Voltaire: Candide

In reading Candide, again, I noticed that women were not treated any different than the other stories we read in class. In each of the stories, women were either talked bad about, treated badly, or was only looked at for what the men considered to be their roles, or blamed for the bad caused within their community. Women were not respected, and some didnt have respect for themselves. In one part of the story Cunegonde talked about how she had been raped by two Bulgars, and stabbed twice in the belly. Then the old woman go on to tell all that she lived through as well. She stated, " I want try to explain how painful it is for a young princess to be carried off into slavery." (Voltaire 536). Just that statement along tells you regardless of what your title is, you still wasn't respected if you was a woman. One would think, if you was a "princess" you would be out of harm's way. The old woman also stated, "after the diamonds and gold, we women were the most prized possessions". Again, women were treated poorly, being sold, traded, the men were even fighting over the women, and putting the women in harm's way. Whatever happened to the man being the protector? Yeah right, the women were looked at as property, and goods, only if the women has value maybe then she can get some protection.