Voltaire's Use Of Allegory In Candide

Utilizing virtually every character in a satirical sense throughout his 1759 novel Candide, Enlightenment author Voltaire squandered no time with his chance to convey any perspective he held when concerned with idle philosophers of his time and their theories of theodicy. Particularly, G.W. von Leibniz. Through the character Pangloss - a passionate philosopher, stubborn scholar, and faithful friend to the novel's protagonist - Voltaire makes sure to often allude towards the impracticality of said theories and concepts, fabricating a character who, in spite of how ridiculous he comes across to the reader, plays a crucial role as the naive allegory in the overall theme of Candide.
It is more or less inarguable that Pangloss and the unrealistic beliefs he possesses are the prime focus of satirical elements used in Candide. Introduced as the mentor and tutor to the novel's appropriately named hero, Candide, the entire character …show more content…
Pangloss holds a firm belief that everything happens for a reason and that everything in the world is predestined, the essential idea of Sufficient Reason. This, accompanied with his belief in "the best of all possible worlds", is even further exaggerated in the story when - regardless of war, death, arrests, etc - the protagonist and others safely escape one obstacle after another with little to no harm, something that, in reality, is utterly unrealistic, precisely what Voltaire views philosophies like Pangloss'