Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Bestiality is the new incest
Bestiality is becoming the best. Voltaire suggests that the natives have sex with monkeys. There are two monkeys that are lovers to the native women. Candide shoots the monkeys because he is afraid of them. Voltaire is European and thinks less of the native people. He basically thinks they are animals, which is why he writes them as having sex with animals.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
The natives may have committed bestiality, but the nobles of Europe committed incest for centuries. This is why I think that Voltaire is not saying that the natives are lesser. I think the point Voltaire is trying to make is that the Europeans and natives are on the same level. The natives have bestiality and incest compared to the Europeans' senseless murders, prosecution and, violence. Voltaire created the piece to bring up issues about society and maybe he has a problem with the practices of both natives and Europeans, but I don't think he is putting the Europeans above the natives in any sense.
I think that Cacambo's comment on this event is the most interesting part. He says that it is acceptable because the monkeys are 1/4 human just as he is 1/4 Spanish. This also shows how Cacambo is knowledgeable and is not surprised by bestiality like most Europeans of this time would be. The supposedly civilized women put themselves below humans and more like animals be engaging in this.
Let's not forget about our previous encounter with beastiality: the creation of the centaur. A woman had sex with a bull and bam! The centaur was born! The centaur was meant to represent the animalistic side of humans. When your body overcomes your mind. Voltaire makes a point that the natives are animalistic by having sex with monkeys. This could relate to the idea of what happens when the body overcomes the mind.
Rickeia brings up a very intriguing point. I can definitely see the argument she is making. And about Cacambo's comment, he's wrong. Monkeys have 96% of the same DNA that humans have. Despite this discrepancy, I think Cacambo is trying to be accepting of other practices. Maybe that is the point Voltaire is trying to make with bestiality: that everyone should be accepting of other people's traditions. Voltaire also brings up homosexuality many times. Maybe he is trying to promote its acceptance, or diss the Jesuits. The world may never know.
I think that Voltaire is trying to use sexuality as an insult. In the novel, Candid is confused and disgusted when he finds out that the women are having sex with the monkeys. Any normal person would be concerned by this, but cacambo is completely unphased. He compares the monkeys to himself, saying that they are 1/4 human just like he is 1/4 Spanish. This response only further compares the monkeys to natives. Voltaire also refers to the jesuits in a way that implies that they are sodomites and pedophiles.
Post a Comment