Abusive Evidence

Abusive Evidence

They are few who can rival the satirical powers of Voltaire, especially those displayed within his masterpiece novel, “Candide”. In the first two chapters of this novel, Voltaire uses his skills to satirize two main ideas: “Human will is free” and “Everything is for the best.” (628, 626) In order to prove that satire is present in these chapters, one must first understand what satire is. “Satire is a literary technique in which ideas customs, behaviors, or institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society.” (1448) To fully understand Voltaire’s work, one must classify it as an indirect Horation satire, which utilizes the invective to lampoon its two main ideas.

Although the narrator refers to himself as “I”, the exposition clearly shows that the story is indirect. (625) Indirect satire is satire expressed through a narrative in which the satiric butt is ridiculed for what they say and do. The satiric butt is introduced as Candide, “a youth whom nature had endowed with a most sweet disposition. His face was the index of his mind.” (625) He grows up in the castle of the greatest baron in the land, whose marvelous baroness “weighed three hundred and fifty pounds, and consequently was a person of no small consideration.” (625) Here, Voltaire provides evidence needed to show that his satire is Horation. Horation satire is comical, and undoubtedly, the idea of a woman weighing over three hundred pounds is outrageous and downright