A novel that ingeniously pierces the fashionable misinterpretation of doctrinal optimism, Candide manages to disgust, amuse and surprise its audience. With infinite limits of irony and sarcasm, Candide catapults us into a world where we meet numerous characters who endure rather exaggerated misfortunes. As a result, we see several doctrinal beliefs, such as that of Pangloss and Martin. Pangloss, Candide's mentor and philosopher, is a man of optimistic sentiment. Maintaining the belief that all is well in this "best of all possible worlds" (1.4), Pangloss later turns out to be rather stupid in his complacency. In stark contrast to our rather optimistic philosopher, we come across Martin, a seasoned and well-traveled scholar who maintains extreme pessimism. While a more honest take on the philosopher than Candide, Martin's unenthusiastic view of the world doesn't always sit well with him. As can be seen throughout the text, both doctrines of thought contain imperfections, due to the extremes to which they are pushed. Rather than conforming to dogmatic statements based on generalizations, it is helpful to adopt a flexible philosophy so that you can take a reasonable and less erroneous position. Throughout this novel we witness the naive protagonist Candide, and later his mentor Pangloss, venture into a world of horrors. Holding true to his mentor's beliefs, Candide's innocent nature and mentality fail to realize the obstinacy of Pangloss's optimistic and causal philosophy. Ravaged by syphilis, nearly hanged, sectioned, and imprisoned, Pangloss's doctrine is supported by overwhelming real-world evidence, though he remains faithful to it. In the midst of an incredible company... in the middle of paper, Ide's once faithful friend will have changed motives and will surely deceive him. Yet Cacambo's uncompromising honesty towards Candide manages to challenge Martin's pessimistic doctrine. Because of the closed philosophies of Pangloss and Martin, an overabundance of indifference and irrationality has been allowed to escape. Absolute optimism and absolute pessimism both fall into the category of dogmatic assertions based on concepts that are not intended to be rigid. Rather than not allowing exceptions, it is important to advance a flexible philosophy based on real evidence. Having an absolute belief, Pangloss and Martin believed in something that encouraged them towards an apathetic and distorted view. In this novel, rigid philosophical speculation repeatedly proves useless and destructive, an important point that Voltaire was trying to make through satirical means..