Literary Analysis "Candide" Week 4

In Voltaire's story, "Candide," from pages 355 to 353, tells of an interwoven story between these two lovers, Candide and Miss Cunegonde. Both characters show bravery, tenacity, love for one another, and much strength to have gone through what they did. Poor Cunegonde, having been raped by many men, as if it were an everyday occurrence. Not to mention having to go from one place to the next. A theme I noticed in this story is loyalty. This seemed like a theme throughout because even though Candide and Cunegonde got separated and had gone through hard times, they still found each other and tried to rekindle what they once had. As you can see, they endured many hardships, “ – If you had had it, said the old woman, you would agree that it is far worse than an earthquake. It is very frequent in Africa, ad I had it. Imagine, if you will, the situation of a pope’s daughter, fifteen years old, who in three months’ time had experienced poverty, slavery, had been raped almost every day, had seen her mother quartered, had suffered from famine and war, and who now was dying of pestilence in Algiers. As a matter of fact, I did not die; but the eunuch and the dey and nearly the entire seraglio of Algiers perished.” (Pg. 372) I know this took place in another time, but how could people really live like that? How can people feel good (or even decent) about themselves knowing they raped someone? And what if the girl that got raped got pregnant? Did she keep the baby? Adoption? Abortion? Would the rapist/father help at all? (It definitely gets me thinking and wondering!!) I wonder if any of these things happened to someone Voltaire knows, whether it be family members or friends. Or if these topics were just common during Voltaire’s time and chose to incorporate it into his writing.