A comparison between the satire of Candide and Gulliver's TravelsAn impartial observer has the ability to make the most critical and objective observation about society and man's behavior. This impartial observer would see the truth as it is. This same premise can be applied to literary works. A naive character or narrator can be used as an impartial observer, revealing social truths to the audience through his or her naivety. As Maurois noted, writing in Voltaire's Candide, "It was a novel of apprenticeship, that is, the formation of an adolescent's ideas by abrupt contact with the universe" (101). Jonathan Swift also takes this approach in his work Gulliver's Travels, where Gulliver, the main character, provides an impartial point of reference. The satires Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, and Candide, by Voltaire, both make use of naivety to convey satirical attacks. on the company. In both works, litotes [euphemisms] are made of extremely absurd situations, which further highlights the ridiculous nature of a situation. The characters in each novel are made vulnerable by their overly trusting nature. This is taken advantage of and these characters are left exploited by the corrupt people in society. Even the world's authority figures are attacked. This can be seen in the characters' reaction to authority. Finally, both works are travel stories, exposing the main characters to many perspectives. This allows authors to satirize many aspects of society. These two satirical works make litanies of absurd situations, thus shedding light on the absurdity in question. This is an especially effective technique because a character or narrator is involved in a ridiculous situation. The reader, from a...... means of paper...... Ways and ideas of the French novelist. New York: D Appleton and Company, 1929. "Introduction to Gulliver's Travels." Norton Anthology of English Literature, the principal authors. Ed. MH Abrhams et al. Sixth ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1995.Lawler, John. "The evolution of Gulliver's character." Norton Critical Editions.Maurois, Andre'. Voltaire. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1932.Mylne, Vivienne. The French novel of the eighteenth century. Manchester: University of Manchester Press, 1965.Pasco, Allan H. Novel Configurations A Study of French Fiction. Birmingham: Summa Publications, 1987. Quintana, Ricardo “Situation as a Satirical Method.” Norton Critical Editions: Jonathan Swift Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Robert A Greenberg. New York: W. W. Norton and Company Inc., 1961. Van Doren, Carl. Swift .New York: The Viking Press, 1930.