What Might Come Next?

Candide is a satirical book, therefore it comes with a fact that cannot be doubted, that if not all, but almost everything written in Candide is structured by one, or more, of the aspects of satire, is it irony, hyperbole or absurdity.

"His eyes were lifeless, the end of his nose had rotted away, his mouth as askew and his teeth were black. His voice was sepulchral, and a violent cough tormented him, at every bout of which he spat out a tooth." (Pg. 29) One would feel nothing but pity at the sight of a troubled man such as this, how awful must be the pain that man bears at the moment. Right now, any one could think he is a sickened beggar living on the streets, which could be a reasonable explanation due to his given state. However, ironically, he is the Candide's beloved master, the greatest philosopher of all Westphalia, Dr. Pangloss. That leads to reader to a question. How is it that that prestigious man ended up in such deplorable state?


“In her arms I tasted the delights of Paradise, and they produced these hellish torments by which you see me devoured. She was infected…Paquette was given this present by a learned Franciscan…I am a dying man” (Page. 30) Some say love hurts, other say that love kills, but in the case it seems like both are affecting Professor Pangloss. Having to endure all of that pain of disease, only for a night with a beautiful woman? "During treatment, Pangloss lost only an eye and an ear"(Pg. 31) Now, I being to think about the bad luck Dr. Pangloss seems to be facing. That man, having endured all that pain, now has to bear loosing an ear and an eye? What else could happen to him that could make his life more miserable? What might come next? It seems like having experienced a mortal sickness and having lost an eye and and ear isn't enough for Voltaire. Apparently he had to make him, including his companions, go through a storm, then through a shipwreck in which James, the honest anabaptist died, and then through an earthquake. Candide, which in fact means "optimism", is only but an ironical title for a book with such miseries, how can someone be optimistic in situations like this? Having only showed all the pain Dr. Pangloss went through, doesn't mean that many others in the book haven't suffered that type of pain. Thats the irony, with which Voltaire makes his book satirical.