arises, for what purpose was man placed upon the earth? It seems, in

this satirical work, that Voltaire is focusing mainly on remodeling

the mental limitations of man's outlook on life. It quickly becomes

evident that the target of his satire, as the title suggests, is the

concept of philosophical optimism. His exaggerated tales of the

horrors which his characters endure, attack the idea that "everything

always happens for the best." These attacks on the pleasantness of

life are accompanied by the absolute extremes of existence and

We are first introduced to Voltaire's idea of absurdity as

Candide listened with care as "the greatest philosopher of the whole

province, and consequently of the whole world,"(p.332) laid out the

concept of cause and effect, and preached of the greatness of all that

was about them. His unwavering optimism soon becomes questionable to

the young Candide, as he is kicked from his sweet haven, after his

seemingly innocent incident with the beautiful daughter of the Baron.

Soon after, he is rescued by soldiers in the tavern of a nearby town,

This concept sharply contrasts the true nature of man, which is to

his religious indifference is found when the Anabaptist saves

when we learn that the capable Cacambo had been a choirperson and a

greeted by Pangloss' confirmation "You are in the right, for when man

example is that of the six foreigners he met in Venice, who turned out

not superior to the next, each enjoyed the benefits that all others

adventurers find themselves in Eldorado. This particular setting is

devoted religious people. In contrast, Voltaire's earlier reference to

If one were a Jesuit in the country, then it might well seem a utopia

Voltaire seems to stress his main point that understanding one's

perfect achievement which no government has yet or will be able to

excel, to rise above one's neighbors, and to conquer all that can be.

parallel with the idea a modern man might conceive of a perfect

as he would have tyrannical control. However, the idea of this perfect

characters may now be happy to "cultivate their garden." Rather than

Some common words found in the essay are:
Voltaire Candide, Friar Giroflee, Philosophy Voltaire-, Paraguay Cacambo, Dr Pangloss', Master Pangloss, Garden Eden, Jesuit Baron's, Baron Soon, Dr Pangloss, philosophical optimism, voltaire's depiction, social pride, attack idea, candide meets, throughout story,
Approximate Word count = 1330
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)