Juxtaposition Of The Relationship Between Candide And Martin

Voltaire, a French author and philosopher during the Enlightenment, published many works throughout his life. Candide, published in 1759, was one of his minor works at the time, yet is now widely known for its satirical perspective on eighteenth century life and philosophical merits. The work follows Candide, the French word for “innocent”, on a journey that is filled with one hyperbolic misfortune after another. Despite these misfortunes, Candide remains true to his name, which is directly contrasted to the character of Martin. During one encounter, Candide calls Martin a “bitter man,” to which Martin responds, “that’s because I have seen the world” (Voltaire 104). Voltaire uses the juxtaposition of Candide and Martin’s worldviews to satirize

The juxtaposition of their characters – Candide as an innocent youth, and the soldiers as savages – further reveals how little experience Candide has with reality. His choice to neither be put to death nor run the gauntlet as a punishment (Voltaire 15) epitomizes his lack of experience with the real world. The majority of Candide’s interactions up to this point had been with the philosophical Pangloss, who would have accepted Candide’s response. However, Candide’s optimism in the face of two hard choices is ridiculed, and he chooses life over

Candide is reunited with Cunégonde’s brother, but stabs him after he is told that he does not have permission to marry Cunégonde (Voltaire 60). Rather than feeling remorse for his actions, which ironically helped save him from an indigenous tribe, Candide claims that, “if [he] had not had the good luck to run [his] sword up to the hilt in the body of Miss Cunégonde’s brother, [he] would definitely have been eaten alive. But, after all, pure nature is an excellent thing; since these people, instead of eating [him], showed [him] a thousand civilities as soon as they knew [he] was not a Jesuit” (Voltaire 65). In addition to criticizing religion, this quotation from Candide affirms his lack of knowledge and experience. The diction of “luck” when referring to the murder of a childhood friend and the brother of his love shows that Candide does not have the capacity for negative thoughts. He also attributes this luck to nature, not himself, meaning he has very little accountability for his actions. These observations, in conjunction with each other, characterize Candide as more than just an optimist; he has the intelligence and maturity level of a child, meaning he has not progressed or evolved since the moment he was banished by the baron