How Does Voltaire Use Satire In Candide

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Voltaire uses corrupt, hypocritical religious leaders to satirize religion in his novel. The first religious leader that Candide encounters is a Protestant orator who believes that the Pope is the antichrist. Candide gets banished for not believing that the Pope is the antichrist. The irony is that the orator is the opposite of what a Christian would believe, as he is full of hate. It is here when Candide meets Voltaire’s first true good person, James. James is a member of a radical Protestant movement called the Anabaptists. He is perhaps the most humane and generous character in the novel. He drowns trying to save sailor from drowning. This parody is of Pangloss’ theory that evil and good are always balanced. The sailor he saves is a representation …show more content…
Perhaps this is a parody of the Crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Later, Candide encounters the daughter of a Pope, a Catholic priest who should have been celibate. Then Voltaire introduces a Jesuit colonel with homosexual tendencies. Homosexuality is condemned by the Jesuits. Towards the end of the story Candide meets his friend Paquette, who is now a prostitute. Paquette tells Candide, “Oh sir, if you could only imagine what it’s like to be forced to caress without discrimination an old merchant, a lawyer, a monk, a gondolier, or a priest” (91). Two of which took vows of chastity. The final hypocrisy is found in chapter 30 when Candide, Pangloss and Martin meet a Holy Man and try to discuss philosophical questions about good and evil. The Muslim slams the door in their face after telling them, “What does it matter whether there’s evil or good?” (111).This shows his rejection for all organized religions he rejects. The story ends with Candide saying “but we must cultivate our garden” (113).This is telling the reader that good and evil do exist and that each individual must work to make life better. The religious institutions are not the answer. The answer lies

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