Voltaire, Candide, Chapter 8, 18.
‘A Bulgar captain came into the room and saw me all covered in blood. The soldier didn’t take any notice. The captain became angry at this lack of respect being shown him by the brute and killed him where he lay on top of me. Then he had me bandaged up and took me to his quarters as a prisoner of war. I used to wash what few shirts he had, and I cooked for him. He found me very pretty, I must admit, and I won’t deny he was a good-looking man himself, with skin that was white and soft. Apart from that, not much brain, not much of a thinker. You could tell he hadn’t been educated by Dr. Pangloss. Three months later, having lost all his money and grown tired of me, he sold me to a Jew called Don Issacar, who was a dealer in Holland
and Portugal, and who was passionately fond of women. This Jew became much attached to my person, but he was unable to get the better of it. I resisted his advances more successfully than I had the Bulgar soldier’s. A woman of honour may be raped once, but her virtue is all the stronger for it. In an attempt to win me over, the Jew brought me here to this country house. I had previously thought that there was nothing in the world as beautiful as the castle of Thunder-ten-tronckh. I have been proved wrong.
‘The Grand Inquisitor noticed me one day during Mass. He kept eyeing me, and then sent word that he had to speak to me on a confidential matter. I was taken to his palace. I told him who I was. He pointed out how far beneath my station it was to belong to an Israelite. It was suggested on his behalf to Don Issacar that he should cede me to His Eminence. Don Issacar, who is the Court’s banker and a man of some influence, would have none of it. The Inquisitor threatened him with an auto-da-fé. In the end, under intimidation, my Jew agreed to a deal whereby the house and I would belong to both of them jointly. The Jew would have Mondays, Wednesdays, and the sabbath, and the Inquisitor would have the other days of the week. This convention has been operating for six months now. It has not been without its quarrels, for it has often been a moot point which sabbath the period from Saturday night to Sunday morning belongs to, the Old Testament one or the New. For my own part I have resisted both men up till now, and I’m sure that’s why they still love me.'
Pointers:
1. When Cunegonde describes being "sold" by the captain, what does she mean? Who is she "sold" to? What is her legal status (free or enslaved)?
2. What does Cunegonde think of herself and her early lessons from Pangloss given this turn of events?
3. Who is the Grand Inquisitor? Not specifically historically but institutionally speaking. Why would Cunegonde be at Mass in the first place?
4. What arrangement does Don Issacar negotiate with the Grand Inquisitor? Why do they dispute who gets Cunegonde on the sabbath?
The passage begins with another display of the ruthlessness of the Bulgars but also shows with the captain that there was somewhat of an element of humanity (because taking her as a prisoner of war is probably one of the lesser crimes committed against her) or at least attractiveness according to Cunegonde.
ReplyDeleteNext, I would note Cunegonde's description of the captain. She claims he has "not much brain" and states that one "could tell he hadn't been educated by Dr Pangloss", but was Pangloss really so smart and insightful as she believes?
It is worth noting how she recounts her story, she uses very calm language considering the gravity of her situation. She has been raped and traded like property, but she does not show any signs of being distraught by all of this. She then projects a version of Pangloss' philosophy as she matter-of-factly says that "A woman of honor may be raped once, but her virtue is all the stronger for it. To her, at this point, everything is still for the best. She is still an optimist like Pangloss.
She then continues to show her narrow world view by recounting how she didn't think anything in the world could compare to the castle at Thunder-ten-tronckh, a modest place to say the least.
The next paragraph is full of the conflict between Christians and Jews. Both the Grand Inquisitor and Issacar are men of status and it is apparent that, in this society, status is something one uses to get what they desire. The Inquisitor threatens the Jew with an auto-da-fe (a punishment against blasphemers during the Spanish Inquisition) and eventually they share custody of Cunegonde. Still, they cannot do this peacefully and the struggle between both religions is further represented by their disagreement on when the sabbath is.
Cunegonde closes the paragraph showing that she is still holding strong somewhat confidently after six months of their joint custody of her. Despite the advances of these men, she continues to deny them what they want.
Hannah Aven
ReplyDeleteIn this section in chapter 8, Cunegonde is speaking to Candide and the old woman. She describes her situation as being "sold" from a Bulgar captain to a Jew named Don Issacar. However, she still is given some freedom because he is so "fond of women" and was very "attracted" to her. She has the opportunity to go to mass although he is Jewish, which shows how she still has the freedom to practice her Catholic religion. Cungonde still thinks very highly of herself and is still constant in her beliefs taught by Pangloss. She still seems somewhat optimistic throughout all of her hardships, mostly because she still is very prideful. The Grand Inquisitor is a very powerful Catholic man, who acknowledges her high standing and tells her that she should not belong to someone so beneath her standing. The arrangement between Don Issacar and the Grand Inquisitor is interesting because the Grand Inquisitor has so much power and has the power to take full control of Cungonde but he still makes a deal with Issacar and they share her. There is also a lot of tension between the two religions, Judaism and Catholicism.
In the OED, the definition for Inquisitor is a seeker or investigator, a curious or prying inquirer. He definitely is a "seeker" because he seeks out Cungonde at mass and demands to meet her. Auto-da-fe is a a public burning of someone with controversial views. The Grand Inquisitor (Catholic) is the one who is threatening Don Issacar (Jewish) with this consequence if he does not agree to share Cungonde, and his controversial views are obviously his religious views. "Moot point" is something debatable, and it is used in the passage to describe what was going on when the two men would try to decide when the sabbath period was, which was something they argued over, as it was when they would have Cungonde with them.
Initially a Bulgar, who is a lower tribal figure, harms Cunegonde. A Bulgar captain, a man of higher standing, takes ownership of her after he is disgusted by what the previous Bulgar did to her. She mentions he does not have much of a brain. Dr. Pangloss’ idea that this is the “best of all possible worlds” is seen in her continue optimistic stance when she says, “a woman of honor may be raped once, but her virtue is all the stronger for it.” Cunegonde also stays true to her faith by going to Mass even though the faith of her captor is not her own.
ReplyDeleteDon Issacar is the Court’s banker. This is very representative of the Jewish social standing in this time period. It also brings in the clash of faiths, Judaism and Christianity. Christians could not lend money at this time, but the Jewish faith allowed its followers to. The clash of faiths continues when the Grand Inquisitor, who spots Cunegonde, is a high level officer of the Inquisition. He threatens auto-de-fe to Don Issacar in order to gain some control of Cunegonde. Auto-de-fe in the Oxford English Dictionary is defined as “the execution of a sentence of the Inquisition; esp. the public burning of a heretic.” After this threat, Grand Inquisitor and Don Issacar decide to share Cunegonde. There are clashes between the faiths that occur, such as when the sabbath occurs. Judaism and Christianity’s ideas of when the sabbath is on Saturday and Sunday do not agree.
As Cunegonde lays out the chronological events that occurred to her you can see a larger idea. The transfer of Cunegonde to different captors each of higher social standing than the previous captor could possibly be seen as an allegory to the idea of upward social mobility. Since Cunegonde is previously royalty, she may be destined to rise in standing again.