Satire is a very popular type of humor that is done in a hope for change, it may seem like just complaining at first, but the underlying themes and topics are usually topics that relate to a big problem at the time. Candide is a prime example of satire; Voltaire clearly uses satire throughout the novel to criticize the values of France in the 18th century. Some of his main points of criticism were how badly women were treated; Cunegonda and the Old women suffer through horrible beatings as well as other violence’s. Using satire, he also analyzes how violence was used in that day, as well as the hierarchy of both the monarchy and Catholic Church. Voltaire over exaggerates everything in this book to shine light on the values and beliefs he had, …show more content…
it shows how corrupt many of the views were in his time, and ours.
Gross violence was a common theme throughout the book. Almost all the characters experience abhorrent things that they could not possibly survive if it had happened in real life. Voltaire used this abundance of violence to shed light on how violence was being used around him, and to attack how it was affecting people. Candide, the brave but naïve protagonist, suffered very cruel beatings throughout his adventures. Although Candide would never knowingly break rules, on one of his many misadventures he was unknowingly recruited into the harsh army of the Bulgars. Once in the army he endured through the grim abuse that military life brought him. But one fateful morning Candide decided to go for a walk, he, of course was oblivious to what this may appear like. He was spotted almost immediately and captured by four soldiers, who accused him of deserting. Once Candide was court-marshaled, he was given two, equally unpleasant choices, …show more content…
“…to be whipped six-and-thirty times through all the regiment, or to receive at once twelve balls of lead in his brain.” (4). Although Candide did not wish to be whipped or shot, he chose the first option, he was whipped thirty six times by each man in the regiment (roughly two-thousand men, so he must have been whipped over 72,000 times). After Candide ran this punishment twice (144,000 lashings) he was left with only “a little skin left”, he barely had any skin left at all. He suffered so much injury, almost to the point where is becomes absurd. The punishment is so over the top that it seems unreasonable, for Candide to suffer through. This gross exaggeration was done on purpose to show all the violence that was happening around Voltaire, at the time. He is attacking the crime of violence on innocent people. Voltaire does not just attack violence with satire; he also satirizes the hierarchy of religion.
He has many hypocritical religious leaders who appear throughout the book. Reading the book you find a catholic Inquisitor who is deemed fit to determine to fate of other men, and know an evil crime form a good dead, but keeps a mistress, A Pope who has had a daughter, despite the fact that as a catholic priest should never have even touched a women, And a friar who steals jewels. All these religious carry out evil plans in the novel, they all have either raped, stolen or killed, none are pure as their vows say they should be. Voltaire was trying to show how corrupt to leaders of the religious systems were and how they were taking advantage of there power. He is almost indirectly shaming all those who have power over other people and chose to take advantage of
it. The treatment of women is appalling. The Three Main women in the book, Cunegonda, The old woman, And Paquette, are all repeatedly raped in the story. Cunegonda is Candide’s love, and through their journeys they are separated quite often, and each time they are she falls victim to the cruel treatment of women. Cunegonda was often enslaved for sexual exploitation; she suffered through horrible enslavements to men of religious power, many of which took vows of chastity, but broke with out blinking an eye. Voltaire shows a very hypocritical view in the book, all the women characters are supposed to be symbols of purity and virtue, but almost all the male characters take part in some sort of abuse towards women. This seemingly impossible double standard, was used to show how hard it was for women to maintain their dignity, the males expect women to keep their own form of chastity but take part in taking that away from women. Voltaire exposes the double standard women were expected to live by. Which is still relevant to day in the treatment of women, women are shamed for the exact thing men are phrased for.
The author, Voltaire, wrote in the Enlightenment period, a literary movement characterized by the rising concern of philosophy, science, and politics. Voltaire’s writing was influenced by the Enlightenment movement to create awareness of global issues. This is evident in the repeated tragedies Candide stumbles upon. Social issues, corrupt authority figures, and war are real world topics that Voltaire chooses to address in Candide. The satirical nature of Candide allows for an in-depth discussion between the characters regarding the problems they face and the problems of the people they meet, creating a perspective that the audience is forced to look through. It is also a coming of age story, not just for Candide, but for the rising awareness in global issues. Voltaire’s inclusion of the issues of his time reflect the severity of those issues. Satire is used as a reaction to a society’s hypocrisy. Candide as a satirical piece reflects what people have neglected to pay attention to. Coming into a new era of awareness and responsibility leads Candide to reflect on the live he lived in Westphalia and the people he encountered across
Voltaire’s Candide is a satirical novel that addresses common issues in society through a series of outrageous events. Voltaire, the author, wrote about Candide who is extremely naïve and views the world from an optimistic point of view despite the constant troubles him and the people around him encounter. Voltaire points out specific struggles of society including views on philosophy, religion, social power, love, etc. He uses the outrageous events to awaken laughter in the audience but also spark thought on the issues we face in life every day. For example, Candide is stuck on the philosophical standpoint that everything in life happens for a reason and for the overall good. In chapter 16 of the novel, Candide assumes two naked women were being attacked by monkeys, so he proceeds to kill them in hope of saving the women. However, Candide was not aware that the monkeys were actually the girls’ lovers. “Master,” replied the knowing valet, “you have
Voltaire uses satire in order to attempt to bring about change by mocking the thinking of many Enlightenment philosophers of his time. Voltaire also utilizes other literary devices such as irony and sarcasm to make his satire more effective. One example of Voltaire’s use of satire is evidently clear in the way he talks about the belief of Candide and Pangloss as their world being “the best of all possible worlds”. Voltaire depicts both Candide and Pangloss suffering immense and repeated tragedies yet still believing that their world is “the best of all possible worlds”. Another clear example of satirical irony comes in Candide’s encounter with Eldorado. Candide and his “valet” Cacambo come accross Eldorado which is a seemingly perfect world that is
Use of Satire to Target Religion, Military, and Optimism in Voltaire's Candide. In his work, Candide, Voltaire uses satire as a means of conveying his opinions about many aspects of European society in the eighteenth century. Voltaire successfully criticizes religion, the military, and the philosophy of optimism. Religious leaders are the targets of satire throughout Candide.
In Voltaire’s eyes, this was the worst form of brutality he could imagine. In a world where everything has a purpose, Voltaire could not see where unreasonable deaths fit in. Although the novella, Candide, was partially written for entertainment purposes, it was primarily written to discredit the views of Leibniz and Pope. These philosophers felt that the world around them was just as God would have it, but Voltaire adamantly disagreed. He presented his point of view by satirizing the Church, the arrogance of aristocrats, and war and violence.
In Candide, by Voltaire, Candide struggles through a world torn by constant bloodshed and crime. As he travels, he and other characters are deceived, injured, and abused by the world around him. Voltaire’s Candide reveals another side of human beings’ hearts as he portrays humanity’s hamartias as greed, lust, and religion.
Candide is well known for its critique of optimism by Voltaire. The title character, along with his companions, bears many hardships throughout the novel and philosophizes about the nature and necessity of good in the world. Whether there is truly any good in the world is debated between the characters, particularly between the very discouraged Martin and Candide, who carries with him the optimistic words of Dr. Pangloss, a believer in the good nature of the world. While the characters debate why man must carry such burdens, Voltaire shows us that it is dealing with the bad that makes us human. While discussing Cunegonde Martin says to Candide, "I wish" that she may one day make you happy. But I very much doubt she will. ‘You are a bit hard,’ said Candide. ‘That’s because I’ve lived,’ said Martin.
In Candide Voltaire discusses the exploitation of the female race in the eighteenth century through the women in the novel. Cunegonde, Paquette, and the Old Woman suffer through rape and sexual exploitation regardless of wealth or political connections. These characters possess very little complexity or importance in Candide. With his characterization of Cunegonde, Paquette, and the Old Woman Voltaire satirizes gender roles and highlights the impotence of women in the 1800s.
Women didn't have that many choices in order for them to gain power in life. They could become the mistress of a powerful and rich man or marry into a good family. Because of that, women were treated in a disrespectful way that led to rape, which Voltaire tries to emphasize the importance of their role. He uses this idea to grab people's attention so they would be well aware of how serious rape is. If Voltaire was capitalizing and reinforcing sexism, then those who were raped wouldn’t be telling each other their stories on how they were raped. However, to emphasize this point, Voltaire needs to make it funny or offend people for attention. Voltaire uses their story to highlight how serious rape was, by telling us that among women it became a common topic to talk about. If Voltaire hadn’t talked about rape as if it wasn’t a problem then, many would be thinking that he’s trying to reinforce sexism. In Candide, Voltaire is critiquing and satirizing
In Candide, Voltaire sought to point out the fallacy of Gottfried Leibniz's theory of optimism and the hardships brought on by the resulting inaction toward the evils of the world. Voltaire's use of satire, and its techniques of exaggeration and contrast highlight the evil and brutality of war and the world in general when men are meekly accepting of their fate.
There are two vastly differing works of literature that employ similar elements of satire, whether the story is long or short, essay or novella. In these two works, the authors bring light to ongoing social, political, and philosophical issues of their time and age. The two works I am referring to are Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay, A Modest Proposal, and Voltaire’s novella, Candide, or Optimism. In both A Modest Proposal and Candide, there is a portrayal of irony, cold logic and reasoning rather than emotion, and misguided philosophy. Exploring the issues within these texts can implement a better understanding of not only the literature itself, but also the historical context and the issues of the time. By delving even deeper into these works, one will begin to see the connection that can be made between these texts.
With exaggeration, authors craft their writing to have an even greater, more impactful effect on their audiences. This enhanced effect found in Candide serves the purpose of highlighting how humans adopt a type of absolute viciousness and inhumanity in times of war. One example is the instance where Candide - a member of the Bulgar army, at the time - must choose between being “flogged” by the entirety of the military command, or to endure “twelve bullets in his brain” (24). Here, Candide is given a nonsensical, almost ludicrous, ultimatum. Voltaire offers an embellished example that serves to demonstrate the barbaric military practices that come with war. Being a recurring aspect of war, Candide is, essentially, forced to choose between death and death. In fact, along with exaggeration, Voltaire satirizes war even further as the choice of whether it be a gradual or speedy demise is Candide’s own luxury. Voltaire does not just simply antagonize the ramifications of war, but rather, he ridicules all facets of war. Another example within Candide is when the Old Woman reveals the story of her own life as proof of the grim hardship that she too has experienced. In the midst of another battle, “one buttock” was cut off of the live bodies of every woman present in the interest of feeding the starving soldiers (56).
The book Candide by Voltaire is a humorous satire constructed of many themes. Through his book, Voltaire expresses his views on life by criticizing many aspects of humanity at that time. He focused in war, religion, and love, but the main target of Voltaire's satire was a certain philosophy. All of the previous topics unite to ridicule the philosophy that, as the character Pangloss said, "things cannot be otherwise than as they are; for as all things have been created for some end, they must necessarily be created for the best end" (1).
Of course, because it is a satire, Candide continues to have a badly founded and overly optimistic view on the world, even though there are piles of evidence that would point to the contrary. Candide’s complete inability to form his own philosophies and views without adopting others’ is an element of the text because again, it is a satire, but also to highlight the absurdity of thinking that everything happens in order to maintain balance and keep things for the best. Candide’s naivety and almost painfully deliberate simplemindedness is used to represent mankind. At the time this was written, many people displayed similar much less exaggerated traits. By highlighting the complete absurdity of this way of thinking through Candide’s childlike repetition of other characters’ values and ideas, Voltaire illustrated that everything is not for the best in this not best of all possible worlds. He stated that one cannot simply float through life expecting good things to happen to him, not making any decisions for himself and relying on others for his ideas. It is crucial that we work for our happiness in life, that we cultivate our
Voltaire creates a pessimistic novel where Candide is taken advantage of and lied to after he starts to be hopeful about something . He was optimistic about seeing Lady Cunegonde again through out the novel. He got a letter from her saying she was very sick but to come visit her so he went but could only see her hand because she was rapped in sheets in bed supposably because she was very sick. Then on page eighty “Candide bathed it with his tears for a long time then filled it with diamonds, leaving a bag full of gold on the chair”, but it he was being misled. That person in the sheets was not really her and the people that were fooling him then stole all his money that was suppose to be for Lady Cunegonde. The men were using his optimism and innocence to steal from him. Voltaire expressed that Candide’s optimism was what caused him to believe these liars before he actually had proof that it was her. If he would not have been as hopeful he would not have been stolen from. Candide's optimism played against him and so there