Candide: The missing Piece (12-13)

Voltaire has a sadistic ambition for creating the most misfortunate female character of all times. After putting a lot of effort on Cunegonde, he decided it wasn't enough and aimed for something even more heart-breaking. The old lady's story is so much more terrible that it took two chapter to tell, and not only that, but the hag has a permanent reminder of the events: a missing butt cheek.

We are just lucky that "somehow [she is] still in love with life" (Voltaire 57) and she still looks at the bright side by claiming that she is "a woman of experience: I know the world" (Voltaire 57).

At the very end of the chapter the old lady says something that really caught my attention: "Just amuse yourself, persuade each passenger to tell you his story, and if you find even one who has not often cursed his life and told himself that he is the most miserable man alive, you can throw me into the sea head first." (Voltaire 57) I think by now every single on of us is guilty of self-pity. Self-pity is one of my pet peeves, it really annoys me when people complain about problem nobody else cares about, but i simply can't stand it when the don't do anything about it. I find it a complete waste of time when someone whines about something but refuses to even attempt to fix the problem.

If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it. -Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book


Quote found on:http://www.quotegarden.com/