The Lame Leading The Blind Analysis
Andrew Wilson
Dr. Williams
English 121
10 March 2015
The Lame Leading the Blind
Leaders are the most important people in our society. They are the ones who are supposed to lead us to betterment by their example. In his novella, Candide, Voltaire uses the direct characterization of some powerful religious leaders of the 18th Century to target a serious flaw in the religious status quo. He highlights the blatant hypocrisy of powerful and oppressive religious leaders, in an effort to enlighten members of the church and discredit major religions as a viable or sanctified institution to follow. He effectively orchestrates his argument by exposing the horrible offenses being committed by ordained Church leaders, such as The Pope, The Franciscan …show more content…
In an effort to expel wrongdoing in the Church, the Inquisition set out and questioned the faith and purity of church members. This was perhaps the most cruel and violent campaign ever undertaken in religious history. But Voltaire highlights a whole new level of hypocrisy when the reader meets the Grand Inquisitor. Cunegonde tells Candide all that has happened to her since they were separated, and recounts her time with the Grand Inquisitor …show more content…
The irony that surrounds this character is so apparent because the Grand Inquisitor will kill anyone if they practice their faith inaccurately. Yet, the Inquisitor could more closely be characterized a pimp or a sex slaver than a religious leader. Cunegonde continues saying:
“Finally my Jew, intimidated, made a bargain by which the house and I would belong to them both in common, the Jew would have Monday, Wednesday, and the Sabbath day for him, and the Inquisitor would have the other days of the week” (31).
The Grand Inquisitor’s job is to clean up the Church, by sorting through good Catholics and eliminating bad ones. He will murder or imprison a member of the Church for the very same sins that he himself is committing, He purchases and uses Cunegonde as a mistress and kills people for doing the same thing. He and the Jewish man commit horrible offenses against women, but yet claim to be righteous and Holy. The ironic hypocrisy that surrounds the Inquisitor, and the Jewish man as well, is repulsive and frankly unbelievable. This character excites a lot of anger and enlightenment in both readers and in Candide. Voltaire illustrates the relationship between the leaders of the church and its members in a way that encourages people to question the religious institutions that they belong to, and the authenticity of its
Dr. Williams
English 121
10 March 2015
The Lame Leading the Blind
Leaders are the most important people in our society. They are the ones who are supposed to lead us to betterment by their example. In his novella, Candide, Voltaire uses the direct characterization of some powerful religious leaders of the 18th Century to target a serious flaw in the religious status quo. He highlights the blatant hypocrisy of powerful and oppressive religious leaders, in an effort to enlighten members of the church and discredit major religions as a viable or sanctified institution to follow. He effectively orchestrates his argument by exposing the horrible offenses being committed by ordained Church leaders, such as The Pope, The Franciscan …show more content…
In an effort to expel wrongdoing in the Church, the Inquisition set out and questioned the faith and purity of church members. This was perhaps the most cruel and violent campaign ever undertaken in religious history. But Voltaire highlights a whole new level of hypocrisy when the reader meets the Grand Inquisitor. Cunegonde tells Candide all that has happened to her since they were separated, and recounts her time with the Grand Inquisitor …show more content…
The irony that surrounds this character is so apparent because the Grand Inquisitor will kill anyone if they practice their faith inaccurately. Yet, the Inquisitor could more closely be characterized a pimp or a sex slaver than a religious leader. Cunegonde continues saying:
“Finally my Jew, intimidated, made a bargain by which the house and I would belong to them both in common, the Jew would have Monday, Wednesday, and the Sabbath day for him, and the Inquisitor would have the other days of the week” (31).
The Grand Inquisitor’s job is to clean up the Church, by sorting through good Catholics and eliminating bad ones. He will murder or imprison a member of the Church for the very same sins that he himself is committing, He purchases and uses Cunegonde as a mistress and kills people for doing the same thing. He and the Jewish man commit horrible offenses against women, but yet claim to be righteous and Holy. The ironic hypocrisy that surrounds the Inquisitor, and the Jewish man as well, is repulsive and frankly unbelievable. This character excites a lot of anger and enlightenment in both readers and in Candide. Voltaire illustrates the relationship between the leaders of the church and its members in a way that encourages people to question the religious institutions that they belong to, and the authenticity of its