Candide: A Critical Analysis - Essay Example

Candide: A Critical Analysis ‘Voltaire’ is a very prominent name in the history of intellectual literature associated with philosophy of wit applied in the rhythm of actual life that satirically challenged most of the ideological constraints of his time. Francois-Marie Arouet as his original name was, the French revolutionist adopted the prolific pen name ‘Voltaire’ to produce pieces of work in almost all form of literature. The versatility of his penmanship acquired him an unshakeable place in the hall of fame of literature laureates of all time. The insight of his philosophical approach and the challenging will he applied in his literature makes him an iconic figure of critical literature. Voltaire’s views of political and socio-economic models of his time are visualized in his literature as a philosophical and political satire in most of his creations. He is more likely to be identified as a revolutionary philosopher who criticized the implications of the imperial models of religious supremacy over the French society than an amusing writer to have written books worth reading. Among all of his creative achievements, Candide remains an insignia of the philosopher’s unique technique to exhibit his perfectness in presenting a satire with the enterprising blend of surrealism and romanticism to reach the theme deep into the hearts of the readers. Voltaire’s skeptical views of the domineering social structure based on the norms of religious practices provoked his intellect to create satires that challenged the feudal society by as early as 18th century. The presentation strategy he applied in displaying the characterization of a protagonist stands out as an insignia that detaches his work from other pieces of literature of his time. The specifications of satirical questions in the text of Candide are thought provoking. In a context Candide asks, “If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others?(ch.6)”. It is a challenge on the proclamations of religious heads of the community that always taught the faith beyond the reality of the actual life. The need of enlightenment was seen as the most important tool to reconstruct the social policies of the early 18th century in which human elements of social life were denied to common men. Voltaire generally focused on promoting a social reform strategy by applying his satirical ability to criticize almost every religious and political pattern prevailed in the European societies during his time through most of his empirical presentations. The flow of the theme of the plot is maintained well balanced with subordinating aspects correlated with the challenges of the religious views of those days. Voltaire’s emphatic stance against the disloyalty of the religious and state administration toward the people was displayed through the voice of the protagonist Candide. The book deals largely with the critical literature to fight back the tactics of the state’s adoption of negotiators to eye-wash the public by false promises to the public. Candide says, “Pangloss deceived me cruelly when he said that all is for the best in the world(ch.7)”. Voltaire presents Pangloss as the representative of the state to talk for peace among the people in order to subdue the intellectual powers of emerging leaders who questioned the policies of the state. The book is reveals the unacceptable norms of the administrators to impose emotional and intellectual control over the people through the exercise of religious implications and advantages of social condition that denied the rights of individuals during the time till 18th century. Through the book ‘Candide’, the author expresses his emotional urge for reacting to the social perspectives of the statesmen during the age of enlightenment. Candide is a mixture of violence, love, competition and philosophical arguments in a balanced proportion. It can be considered a total insightful approach of the author about the perils of a man’s struggle for achieving the civilized state through the miseries of his actual state of being. The importance of the ideal of enlightenment is identified in the book when the author narrates the hardships of the title character for being the illegitimate son of the sister of a feudally reserved Baron of Thunder-ten-Tronch who eventually falls in love with Cunegonde, the daughter of the Baron. Voltaire’s approach to love in the plot is relevant to reality as it involves violence and tactics of the hero to win his love. Candide projects the value of human relationship between a man and woman as a natural phenomenon contradictory to the social belief that slave women were denied their right to marry. When Candide says “A lady of honor may be raped once, but it strengthens her virtue.(ch.7)”, the author challenges the social angle of seeing the women as hateful individuals for lack of purity. Unlike the consumerist approach most men had for women those days, Candide shows examples of sympathy and commitment to his love, which was a new model of intellectual renaissance in the society. As the search for Cunegonde progresses in the book, Candide encounters bitterness of actual life beyond tolerable limits. The Calvinist preachers approach, the antichrist pope’s treatment and the deceitful behavior of Pangass are all evidence of inhumanity concealed in the attire of religious outfits of the clergy. As a natural human being the protagonist mercilessly reacts against his enemies and in many cases he overpowers them with might and intelligence. Whenever he was convinced by Pangass, Candide said, “When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he worry about the comfort t or discomfort of the rats in the ship? (ch.30).” Through this perspective of the protagonist about the authenticity and legacy of kingship, Voltaire was indicating his utter dislike for the leadership employed in the administration. All through the projection of Candide at the focal point in the book, Voltaire successfully passes the message of prominence of reasoning of the conditions rather than the absolute submission to the authorities careless for the wellbeing of the common people. This revolutionary piece of literature teaches the great value of faith in oneself in order to achieve the goals seemingly impossible to commoners. Overall, Voltaire’s Candide may be taken as a reference for the balance of collective effort of individuals over the act theorizing plans and procedures in social life. With the lines at the end, Voltaire specifies the need for realizing the actual situations of the society and focusing on hard work for excellence. This great novel retains the value of a social and religious satire as it had every element to influence the minds of the people against the need for a rearrangement of religious outlook prevailed in its time. Works Cited Voltaire. Candide. Echo Library, 2010. Print. Read More