Satire In Candide

The satire, Candide, criticizes the possibility that the world is “the best of all possible worlds” and instead offers an alternative answer. Voltaire, the author of Candide, used the novella to challenge the ideas of optimism and perfection in Alexander Pope’s The Essay of on Man, which claimed that God made the world to be perfect and orderly. Voltaire practiced French deism, which states that “all phenomena are explained historically by the interaction between man and his environment” and that people learn by trial and error, implying that not all is perfect. The character Pangloss believes that all in the world is perfect and meant to be. Yet, through the depiction of war, natural disasters, the torture of women, the boredom of a perfect world, and the happiness of those who “cultivate [their] garden,”

When the “volleys of musket fire removed from the best of worlds about nine or ten thousand rascals,” Candide can only “[tremble] like a philosopher” and hide. The concept that the world is perfect is undermined here because the fate of all the soldiers who died was not optimal. Plus, Candide’s fear highlights his uncertainty in the world’s perfection, thus doubting his beliefs. The Bulgars destroy “the best of all castles,” and the irony here implies that this was not the best castle because it was destroyed and did not prevail against the Bulgar army. Candide asks “ah, best of worlds, what’s become of you now?” and this is the first instance where he actively questions the world. In questioning, what he has been taught, Candide is able to consider an imperfect world and begins to reject Pangloss’ teachings. In these events, Candide sees how humans disrupt the “perfection” of the world, and later witnesses how events in nature negatively affect people’s