Is nature a force for good or evil in Candide?

In the
novel by , nature is used primarily as a force of evil and destruction.
Voltaire is making a pointed religious commentary throughout the novel, as well as drawing on a
very real and recent experience.

To argue against the prevalent religious
idea of Optimism, which was at the time making the rounds in France and the Iberian Peninsula as
one of the most popular Christian ideas, Voltaire chose to show an incredibly pessimistic world.
The idea of Optimism is that everything works out for the best in the end because God is good
and that troubles and afflictions, particularly for Christians, are typically light
and...