Intelligent Satire in Voltaires Candide Essay - 868 Words

Intelligent Satire in Candide In the story Candide, Voltaire uses the experiences of the character Candide and dialogue between characters to dispute the theory by other philosophers that Everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds (Voltaire). Voltaire believed that the society that he lived in had many flaws, flaws which are illustrated throughout the story. Voltaire uses satire to take aim at the military, religion, and societies emphasis of physical beauty, to illustrate that we do not live in the best of all possible worlds. One institution that Voltaire takes aim at in Candide is the institution of the military. Voltaire attacks of the military using dialogue between Candide and Martin as†¦show more content†¦Religion also comes under satirical attack in Candide. Voltaire uses Candides experiences to illustrate hypocrisy within the church. In chapter 24 of Candide, brother Giroflee tells Candide that his life as a monk is miserable. Brother Giroflee tells Candide that he was forced into his position as a monk, which gives the underlying message that members of the clergy are not truly dedicated to God. Brother Giroflee also makes the statement, Jealousy, faction, and fury spring up, by natural law, within the walls of convents(Voltaire 1602). Voltaire demonstrates his view that monks and nuns no better than the common sinner. From the standpoint that we live in the best of all possible worlds, the ideas of jealousy, faction, and fury should have no place inside the walls of convents. This is a round about way for Voltaire to say that we do not live in the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire also illustrated in Candide that society as a whole places more emphasis on physical appearance than on inner beauty. Throughout much of the story, Candide is obsessed with the idea of being reunited with Cunegonde. Candide speaks of how beautiful his future bride is and of how much he really loves her. As the story concludes, Candide is reunited with Cunegonde only to find that she has become ugly. Candide has a change of heart andShow MoreRelatedCandide Paper1355 Words   |  6 PagesCandide is a fictional satire of the optimism many philosophers had for life in general during the mid 1700’s written in response to Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man. Written by Voltaire, the literary alias of Francois-Marie Arouet, the satire covers religion, the wealthy, love, why people thought natural disasters occurred and especially, philosophy. The novel even goes on to make fun of the art of literature by giving ridiculous chapter headings. Just about everything Voltaire put into CandideRead MoreThe Age Of Enlightenment By Voltaire1572 Words   |  7 Pageswas at an all-time low. Voltaire’s French philosophy included free-thinking and the struggle for defense of civil liberties, in which he uses almost every known literary form, including novels, poetry, and performance art such as plays. 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