Voltaires Candide

A detailed Summary of Voltaires Candide

The beginning of the 17th century marked many changes for Europe. These changes were both physical and philosophical in nature. Common citizens were tired of being abused, mistreated and most of all labeled as peasants and commoners by the aristocracy. They were fed up with the hypocrisy of the church and the abuse of power by its leaders in the name of God. One man stood tall above the rest. Francois Marie Arouet was born November 21, 1694 to a middle class family in Paris. At that time, Louis the XIV was king of France and the overwhelming majority lived in harsh conditions. The aristocracy of France ruled with an iron fist and poverty was widespread throughout the land. Francois attended the College Louis le Grand, where he got his Jesuit education. His deep-rooted satirical views were prevalent even as a child. After college, Francois worked as a secretary for the French Ambassador to Holland, but left that position to pursue his writing career. Francois' writings soon became famous in France. His quick tongue and fast pen soon got him into trouble with the French government and he got exiled to Sully. Using his fame, Voltaire quickly got those in power to allow him back into France. S

The history of the Catholic Church in Europe has been laced with corruption and misuse of power for hundreds of years. Church members use the name of God to enforce laws and oftentimes were more feared and respected than kings. Voltaire's view of the church and how it was operated is demonstrated through two characters in Candide. Voltaire uses Father Giroflee in Candide to demonstrate what is wrong with the Catholic Church. His parents force him into the monastery in order to increase his brother's fortune. At the time of Voltaire, a lot of parents forced their children into the church system oftentimes against their will. Father Giroflee pays a prostitute named Pacquette for her services, thus totally going against all church values and restrictions. Another example of what's wrong with the church is the Grand Inquisitor. He orders that Don Issachar, the Jew share Cunegund with him and when he refuses; the Grand Inquisitor threatens the use of auto-de-fe, which means, "act of faith". When Pangloss expressed his views about the church, the Grand Inquisitor orders that he be hanged and Candide whipped because he agreed with Panglosse's views. These events show barbarism and superstition of the Inquisition. After the earthquake, the Inquisitor ordered that a few people be hanged and burned believing that it would prevent future earthquakes. A few days later another earthquake ripped through the city proving that burning the innocent people was in vain. Voltaire had a way of directly attacking every act of any individual that he chose to satirize in an obvious way. Throughout the Middle Ages, the officials of the Inquisition systematically tortured and murdered tens of thousands of people on the barest accusations of heresy against orthodox Christian doctrine. Jews, witches, and Muslims were victims of this organized campaign of violence. Religious bigotry was widespread throughout this time.

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Approximate Word count = 1991
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History