The Old Woman and Miss Cunegund - 869 Words

Candide is a satirical piece written by Voltaire, the great French historian and philosopher during the Age of Enlightenment. There are two contrasting female characters in the literature. Cunegund is the daughter of a baron who experiences unbearable miseries. An unnamed old woman is a servant of Cunegund who was born as a daughter of a Pope. Candide, who is Cunegund’s lover, is also a traveling companion. Even though both Cunegund and the old woman share similarities in their respective lives, and possess admirable strength, they contrast in that the old woman is pessimistic and realistic while Cunegund is optimistic and impractical. The old woman is more practical and realistic than Cunegund, who is looking for her jewels and other†¦show more content†¦However, Cunegund takes pleasure in telling her companions that they are now on their voyage to a new place and believes that all will be well. She also suggests to them not to consider as seriously whatever sad incidents which they have encountered. She conveys, however, that she cannot help but reflect on the memories of her experience. The old woman shows pessimism in the adventure with Cunegund, but Cunegund conveys the hope that indeed they will find peace and enjoyment. Even though Cunegund has manifests hopelessness in one line of the story, she makes reservation for new opportunities when Candide expresses the expectations that they are on their way to a new and probably better world. It may have turned out differently if Candide was not at her side. Even though Cunegund and the old lady have different attitudes and outlooks toward life, they share similarities in their respective lives. From riches, they go down to horrible and pitiful existences. They first savor luxury, comfort and distinction, and are the objects of attention. Then, every happy moment fades and disappears as adversity begins to set in, and a barrage of other undesirable circumstances follows. While both females have unhappy pasts, the old woman completely shrugs off her sad experiences in stride. In the case of Cunegund, she still maintains resentment over her previous encounters in life. As Cunegund narrates a litany of hardships whichShow MoreRelatedVoltaire s View Of Voltaire1213 Words   |  5 Pagesthan this. This is what makes Voltaire criticize part of Europeans. Voltaire did satirize different institutions for instance, other philosophers, many religious people, protestant pastors, and minority groups. He criticizes the church when the old woman begun saying â€Å"you must know that I am the daughter of pope Urban X and of the princess of Palestrina (In chapter 11)†. Voltaire explains that there is no pope named Urban X and he uses this opportunity to condemn the church. He means that the CatholicRead MoreRoad to El Dorado Essay597 Words   |  3 Pagesto find Cunegund, and he wants to be of higher status. In El Dorado, everyone has wealth; but if Candide leaves with some pebbles from El Dorado he can richer then the nobles in Europe. With these reasons in mind, Candide prepares for his departure from the perfect Utopia. The seemingly perfect Utopia is not that perfect for Candide, for there are a few things that Candide must have in his world that are not present in El Dorado. Candide was forced to leave his beautiful love, Cunegund. This was