Analysis Of The Stories From Voltaire’s Candide

Candide is a French Satire that was first written in 1723, but was not officially published until 1759. The writer of this book is Voltaire, but that was not his actual name. To keep his identity private he used Voltaire instead of his real name, Francois-Marie Arouet. The book is a satire and Voltaire expresses his beliefs and critiques about certain subjects and people through the stories he tells using the main character Candide.

Arouet was born in 1694, in Paris, France and died in May of 1778. Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer and philosopher who was famous for his writings that went after and criticized Christianity and especially the Catholic Church. Voltaire was a very famous writer during his time and wrote thousands of letters and books most of which challenged the normal way of lifestyle during that period of time. He did not follow the rules of strict censorship and since he was such a believer in civil rights he put himself in the sights of the French authorities which consequently put him in prison for multiple years. Throughout my writing I will go over many stories that happen during the course of his book. Voltaire did not only criticize one subject, he would show his opinion on whatever he thought was necessary. I will highlight his critiques on war, women's rights, slavery, the middle class and the third estate. To my best ability I will map out the stories he used to show his interest using the character Candide in all of these subjects and explain what I think he means through the stories.

In Candide, Voltaire has a unique concept and opinion on war during his time. Throughout the book he tells story of many battles and wars and points out all of the odd aspects that he does not like about it. He exposes the worthlessness of war from all angles you could think of. He bashes the concept of honor and glory on the battlefield. He talks about how war is never enough even after it has ended and that it solves nothing. Voltaire believed that commanders and kings would be nothing without their armies or there empires to support them. Through the character Candide he illustrates how unfair and brutal the joining the military is and even how you can be tricked into joining. Candide fell into this hoax and ultimately unwillingly got himself into the army. This all happened when he met up with men at an inn. The men managed to get Candide to drink to their King’s health and that's all it took. The men said to Candide “that is sufficient” and just like that he was forced into the army. In the very beginning of the book he describes an intense battle between two sides. The battle was large with enormous casualties on both sides. “The cannons first of all laid flat about six thousand men on each side; the muskets swept away from this best of worlds nine or ten thousand ruffians who infested its surface. The bayonet was also a sufficient reason for the death of several thousand. The whole might amount to thirty thousand souls.”

Voltaire is graphically describing the gruesome aspect of the war such as cannons, dead bodies and bayonets in order to convey his hatred and disgust at everything that has to do with war. Another topic that Voltaire expresses his opinion about though the book are women’s rights and roles in society at that time. In the book most of the women are all underdeveloped characters throughout the book. He illustrates the inferiority of women in the book and how they are considered lower class to men. The women in this book are always falling victim to rape or very bad treatment. All of the women at this time were ranked off of beauty and nothing else mattered. This outlook on women is very prominent when Cunegonde complains to the Old Woman about how mistreated she is and how her life so unfair, but then hears the Old Woman’s life story and realizes she doesn’t have it that bad. “You have it in your power to be the wife of the greatest nobleman in South America, who has a splendid mustache. Are you in the position in which you can flaunt the luxury of unflinching loyalty? You were raped by the Bulgars; a Jew and an Inquisitor have enjoyed your favors. Misfortunes bestow certain rights. I confess that were I in your position, I would not harbor the least scruple at marrying the governor and thereby securing Captain Candide’s fortune.” This is the advice that the Old Woman eventually gave to Cunegonde and it has a strong message. She talks about how Cunegonde was raped multiple times and to me it seems as if this was normal to her and that it was being raped was a normal occurrence as a women during this time. The women of this time had no rights and understood this. They had little to no power even if they were nobility and the only way to exert influence at all was through men. This book expresses a male perspective in almost every part and doesn't show any women with power or influential qualities. For example, the Old Woman just because she is ugly and old doesn’t even get a name in the book. Also Paquette is described as a “pretty and obedient brunette.” This shows that women were thought to be alive for the sole purpose of listening to men, serving them and to do whatever they say.

One of the biggest things Voltaire had a problem with during his time was the church and religion. Throughout the entire story you can find events that criticize religion and church in all different ways. He constantly attacked and exposed the corruption that was taking place in the clergy of the Catholic Church. An example of this is when The Old Woman, Cunegonde and Candide were on a ship and were exchanging stories of their life adventures and struggles. In the beginning of The Old Woman’s story she said, “I am the daughter of Pope Urban X and the Princess of Palestrina”. She then talked about the magnificent palace that she grew up in and the riches that she enjoyed. Voltaire tells this story because it shows the corruption of the Catholic Clergy. The pope, a man who was supposed to be celibate and follow the example of Christ, instead had a daughter who wore dresses that were worth an enormous amount and a wife who was a princess. This just illustrates the type of corruption happening during this time on an everyday basis.