beaten multiple times as he is forced to serve in the regiment against his will.  Voltaire compares war to hell in the battle between the Bulgars and Abars when the narrator says “Nothing could have been so fine, so brisk, so brilliant, so well drilled as two armies.  The trumpets, the fifes, the oboes, the drums, and the canon produced such a harmony as was never heard in hell”.  This is an example of sarcasm in which the narrator says one thing but means another. The narrator uses sarcasm to describe that war is not fine, brisk, brilliant, nor well drilled, but the nature of war is rather savage.  Candide experiences utter carnage as numerous villages burn to the ground and the bodies of butchered, dying civilians lay on the ground. He leaves the battle at the primary opportunity and escapes to Holland as many men fall victim to death.

        The institution of religion is also satirized in Candide.  Voltaire does not satirize religion itself, but the representatives of religion.  For example, when Candide is banished from the castle of Westphalia and is full of sorrow, he comes across a city in Holland featuring predominant Calvinists.  In that city, Candide is begging for help and comes across an orator.  Candide begs the orator for food while the orator is preaching Calvinism and the value of charity.  Rather than helping Candide and providing him with food like a person of God should, the orator scorns Candide because of his beliefs.  He was rejected from the opportunity to eat and the preacher’s wife poured human feces on his head because he did not believe that the pope was the antichrist.  This is also an example of irony because the orator was preaching about charity and he did not give aid to Candide, he merely cursed and embarrassed him.  

        After reading Candide, one can formulate the inference that Voltaire believes that the devout, religious man is eager to turn his or her back on their fellow people.  However, the anabaptized are willing to provide a helping hand.  This is evident when Candide runs into Jacques the Anabaptist.  Jacques the Anabaptist helps Candide by allowing him to stay in his home.  Jacques employs Candide as well. This happened after Candide was scolded by the Calvinist orator.  Another example is when Candide, Pangloss, and Jacques encounter a storm on a ship on their way to Lisbon.  A sailor almost falls overboard and Jacques saves the man. However, Jacques falls overboard and as a result, the sailor did nothing to save Jacques.    

Voltaire expresses his idea that the differences in religion are ridiculous.  He believes that everything about religion cannot be true, thus meaning that religion is faulty.  As a result of religions being flawed or different, there will be arguments amongst the representatives of different religions.  Voltaire explains this theory when Candide wants to free his love, Cunegonde from the Grand Inquisitor and Don Issachar, a Jewish man.  Both of these men are sharing Cunegonde and they have decided that only one will enjoy her on the day of the Sabbath.  Since the Grand Inquisitor represents Christianity and Don Issachar represents the Jewish religion, they break out into argument about which day is the Sabbath, Saturday or Sunday.  They both claim that the other man has taken her the wrong day.  The Grand Inquisitor is not only exposed because of his “flawed” religion, but for his lack of morality and corruption.  Before they reached an agreement, the Grand Inquisitor threatened Don Issachar with auto-da-fé which is death by burning because Don Issachar would not sell Cunegonde to him.  The fact that the Grand Inquisitor had intentions to purchase another human being is also immoral.  This shows that even the highest ranking officials can succumb to corruption.  Don Issachar is also a victim of evil and corruption. When he finds Candide and Cunegonde reunited, he attacks Candide because of his jealousy.  Candide in turn retaliates, and kills Don Issachar with a sword which was given to him by the old woman.  Candide also gets his hands on the Grand Inquisitor and kills him as well.