Religion As Corrupted In Voltaire's Candide

Toward the beginning of the 18th century, a new ideology began to take hold of Europe. It was during this time that a radical and critical revolution took place to bring about the use of rational thought and enlighten the people about their own beliefs and values; thus igniting the period of Enlightenment. In this period many people followed the teachings of their forefathers, such as Socrates, who was considered a figure of skepticism and rational thought. Challenging all views and theorems was the main point of this new ideology. Voltaire, a very powerful and influential figure among the writers of the 18th century, was known for his rejection of religion and a devout deist. In one of his most famous works, Candide, he

The orator said “Are you here for a good cause” (Voltaire 21). Later Candide explains what he has been through and his philosophy; in result the orator tells him to go away and the wife of the orator poor human waste on top of Candide. This shows the pretentiousness of the orator, and how the church followers are hypocrisy and won’t help out a man that needs food. Later Candide is offered food and work, but this is offered by an Anabaptist. This is to show that Voltaire is disproving the popular Christian stereotypes.

Voltaire 's Candide is one of the most controversial works of the 18th century, and until today is considered his masterpiece. Voltaire himself is among the disputed writers of his era, as he challenged many given beliefs. Voltaire was a contemporary of the optimism philosophy. At his time, it was widely believed that all is for the best and everything will fall into its perfect place eventually. Voltaire did not agree with this. He was very frank and straightforward, and was concerned with only the truths of this world. He went through many hardships in his life; he was imprisoned in the Bastille, exiled from his country and witnessed many European disasters, including the seven years ' war and the great Lisbon earthquake (Voltaire, 2013, p. vii-x). He was always concerned by the question "is all really for the best, and if so, why are there so many tragedies in the world?". Thus, his works reflect exactly his deep confusion regarding the society 's beliefs in his time (Mason, 1992). There is no definite date as to when Candid was published, however, we do know it was first published as a "translation from the German by Dr. Ralph". Immediately after its publication, it was banned in France and many other European countries, yet it continued to be a bestseller. There are many factors that made Voltaire so popular at the time, and remains a masterpiece to this day. The main reasons being that Voltaire frankly, without any hesitation shook the belief systems of his era to the

The philosophical works of Voltaire, such as Candide, influenced the beginning of the French Revolution, promoting new ideas and concepts. Voltaire used both wit and sarcasm to prove his points against injustice and cruelty. Voltaire was exiled to England for many years, and while there, he became influenced by the English government systems, associated himself with Sir Isaac Newton, John Locke, and Sir Francis Bacon. Voltaire wrote many well known works, but Candide is the most widely read and considered to have the most profound impact on the French Revolution. In Candide, Voltaire uses his character Pangloss to imitate the extreme ways of Alexander Pope, another

Candide also discovers evils in every level of society.  Voltaire criticizes the inordinate pride of

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.” (“Voltaire.”) Francois-Marie d’Arouet, better known as “Voltaire,” was a public activist and writer who contributed greatly to the development of the French cultural movement known as the Enlightenment. For a general idea, the Enlightenment Period was a time which started the push towards the French Revolution. Voltaire experienced life changing situations throughout his life. As Voltaire grew up, the things he experienced influenced his future writings because he wrote during the enlightenment period, he was exiled from France, and he grew up in a privileged family that could give him an education.

In Candide, Voltaire satirizes many forces within society that he believes are unjust. Unfortunately, many of the forces still exist today. In my opinion, the force that has caused the most pain and suffering in Candide as well as in society today is corruption. Webster defines corruption as “dishonest or illegal behavior, especially by powerful people.” Typically the intention of corruption is some kind of personal gain. In Candide as well as today’s world, people use their power and influence over others for their own gain.

As Candide was forced in to the army and treated extremely badly, Voltaire is expressing his criticism of political power being unfair and out of control, forcing people to do certain things. With authoritive figures exercising their political powers in an unjust fashion, Voltaire feels that freedom of expression, something he strongly advocated, was being jeopardized. Politics are continued to be criticised throughout the novel in the same way religion was attacked. Examples can be found in Chapter 6 were Lisbon authorities burn “heretics” to prevent future natural disasters, Chapter 13 suggests governors receiving sexual favours from their female subjects and Chapter 19 sees business men mistreating their slaves. Each of these examples sees characters within the story misusing their power and authority to benefit them personally. Voltaire uses these examples to show on different levels how politically incorrect society was during the pre-modern period, something he felt desperately need to change.

Candide and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano point out different roles of religious convictions about violent evil. By the time Voltaire wrote Candide, he was no longer a Christian. He believed there was not a rational basis for the Christian belief in God at work in the world. Whereas, Equiano’s experience of slavery brought him to Christianity, which helped him make sense of how God could redeem an evil act such as slavery. After reading the short stories the reader can conclude that the view of Christianity is irrelevant in the social life of Voltaire, while Equiano believed that Christianity provided sufficient answers to injustices like slavery.

The “Age of Reason”, during Europe was a time in history where people started to confide in eachother and themselves when it came to reason and logic; and it was a period when creative ability came to light and it was encouraged. This paper will examine Voltaire 's Candide and the way Voltaire mocks religion and how this outlines Enlightenment thought.

Candide is a reflection of the philosophical values of the Enlightenment. Voltaire’s novel is a satire of the Old Regime ideologies in which he critiques the political, social, and religious ideals of his time.

Religion also comes under satirical attack in Candide. Voltaire uses Candide's experiences to illustrate hypocrisy within the church. In chapter 24 of Candide, brother Giroflee tells Candide that his life as a monk is miserable. Brother Giroflee tells Candide that he was forced into his position as a monk, which gives the underlying message that members of the clergy are not truly dedicated to God. Brother Giroflee also makes the statement, "Jealousy, faction, and fury spring up, by natural law, within the walls of convents"(Voltaire 1602). Voltaire demonstrates his view that monks and nuns no better than the common sinner. From the standpoint that we live in the best of all possible worlds, the ideas of jealousy, faction, and fury should have no place inside the walls of convents. This is a round about way for Voltaire to say that we do not live in the best of all possible worlds.

The Age of Enlightenment was a philosophical and an intellectual movement that took place in Europe during the 18th century. From the 1600’s to the 1800’s, philosophers opened a path for independent thought and there were many advances in the scientific, political, economic, and mathematical realms. Many ideas were transpiring and people began to “mature,” becoming less dependent on others. This time is known for four major components: the idea of freedom of thought, rationality, progress and humanitarianism. Philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, and Voltaire were all major minds that contributed to the Age of Enlightenment. Voltaire, the author of Candide, wrote about the positives and negatives impacting a person’s life. The plot of the novel revolves around Candide’s journey to find Cunegonde, the supposed love-of-his-life. Throughout the novel, characters face highs and lows, such as becoming rich, being scammed, and forced into exile. Using Candide’s life and the lives and philosophies of minor characters, Voltaire satirizes aspects of the Age of Enlightenment, especially the idea of rationality.

Voltaire’s Candide is a satirical fiction that was meant as both an insult and a criticism to the wealthy nobility and the Catholic Church. Voltaire, major voice during the Enlightenment period, had a wide spread influence from England and France to Russia. Candide was massively circulated throughout Europe. Voltaire used Candide to offer his opinion of what was wrong with society: being that the wealthy were ungrateful, selfish people and the church was a ruthless, maniacal super power.

Today, Candide is used in the study of European Enlightenment thinkers and philosophers as a first-hand account of the faults within the value systems of government, religion, and society during the 18th Century. Through its sarcastic portrayal of seemingly absurd customs and traditions, Candide illustrates Europe in all of its flawed glory. As a prominent figure of the Enlightenment, Voltaire sought to publicize his views on society in a digestible, entertaining, and condensed medium like Candide (“Voltaire”). Written in a period of exile and fear in his life, Candide acted as Voltaire’s biting response to the crushing weight of outdated societal customs.