Chapters 3-5 Of Candide

Voltaire must have written Candide for one reason or another, but this reasoning is ambiguous to me. Like we’ve seen many times throughout the beginning of this book, Voltaire uses satire and humor to give out his message to his viewers. An example where we see Voltaire targeting a group of people is in this conversation in between Candide and the minister, Voltaire writes, “ ‘Do you believe that the Pope is Antichrist, my friend?’ said the minister. ‘I have never heard anyone say so, ‘ replied Candide; ‘but whether he is or he isn’t. I want some food.’ ‘You don’t deserve to eat,’ said the other. ‘Be off with you, you villain, you wretch ! Don’t come near me again or you’ll suffer for it.’ (Voltaire pg. 27) Here we evidently see Voltaire targeting the church. He satirizes about stubbornness that the Church has towards people who are against or aren’t for them.

We are introduced to a peculiar character named James, the Anabaptist. James is an altruistic character and I noticed again, that Voltaire attacks the altruistic, optimistic people in this world. He does this because James tries to save a very “excited sailor who struck him a violent blow”(Voltaire 32)and the sailor lost his balance and almost fell overboard, James being the altruistic hero turns and saves the helpless sailor, when all of a sudden he slips and falls into the sea. The very selfish sailor doesn’t bother helping James who a few seconds earlier had saved his poor life. Voltaire again is targeting the Church, specifically Christian morals, the uselessness of being kind to everyone. He also criticizes the altruist, James, who doesn’t offer any good to society; in turn he is a victim of his own altruism.