Martin (Candide)
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Martin is one of the major philosophers in Voltaire’s novel, Candide. He is Candide’s traveling companion.
Martin is a critical character in the novel, despite the fact that he does not make his first appearance until chapter 19. Once he appears and meets Candide, he remains Candide’s companion all the way to the end. A pessimist (in fact his pessimism is deeply influenced by the Manicheism and its dualistic view of the world), Martin is the direct opposite (foil) of Pangloss, his optimistic counterpart. While Pangloss believes “it is the best of all possible worlds”, Martin knows the reality better and makes better judgments about the world and people, as a victim and a witness of human sufferings and misfortunes himself.
On the other hand, we can't say Martin won in the optimism-pessimism conflict because, Voltaire says, it is vain looking for a metaphysical explanation of evil (like both Pangloss and Martin do) because this evil is totally subjective, indefinable and immeasurable. Voltaire has an anti-finalistic point of view: if God has an aim, men and women can't know it. If God has a program for the universe it would be imperceptible for the humans.
So what could people do? "It is necessary to cultivate our garden", work to reach the happiness without looking for metaphysical reasons, try to make their associated life better working in first person.
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