Voltaire’s Candide is a story written to display how one person’s experiences can go about changing their whole perspective on society. Candide begins the story believing that he is living in the “best of all worlds”, but later realizes that he was naive to think that way. Voltaire successfully goes about using satire to denounce and attack the European society as it existed in the eighteenth century by placing Candide in a maze where at every corner, decisions need to be made which condemn the old regime’s notions and views regarding religion, government and political systems, and levels of society and philosophy, while also using Candide to hunt for a philosophy of optimism and utopia in what ends up being an intolerable and failed society that is unable to cater to its population’s needs.
Throughout the story Voltaire constantly condemns the religious aspects of the European society. When exploiting the religious hypocrisy, Voltaire attacks both protestants and Catholics. Voltaire uses James the anabaptist to display how pathetic and silly the religious prejudices were. Anabaptists are Christians who strictly believe that baptism can only occur properly and be valid when the individual confesses his or her faith in Christ and desires to be baptized, essentially rejecting infant baptism. Nonetheless, in the eighteenth century anabaptists were looked down upon and passionately hated for their profound religious beliefs. Voltaire condemns this concept by depicting the anabaptist as a kind and generous person, Voltaire does this on many occasions throughout the story. James the anabaptist is portrayed as one of the most generous humans in the novel, which contradicts European society. James acknowledges all of the cruelty and hatred that mankind gives off yet he still bends over backwards to cater to those in need, and he proves this many times throughout the story. James is the total opposite of Pangloss the philosopher who hesitates to aid individuals in need. Candide was reluctant to admit that the pope was the antichrist and therefore was scolded at by the protestant, "You don't deserve to eat… go you scoundrel, you wretch, never come near me again!,. After hearing this, James offered to take Candide into his home and made sure he was fed. Then on a journey to Lisbon, a sailor unintentionally fell into the ocean. “Honest James, forgetting the injury he had so lately received from him, flew to his assistance, and, with great difficulty, hauled him in again, but, not withstanding, in the attempt, was, by a sudden jerk of the ship, thrown overboard himself, in sight of the very fellow whom he had risked his life to save and who took not the least notice of him in this distress” (Chapter 5). Without even thinking twice about it, James threw himself off of the ship to save the sailor, and died in the process of doing so. James’ generosity and kindness lead him straight to his grave.
Viewing it as completely corrupt, Voltaire criticizes the clergy of the Catholic Church. After getting whipped in Lisbon, Candide is taken care of by an old woman. This old woman shared stories about herself on the ship with Candide and Cunegonde. The old woman states "I am the daughter of Pope Urban X and the Princess of Palestrina". The old woman also discusses how she grew up living a wealthy life in a palace. Voltaire uses the story of the old woman and her father, Pope Urban X to display his viewpoint on the corruption of the Catholic clergy. Popes are supposed to be celibate and stay away from “experimental physics”, yet Voltaire presents a Pope who bore a child, had a wife, and resided in a "palace so magnificent that all the castles of [the] German barons couldn't have served as its stable". This example only further attacks the corruption of the clergy and their religion.
Voltaire desired that people saw the many flaws that European religion carried. Voltaire also goes about attacking the complexity of the Christian religion. He achieves this by advertising a new religion of simplicity. Voltaire uses a conversation between an old man and Candide, in el Dorado to display the benefits of this other religion. Candide begins by asking the old man about whether or not the people of el dorado have a religion, whether or not they practice, in what manner they prayed in, and which God they believe in. “"We do not pray to Him at all," said the reverend sage; "we have nothing to ask of Him, He has given us all we want, and we give Him thanks incessantly."” The old man replies by stating that the people of Eldorado do not pray to their god as they have given them all of what they desire, and are constantly giving him thanks. After a certain point, Candide asked the old man if it were possible that he visit some of the priests of El dorado if they even had any. The old man said that they were all priests in El Dorado, everyone was equal. “"What!" said Cacambo, "have you no monks among you to dispute, to govern, to intrigue, and to burn people who are not of the same opinion with themselves?”. The old man replies with a strict answer stating that everyone there is of one opinion, they are all equal. Voltaire discussed this other religion in such depth to display that the clergy was unnecessary and over complicated simple ideas.
Voltaire goes to severe lengths to criticize the government and political systems of Europe. He displays the true intentions of the kings and how they do not always want the best for their people. In the first chapter of the story, Candide is kicked out of the Baron’s house due to his foolish behavior. Candide is then stopped by Bulgarians, and they offer him food. Little did Candide know that they were going to force him into joining the military.“they handcuffed him, and carried him away to the regiment”, the Bulgarians were very forceful in doing so. Voltaire attempts to point out a flaw in the European political system, individuals are captured and forced into joining the army with the promise of food. Candide comes to a huge realization when he is recruited and when he joins the war. Candide realizes that the Bulgarian king is letting his people die without cause. Candide visits Avarian territories that have been burned to the ground by the Bulgarians. Voltaire states that when Candide visited these territories he “made all the haste he could to another village, which belonged to the Bulgarians, and there he found the heroic Avars had enacted the same tragedy”. Voltaire uses mockery here when he labels the Avars as “heroic” as they lost everything. He does this in attempt to put all the blame on the Avar and Bulgarian kings , the blame of letting their people die without cause since after all, they lost everything anyway.
Towards the end of the story, Candide and Martin sit down with six strangers to have dinner. These strangers all turn out to be kings. They each share their own story describing how they managed to become kings. In this section of the chapter, Voltaire delivers two specific satirical messages. One of the kings, the king of Poland, says that his kingdom has fallen apart. “I have twice lost my kingdom”. Voltaire is trying to display the failures of the kings and is trying to say that the people should not take orders from failed kings and should cut off any ties with the kings. Theodore of Corsica, one of the kings, is the poorest of them all. The other kings offer him twenty sequins, and Candide gives him a diamond that is worth one hundred times of what the kings gave. “”Who can this private person be," said the five Kings to one another, "who is able to give, and has actually given, a hundred times as much as any of us?”. The kings were utterly in shock when they found out that Candide gave him that diamond. This is very ironic because usually kings are to give much more than a commoner like Candide, and this is exactly the point that Voltaire is making. Voltaire is just further emphasizing the weakness of the monarchy in Europe, and how corrupt it had become.
Voltaire is able to use Candide to express his thoughts on what the levels of society are supposed to be like in Europe. He uses El dorado to achieve that. By using El dorado, Voltaire is able to shed light on a small successful village where the philosophy behind advances in science and scientific revolution were applied to the works of religion and politics. This means that Eldorado is a village in which science, politics, religion, and philosophy all mix in with each other and coexist. Voltaire displayed that this would’ve been the perfect society for Europe, but most people deviated from this and were lead to the Catholic church and their monarchs. He uses Candide to display his philosophy and beliefs on what Europe really should’ve been.
Voltaire tries to create Eldorado as a utopia in the story, a place where poverty does not exist. Voltaire also says that it has “been sheltered from the greed of European nations, who have quite irrational lust”. In Eldorado, nobody is hated, tortured, or forced into doing something they do not want to do. Voltaire starts off the book thinking that he can find a utopia, but later realizes that he was naive to ever think that could be true. He finally realizes that a utopia does not exist.Each person has a different idea of utopia, what may seem like perfection to you, may seem like imperfection to another individual. Even though Candide thought that Eldorado could be a utopia, he still decided to go back home.“I shall never be happy without Lady Cunegonde”.
Throughout the novel Voltaire successfully goes about using satire to denounce and attack the European society as it existed in the eighteenth century by placing Candide in a maze where at every corner, decisions need to be made which condemn the old regime’s notions and views regarding religion, government and political systems, and levels of society and philosophy, while also using Candide to hunt for a philosophy of optimism and utopia in what ends up being an intolerable and failed society that is unable to cater to its population’s needs.