Would Voltaire's attention to the horrors of rape and oppression of women be considered a progressive form of literature , or some form of shock value? In Candide, Voltaire highlights the ugliness of rape culture and the unfortunate normalization of sexual assault to which several characters bear witness. Not only does Voltaire write about horrific scenes of rape experienced by Cunegonde, The Old Woman and the Baron's Son/Cunegonde's brother, but also about slavery, pedophilia and the unacceptable daily treatment of women as in Candide and also profoundly . rooted in modern society and associated with such normalization. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The normalization of rape is justified as the price of being desired and the proof is the attitude through the discourse of the women directly affected. Through no other fault than being young and beautiful, Cunegonde is raped and stabbed by an enemy soldier. Cunegonde shares her terrible experience with Candide but "puts aside" any fear of multiple attacks from her current oppressors by stating: "For even if a person of honor can be raped once, his virtue only increases. strengthen through experiences. »(14). In other translations, "a person of honor" refers rather to "a modest woman", which suggests that in some cases rape is to be expected, while treating previous sexual assaults as an experience carrying strength. Cunegonde makes a drastic understatement that lessens the severity of a life-changing event. The old woman's nonchalant perspective after sharing her similar experiences of rape and slavery further normalizes the frequent rapes of women in the 1700s through her nonchalant tone and reliance on understatement. “As for me, I was lovely, I was supreme beauty and grace, and I was a virgin. I didn't stay there for long; the flower which had been reserved for the handsome prince of Messa-Carrara was picked by the corsair captain. He was an abominable Negro who thought he was doing me a favor. […] But let’s continue my story; These are such common topics that they are not worth describing. »(20). Although the old woman briefly describes a horrible event that changed her life, she considers this detail insignificant compared to her overall story because it is so common and almost boring to talk about. Without a doubt, rape in this story is unacceptably normalized as these two female characters are forced to be defined by their assaults when it comes to their depth in the story, however Voltaire gives these women the courage and the strength to reject these horrors as what defines them although his approach is through euphemisms and the use of rape as a shock factor. Although it seems that rape is the price of being desired and lusted after, the true nature of the culture behind rape is primarily a lust for power and domination. The old woman, continuing to share her story revisits the reunion of a former guardian, ". I opened my eyes and saw a prettily blond man, who was sighing and muttering these words under his breath: "O che sciagura d'essere senza coglioni! what a shame to have no testicles” serves as proof that the true nature of rape is not sexual desire, but a thirst for domination over a vulnerable person. Indeed, a eunuch who does not have one.testicles would therefore have no sexual urges, but still expressing the desire to rape a vulnerable person must be a thirst for power. . This then draws attention to the sodomy of the baron/cunegonde's brother, “her body was disemboweled by the Bulgarian soldiers, after they had subjected her to as much cruelty as a damsel could survive; […] my poor student was served in the same way as his sister; (14). Although he is a young boy and not a pretty young woman like his sister, he is still sodomized by many soldiers. Although there is a possibility of pedophilia among the soldiers, I believe that the Baron's sexual abuse is also an example of an exercise of sexual domination as opposed to sexual lust. A destiny once again shared between the female characters of the story. it is slavery. In the case of the old woman, she is treated as property because she was sold by the eunuch who took care of her when she was a child: “I will embark to Ceuta and I will take you with me. in Italy. Ma che sciagura d’essere senza coglioni!’ “I thanked him with tears of joy, but nevertheless, instead of taking me with him to Italy, he transported me to Algiers and sold me to the Dey of that province” (29). connection between a person and someone who cared for that person, but the woman's perception is the same as ownership and is easily sold. Cunégonde becomes enslaved by the captain who had rescued her as a prisoner of war after her attack and the murders of her family, but similar to a toy: “In three months, after having gambled away all her money and having grown tired of me. , he sold me to a Jew, named Don Issachar” (18). Another example of women being treated as an object to be sold, exchanged or, in Cunégonde's case, shared. “ “The Grand Inquisitor saw me one day at mass, leered at me the whole time of the service, and, when it was over, let me know that he wanted to speak to me about some private matter. He asked Don Issachar to hand me over to His Lordship. Don Issachar, being a court banker and a man of credit, was not easy to convince. His Lordship threatened him with a book burning; in short, my Jew was frightened into a compromise, and it was agreed between them that the house and I should belong to both of them in common; that the Jew should have Monday, Wednesday and the Sabbath to himself; and the Inquisitor the other four days of the week” (19). Despite Cunégonde's free spirit and refusal of the advances of the Jew and the Inquisitor, similar to the old woman's past, he is treated as nothing more than a commodity to be fought over, which is for the time a normal phenomenon. Although Candide is the hero who saves Cunégonde and claims to have only good intentions and the desire to marry her, he also has a perception of woman which is that of an object. “ “Reverend Father, all the quarters of the world have no meaning. I delivered your sister from a Jew and an inquisitor; she has many obligations to me, and she is determined to give me her hand. »(39). Coupled with the Baron's attitude of ownership of his sister, Candide is at this moment as selfish as any other man who has imagined Cunégonde exclaiming that decent human treatment warrants compensation in the form of marriage. Unfortunately, this is how society has raised Candide, and it is tragically accepted as the norm not only by men who hold these beliefs, but by women who must endure this treatment. One might take comfort in the fact that the events that unfold in Candide are worries of the past since the book was written in 1759, but the normalization and humiliation of victims of sexual assault is still alive and thriving. In the summer of 2016, a Stanford student was caught sexually assaulting.