Voltaire’s Candide is a humorous novel that was written in the 18th century. The story follows the adventures of Candide, who is constantly optimistic despite the many trials and tribulations he encounters. The humor in Voltaire’s novel is often dark and satirical, and it serves to poke fun at the shortcomings of society. Voltaire’s novel remains one of the most acclaimed pieces of humorous writing ever produced.
“A guy enters a bar and says, ‘Ouch.’” Many are familiar with this antediluvian pun. A character walking into a bar is frequently used as the beginning of a joke. However, this anecdote satirizes those clichés while seeming stupidly funny, much like Voltaire’s Candide does. Voltaire’s humor in Candide’s adventures grows more absurd and hilarious as he rips apart many ideas about life in order to prove his paradox on life’s values.
In the novel, Voltaire ridicules many institutions including war, religious fanaticism, and the aristocracy. Despite this heavy criticism Voltaire manages to keep a light tone to the novel by using humor as his main weapon.
One of Voltaire’s targets is Dr. Pangloss, an overly optimistic philosopher who believes that “all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds” (Voltaire 9). Voltaire uses Candide as an instrument to completely demolish Pangloss’s philosophy. Candide himself is naively optimistic which often leads him into troublesome predicaments. However, Voltaire allows Candide to see the stupidity in optimism and how it often leads to disappointment.
For example, after Candide is banished from his home, he goes to Lisbon where a devastating earthquake hits. Voltaire writes: “The earth opened and swallowed up more than twenty thousand people. Candide, who had been well-nigh crushed to death under a tottering house, was spared by the merest chance” (Voltaire 137). Voltaire uses this event as an opportunity to satirize those who still cling to their optimism in the face of disaster.
Despite all the horrible things that happen to him, Voltaire never allows Candide to lose his sense of humor. In fact, it is often through humor that Candide is able to see the stupidity in some of the philosophies he encounters. For example, after being captured by pirates and sold into slavery, Candide is brought to the sultan’s palace where he meets a philosopher who believes that “it is better to be born lucky than rich” (Voltaire 153).
Voltaire uses this character to satirize the philosophy of fatalism. To the philosopher, everything that happens, good or bad, is predetermined and there is nothing that can be done to change it. Voltaire has Candide respond to this belief by saying: “I have always thought that it is better to be born rich than lucky” (Voltaire 153). In just a few words, Voltaire is able to show the absurdity of the philosophy and how it is often used as an excuse for people to do nothing.
Through the use of humor, Voltaire is able to attack many of the philosophies of his time in a way that is both entertaining and informative. While Candide does not always have a happy ending, Voltaire allows his readers to see the folly in many of the beliefs that people hold dear. In this way, Voltaire’s humor can be seen as a tool for enlightenment.”
Voltaire’s Candide includes a number of comedic features, including sarcasm, paradoxical statements, and outright ridiculous humor. Voltaire does not, however, immediately deliver this humor. He merely “sets up” the reader with what appears to be a story about optimistic philosophy before incorporating his satirical comedy, which adds to the performance. The humor is unexpected and that makes it work.
Voltaire’s use of humor is quite effective in communicating his message about the dangers of blind optimism. Candide allows Voltaire to perform his satiric comedy while also making a serious point about the human condition. Voltaire is able to critique society while also making the reader laugh. This makes his work more accessible and it is likely that more people would be inclined to read it. Voltaire’s humor allows him to communicate with a larger audience and get his message across more effectively.
This can be seen in the story’s first real occurrence or humor, which does not appear until Chapter IV when Pangloss is describing to Candide how he acquired his sores and how he was reduced to such a lousy condition. (26) Pangloss explains that all of these “ailments” were transmitted to each person, and eventually him, before revealing the ultimate scapegoat: love. He places the blame on love for giving him his sores. Here Voltaire mocks mankind’s notion of love, since it is so highly valued by everyone.
Pangloss essentially makes light of something that is very important to Candide. Voltaire also satirizes war in this specific chapter. Pangloss tells Candide how he obtained his sores, and one of the ways was by “a bullet which grazed my right temple in the last war” (26).
Voltaire is clearly poking fun at the absurdity and pointlessness of war. There is no good that can come out of it, as Pangloss illustrates with his own example. Voltaire continues to use humor throughout the novel to make fun of different aspects of society. One of the most significant examples is in Chapter XVIII when Voltaire mocks religious hypocrisy.
Voltaire satirizes the Catholic Church by having Dr. Pangloss say that “the Pope is infallible, and that all his decisions are inspired by the Holy Ghost” (Voltaire 192). This line makes fun of the Catholic Church’s belief in papal infallibility. Voltaire was very critical of the church and its many hypocrisies. He used humor as a way to expose these problems to a wider audience.
Voltaire’s use of humor throughout Candide is very clever and effective in getting his point across. He uses satire to poke fun at different aspects of society that he disagrees with. The humor is often very subtle, but it is very effective in getting his message across. Voltaire’s Candide is a great example of how humor can be used to criticize society.
