Candide

I thought Voltaire did a nice job of using irony throughout his story, Candide. One can find examples of it included in most of the book's chapters, but there were two examples that stuck out to me the most. The first example of irony comes in Chapter 4 when the Anabaptist drowns. As we discussed in class, it is a customary baptismal ritual for Anabaptists to submerge their whole bodies under water when they are adults. Since Jacques drowns in the story, it seemed that the only explanation for this occurrence was Voltaire's use of irony. The second example of irony that stuck out to me comes from Chapter 21. After Candide is duped and robbed by the Dutchman, we learn that the Dutchman's ship was attacked and sunk with all of Candide's treasure aboard. It seemed ironic that karma would circle back so quick, but as Candide always said, "everything is for the best."
-Dante Rau