Candide: A Review

On the exterior Voltaire’s Candide is a witty and entertaining narrative that describes the title character’s adventures as he seeks to be reunited with his beloved Miss Cunegonde, but when examined further it becomes evident that Voltaire used this work to criticize the institutions of the Old Regime in France. Specifically, he utilized the story of Candide to vilify the religion, philosophy, nobility, and absolute monarchy that was the infrastructure of France during the Old Regime.
Voltaire had nothing but hostility towards religion and the Catholic Church. He openly denounced the hierarchical system of power that the Church practiced. Voltaire despised the clergy as well. He even claimed that during his childhood, while attending a Jesuit school, several of the priests were sexually abusive. His abhorrence for religion and the Catholic Church endured until his final breath. He refused to confess to his sins and rejected priests who attempted to perform the Last Rite...