Nothing is for Free

Voltaire starts the book with Candide as the illegitimate son of the baron's sister. Being it already a disgraceful situation, His mother doesn't want to marry his father because he only has 71 quarterings and his mother has 72. This is absurd because to my criteria, both have plenty of quarterings and one quartering doesn't make a difference, unless you find a difference between a big shield with 71 little shields inside of it and one with 72 little shields. From the start of the book you can see that Voltaire uses various elements of satire. For example, Pangloss, the tutor of the castle of Thunder-ten-tronckh has a philosophical belief that says,"those who say everything is well are uttering mere stupidities; they should say everything is for the best." After Candide is banished, he is helped by some men but his luck is just not with him so after they help him, they recruit him for the Bulgar army, where he suffers a lot.

Pangloss taught Candide at the beginning in the book and that was the only education Candide used to have. After Candide is banished from the castle he basically has to start over and learn from life. In the army which is one of his first experiences in the real life, life shows him that what Pangloss taught him is pure optimism but not realism. Pangloss taught him that this world is the best possible of all worlds but when he goes to war he sees the opposite.