Candide by Voltaire Dripping with satirical wit, Candide is Voltaire's criticism of a number of philosophical and religious positions. In this short novel, the young Candide is ejected from his comfortable lifestyle and forced to experience and witness hardships in the greater world. As Candide travels with his former tutor, Pangloss, the pair find themselves in a number of adventures where the characters repeatedly escape death. Candide is a parody adventure novel; a satire designed to poke fun at the establishment of Voltaire's day.