Voltaire's Candide was an intriguing glimpse into the satiric nature of Voltaire. Many of the characters emphasized the Optimism of the Enlightenment Ideal, yet even now, it is easy to generalize and see that era as a time of peace and prosperity, rather than realizing the several struggles inherent within the process. I found the morals of the story to be quite interesting, and I liked his sense of humor. The irony of having to work until you cannot give thought to philosophy being the BEST philosophy was quite interesting, given it's source. I still haven't figured out if Candide is to be criticized for his foolish beliefs, or praised for his faithfulness.
On the whole however, I found the diverse cast interesting, if hard to follow, especially with the resurrection of every third character (or so it seemed to me). Also, the rapine of the female figures was especially rampant, and not quite what one expects to read in a satire of Enlightenment ideals.