In the book Candide by Voltaire, there are many themes that shine through the pages of humor through morbid translation. The main theme of Candide revolves around the pessimistic view that Voltaire had of this earth as a whole. Whereas a philosopher such as Leibniz believed that this Earth was the best possible world with perfect order and reason, Voltaire believed otherwise. He believed that the world was not the best of all possible ones and that accident and chance play a major role. Aside from this there are many other themes in the book, such as: religious discontent, anti-war sentiment, and his belief that the world is far from a utopia. Comparatively speaking many philosophers of the same time differ largely in their view of the world, and in the following paragraphs the message of Candide will be compared to the words of other great minds and modern day thought. .
From the start of the book to the end of the book there is an underlying thought in the reader's mind that Voltaire isn't a large fan of the church. He depicts religious men, such as monks and priests, as hypocrites that don't even live up to the religion that they claim to believe in and practice. However, there is more. Voltaire portrays the church as one of the most corrupt, dishonest, violence-ridden places on the entire planet. He believed that God created the earth, sure, but the people and their brutality towards one another is the major factor in what keeps this world from being anything close to perfect. This is exactly where Voltaire clashes with the other philosophers of this time. Alexander Pope, for example, believed that every human being is part of a greater, rational, grand design of god. Simply, Voltaire thought that this belief stripped man of his free will. .
Anti-war sentiment is high in the book Candide, which originates largely from his experiences in the Seven Years War. Not only is he against war, but he claims that it is wasteful of human life.