Wading into Satirical Waters

        Let me start out by confessing: I love satires. I was first introduced to satires in middle school, where my history teacher thought it wise to expose eighth-graders to the likes of George Orwell in Animal Farm. In my naivety, I proclaimed to have a vast comprehension of the text and everything it embodied. Little did I know, there was more to it than a cute story about animals overthrowing people. It was not until high school when I came across Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal when I truly began to understand and fall in love with satire. I am not sure whether it was the brilliancy of the work or the shocking proposal of eating babies that garnered my attention, but nevertheless, I waded into the satirical waters. Even now, after years of reading satirical works of art, I cannot admit to having fully grasped the complexity of satires. In reading Voltaire’s Candide, I was not aware that it was anything more than an unusual narrative until halfway through the text. I initially blamed my misunderstanding on the stress of the semester, but the truth prevails, Candide certainly demonstrates itself to be a dense satire. In Candide, Voltaire exposes many different societal inconsistencies, specifically those regarding religion, war, and wealth.

        In various instances within the text, Voltaire uses satire to cast a negative light on religion. In one example, Candide runs out of provisions, but he does not worry since the country seems to be full of Christians who will readily adhere to the Bible’s doctrine of charity and provide him with life’s necessities. However, upon addressing a protestant minister, the minister asks Candide if he believes the Pope to be the Anti-Christ. Like any man inflicted by hunger pains, Candide replies, “ ‘whether he be, or whether he be not, I want bread’ ” (12). In response to Candide, the preacher says, “ ‘Thou dost not deserve to eat,’ … ‘Begone, rogue; begone, wretch; do not come near me again’ ” (12). In this particular scene, the protestant orator does not agree with Candide’s religious differences, so disregarding all biblical principles and his previous sermon regarding charity, he casts Candide away on the street to starve. Voltaire seems to be identifying the hypocrisy present among certain religions. He singles out the ongoing feud between Protestants and Catholics by exposing the lengths that each religion takes, even so far as disobeying the principles they are founded on, in order to undercut each other. Voltaire continues to expose more than just religious inconsistencies.

        Voltaire ridicules war by unemotionally relaying its horrors. Candide, drafted to fight by the Bulgarians, describes the war scene as “heroic butchery” (10). The words appear to be an oxymoron, but upon further reflection, the reader begins to see it as an accurate analysis of war. War, though an emblem of patriotism, leads to the unwarranted death of many people. In analyzing the wasteful nature of war, Candide ironically observes, “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 sufficient reason for the death of several thousands” (10). Voltaire removes men from behind the actions in order to desensitize the brutality; instead, he attributes the executions to the weapons themselves. Through this desensitization mechanism, Voltaire actually increases the reader’s awareness of the needless, destructive nature of war. Voltaire’s full-frontal attack on societal issues extends beyond the scope of religion and warfare.

        Voltaire uses the Utopian land of El Dorado in order to address society’s vain aspirations for wealth. Candide and his traveling companion Cacambo arrive in El Dorado, where they first come across children playing with stones from the land composed of gold, emeralds, and rubies. Candide and Cacambo later discover that the jewels do not hold any worth to the citizens of El Dorado since they come from the “pebbles” and “yellow clay” of the kingdom (66, 73). El Dorado appears to be an ideal place, filled with happiness and riches beyond measure, but Candide and Cacambo still resort to leaving the seemingly perfect land in search of other glories. Through this example, Voltaire attempts to convey to the reader the futility of living life in sole pursuit of wealth by showing how El Dorado thrives in happiness without the vain desire for riches. Voltaire also reveals that even when a person gains the wealth of the world, human desire still remains unquenched. The riches that Candide and Cacambo brought from El Dorado into the outside world also seem to dwindle rather quickly, and it ends up bringing them more trouble rather than helping them along the way. Through this, Voltaire seems to suggest that wealth has a short lifespan and proves ineffective in making life easier.

        Voltaire’s Candide certainly unveils many inconsistencies within society. The topics he brings to light continue to reflect the controversies present in our society today, such as those regarding religion, war, and wealth. Even though Voltaire’s exaggerations within Candide give rise to an unlikely plot, Voltaire manages to capture his audience’s attention and thus bring them to consider these issues from a different perspective. I may not have fully grasped every concept Voltaire put forth, but the text provides me with a unique looking glass to use in viewing the world around me. Candide proves itself to be another satirical piece worthy of adding to my ever-growing satirical book collection. This book has allowed me to move from wading ankle deep in the satirical waters to being fully submerged.