"Candide" - Political, Social, and Economic Analysis
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Candide Essay The first interaction of Candide, Cunegund, and Don Fernando d’Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza, is a prime example of Voltaire’s satirical social view of the nobility. Don Fernando is the governor of Buenos Ayres and is described as having “a haughtiness suitable to a person who bore so many names.” Voltaire sarcastically remarks on how the amount of names that Don Fernando holds allows him a just cause as to why he may go around with a pompous demeanor that shows that he is held above everyone else. This is also a silent reference to how the nobility of that time seemed to conduct themselves around the bourgeoisie or peasant class. They carried themselves as though they were above everyone else of a lower class and if all that was done in the lesser classes were the acts of heathens. He also satirically comments on how his conceded and self-righteous attitude caused “everyone who had the honor of conversing with him was violently tempted to bastinade His Excellency.” This was very likely representative of the peasants’ feelings toward the actual
nobility of the time. The arrogant mindset of the nobility is also displayed in chapter 15 when the Baron of Thunder–ten–tronckh, and Miss Cunegund’s brother, refuses to allow Candide to marry his sister. Though the Baron and Candide had previously just been rejoicing over their unexpected reunion, at the mention of Candide wanting to marry Miss Cunegund, things automatically turned for the worse. The Baron pronounced that Candide would not marry his sister because she had seventy-two quarterings to her name and Candide had none. This was much in the same way that Candide’s mother had refused to marry Candide’s ...
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nobility of the time. The arrogant mindset of the nobility is also displayed in chapter 15 when the Baron of Thunder–ten–tronckh, and Miss Cunegund’s brother, refuses to allow Candide to marry his sister. Though the Baron and Candide had previously just been rejoicing over their unexpected reunion, at the mention of Candide wanting to marry Miss Cunegund, things automatically turned for the worse. The Baron pronounced that Candide would not marry his sister because she had seventy-two quarterings to her name and Candide had none. This was much in the same way that Candide’s mother had refused to marry Candide’s father because he held less quarterings than herself. The Baron then proceeded to slap Candide in the face with his sword as a rebuttal for his “insolence.” Voltaire’s mocking of the nobility was evident in this exchange. It is ironic how, even though Candide and the Baron are friends, the Baron still refuses to let him marry his sister, Miss Cunegund. This hints to the fact that the actual nobility of that age , even after saving their lives, would most likely simply toss you on the street if you were not of high (or just high enough) merit. Voltaire also satirizes the “intellectuals” (philosophers) of the time through his character, Pangloss. Pangloss is a philosopher, and the schoolmaster of Candide, Miss Cunegund, and her brother. He believes that this is “best of all possible worlds” and that everything bad is done to set off a greater purpose. Pangloss’s views are so clearly mocked first, when he hobbled into the town - where Candide was staying - riddled with syphilis, and later, when he attempted to use some sort twisted logic to defend his thoughts on the original sin. In the former, Pangloss is seen practically limping down the road and described as “covered with scabs, his eyes sunk in his head, the end of his nose eaten off, his mouth drawn on one side, his teeth as black as a cloak, snuffling and coughing most violently, and every time he attempted to spit out dropped a tooth.” He tries to defend his new, hideous appearance and his contraction of syphilis as being justified by something as ridiculous as Columbus having to have brought it to Europe because without it Europe would have no chocolate. This comparison of multiple people dying simply so that few (those who afford it) could taste chocolate only exaggerates how ludicrous the philosophical view of Pangloss truly is. Pangloss is also later questioned on whether he believes in original sin since he believes that this is the best of all worlds. He replies that original sin necessarily entered into the best of all possible worlds and then goes on to say that free will was a necessity –when he was asked if he believed in free will. Free will and original sin are both ideas that go against Pangloss’s philosophy and even though he tried to defend them (even if his defense is weak) he still held thoughts that opposed both ideas. This, not only gets him hanged later on at the auto-da-f é, but also helps to show how Voltaire’s satire proves to show the philosophers of the time as being liable to hold fickle and contradictory ideas. Voltaire also politically satirizes the Spanish Inquisition through the harsh and unjustified actions of the Grand Inquisitor. As previously stated, the Grand Inquisitor had questioned Pangloss about his views on original sin due to Pangloss’s previous expression of this world being “the best of all possible worlds” and incapable of meaningless faults. The Grand Inquisitor took Pangloss’s opinions as heretic views that questioned the validity of the Christian religion, though there was absolutely no backing to the assumption that Pangloss was a denouncer of the Christian faith. Voltaire uses this obvious exaggeration to satirize the manner in which the actual Spanish Inquisition expelled the Jews and the Moors from Spain. Voltaire goes even further in his mocking of the Inquisition by stating that because two men did not eat their bacon they were instantly considered Jews – though it turned out they were, in fact, Jewish – and were to be burned. Voltaire also shows that during the Inquisition people that were not Jewish, but perceived to agree with heretic views, were also to be punished, even if to a lesser degree. This is shown when Candide was flogged simply because he showed his approval of the theories and notions that Pangloss spoke of. Voltaire uses this to demonstrate the severe and unfair manner in which the Inquisition was executed. In conclusion, Voltaire utilizes social, intellectual, and political satire in his portrayal of Don Fernando d’Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza, Miss Cunegund’s brother, Pangloss, and the Grand Inquisitor as the ridiculous and exaggerated stereotypes of the type of characters that were commonly found in actual everyday life during Voltaire’s lifetime. MLA Citation: Voltaire. Candide. New York: Modern Library., n.d. Print.