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Female Representation in Candide In the 21st century the idea that women and men naturally distinct characteristics is often treated skeptically, but this was an almost universally held view in the 18th century. Both men and women were thought to reside bodies with different physical make ups and to possess fundamentally different qualities and virtues. Men were viewed as the stronger sex, were thought to be intelligent, courageous, and determined, while the women were expected to be chastity, modest, compassion and piety. However these differences were reflected in the faults to which each gender was thought to be susceptible. Men were prone to violence, obstinacy, and selfishness, whereas women’s sins were viewed as the result of their tendency to be ruined by their bodies and emotions, notably lust, excessive passion and at last laziness. Women in the 18th century enjoyed very little privileges when it comes to their expected gender roles within society. Voltaire exposes this social inequality through the lack of female characters in his novel Candide, and also through characteristics of Cunegonde and the Old Woman. The initial lack of complexity and similar lives between cunegonde and the old woman further highlights the course existence of women in the 18th century. But the question is, were these women and the female representation in Candide align the philosophical/ intellectual concept of “all happens for the well being” and is “meant to be”? Are women meant to be treated unequally, raped and mistreated? In the opening chapters Voltaire characterizes Cunegonde; he says “Her daughter Cunegonde, aged seventeenth, was a ruddy cheeked girl, fresh, plump, and desirable” (355). From the onset Voltaire seems to suggest the lack of women importance or the importance of Cunegonde in specific. Instead of delving into Cunegonde’s character he describes her only physically; whereas he proceeds into dept with the remaining characters and their characteristics.

In comparison to Candide, the protagonist, Cunegonde’s description surrounds around her appearances as mentioned above. But for Candide, Voltaire describes him as a good hearted but hopelessly naïve man. Voltaire says, “There lived, in the castle of Baron of Thunder Ten Tronch, a young man on whom nature how bestowed the perfection of gentle manners. His features admirably expressed his soul; he combined an honest mind with great simplicity of heart; and I think it was for this reason that they called him Candide” (355). Although both characters play equally important roles throughout the novel; Candide traveling the world in hopes of meeting his love Cunegonde and likely Cunegonde waits for the love of her life, Candide. Yet they’re characterized differently, one known for his unique personality and the other for her charming yet seductive looks. The use of “plump” and “desirable” to describe Cunegonde highlights women’s role in society as appreciated for their passive nature. Moreover it illustrates the role of women and their worth which defined only in relation to how they can be in use to men. Unlike Cunegonde another significant female figure in Candide, the Old Woman, is neither Pretty or susceptible, as a matter of fact she is introduced merely as “an old woman” till the end of the novel, ironically that is not how she always was. “I grew in beauty, in charm, in talent, surrounded by pleasures, dignities, and glowing visions of the future. Already I was inspiring the young men to love; my breast was formed- and what a breast! white, firm with the shape of the venus de Medici, and what eyes! What lashes, what black brows!”(369) says the old woman in the beginning of chapter 11. This would be another example of Voltaire’s obvious lack of female character development, drawing the significance of women’s role in the 18th century. Despite the apparent lack of complexity, Voltaire portrays women in Candide as survivors, emphasizing the critical aspects of women’s existence in the society of the 18th century. Likewise getting raped or sexually abused along with physical abused women, keeping

them as mistresses, and trading women was considered as a mere matter of routine. In the beginning of chapter 8 Cunegonde is telling Candide her story and she says, “An enormous Bulgar, six feet tall, seeing that I had swooned from horror at the scene, set about raping me; at that bi recovered my senses, I screamed and scratched, bit and fought, I tried to tear the eye out of that big bulgur- not realizing that everything which had happened in the my fathers castle was a mere matter of routine. The brute then stabbed me with a knife on my left thigh, where I still bear the scar.” (365). Emphasizing on the rape scene, followed by the buglar’s attack on the Boron’s Castle; the brutal actions caused by bulgar to Cunegonde leads to the thought that no matter what title you hold in society, as long as you’re a woman you will be treated just as the remaining do, a desirable materialistic thing used to satisfy the needs of men. Further on in chapter 11, the Old Woman’s Story, the old woman mentions how her mother, the honors maids, and she herself were boarded by a private ship and how they were mistreated. She compares herself and the other women to monkeys; as she says, “They were promptly stripped naked as monkeys, and so was my mother, and so were our maids of honor, and so was I too. Its very remarkable thing, the energy these gentlemen put into stripping people. But what surprised me even more was that they stuck their fingers in a place where we women usually admit only a syringe.”(370) .The comparison of women to animals, precisely monkeys, sketches the lack of respect towards women in the 18th century. Again this scene outlines the fact that women are nothing but materialistic thing. As mentioned before women being raped was considered as a matter of routine. In addition to that, another example of this is in chapter 11 when the old woman is telling her story she says, “As for myself, I was ravishing, I was loveliness and grace supreme, and I was a virgin. I did not remain so for long; the flower which had been kept for the

handsome prince of Massa- Carrara was plucked by the corsair captain; he was an abominable negro, who thought he was doing me a favor.”(370). Throughout the novel we see several incidents where women are seen and used as a form of wealth or a form of value and of course as mistresses. If we go back in chapter 8, Cunegonde’s Story, she mentions how she working for the captain as a maid along with fulfilling his needs as a mistress. Further on he sells her to a Jew named Don Issachar, since he had grown sick of her; Cunegonde says, “He then had my wound dressed, and took me off to his quarters, as a prisoner of war. I laundered his few shirts and did his cooking; he found me attractive, I confess it, and I won’t deny that he was a handsome fellow, with a smooth, white skin; apart from that. However little wit, little philosophical training, it was evident that he had not been bought up by Doctor Pangloss. After three months, he had lost all his money and grown sick of me; so he sold me to a Jew named Don Issachar, who traded in Holland and Portugal, and who was mad after women.”(366), clearly portraying women as form of desire and value. In addition to that another example would be in chapter 11, The Old Women’s Story, where she says, “After the diamonds and gold, we women were the most prized possessions.” (370) and chapter 12, The Old Woman’s story Continued, when the old woman said, “A merchant bought me and took me to Tunis; there he sold me to another merchant, who resold me at Tripoli; from Tripoli I was sold to Alexandria from Alexandria resold to Smyrna to Canstantipole.”(372). In the 18th century women playing a role of a mistress was a very common yet the only option available for them, other than being a wife. “Finally my Jew, fearing for his life, struck a bargain by which the house and I would belong to both of them as joint tenants; the Jew would get Mondays, Wednesdays, and the Sabbath, the inquisitor would get the other days of the week. That has been the arrangement for six months now. There have been quarrels; sometimes it has not been clear whether the night

from Saturday to Sunday belonged to the old or the new dispensation.”(366) says Cunegonde. Through the quote mentioned above we see how women were kept as mistresses and often used/shared by different men, and Voltaire characterizes Cunegonde among these mistresses, a very shallow representation of women. As we proceed Voltaire demonstrates the female characters in Candide utilizing the means of survival and conquering any obstacle set by the society. Although women are persistently sexually abused, Voltaire depicts and underlines the sense of admiration and illustrates their sexuality as a tool for survival. As mentioned before, in the earlier chapters of the novel we picture Cunegonde using sexuality as a form of living or shall I say as a form of survival. “……. Fearing for his life, stuck a bargain by which the house and I would belong to both of them as joint tenants; the Jew would get Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sabbath, the inquisitor would get the other days of the week. That has been the arrangement for six months now.”(366), another ultimate example of survival for sexuality. Towards the middle of the novel when Cunegonde, Candide, and the old woman meet the governor of Buenos Aires, Don Fernando D’Ibaroa y Figuero y Mascarnes y Lampoudos y Soura; governor declares his passion towards Cunegonde and he protested that he would marry her the following day, or in any manner as it pleases her charming self. In addition to that the old woman immediately suggested a unique form of action urging Cunegonde to marry the governor. She says, “My lady, you have seventy two quartering and not one penny; if you wish, you may be the wife of the greatest lord in South America, who has a really handsome moustache; are you going to insist on your absolute fidelity? You have already been raped by the Bulgars; a Jew and an inquisitor have enjoyed for favors; miseries entitle one to privilege. I assure you that in your position I would make no scruple of marrying my lord the Governor, and making the fortune of captain

Candide.”(374). Thus this routine seduction of men is a suggestive way of women’s dependence for survival, and a form of necessity. Voltaire exposes the true/ real status of women in the 18th century through Cunegonde and the old woman in Candide. We are aware of the fact that women had very little privileges and rights in the 18th century, but using them as a figure to satisfy men and their sexual needs is just unacceptable. Women aren’t meant to be raped, or physically abused, moreover treated as a need for a particular amount of time, and as soon as men grow sick of them, they are further sold on or traded in. “Pangloss must have deceived me cruelly when he told that all is for the best in this world.”(366), says Cunegonde, questioning the philosophical views of doctor Pangloss, that all is for the best in the world; leading us to an unanswered question that, Is keeping women as mistresses, raping them and using them as a form of value meant to be for the best in the world?...