Voltaire On Women

Like others, social problems, like inequality, have plagued not only America, but other countries as well. It is an ongoing problem that has had a negative impact on our society in the United States and other countries. In stories, such as Voltaire’s “Candide, or Optimism”, Aphra Behn’s “Oroonoko”, and Ihara Saikaku’s “Life of a Sensuous Woman”, women are portrayed differently all around the world. Although these women are from different parts of the world, they all share similarities while also having distinguishing factors that differentiates themselves from one another. A few of the female characters present a striking resemblance to women in today’s world, while others are greatly different. In “Candide, or Optimism” by Voltaire reveals
No woman in the story of “Oroonoko” has any say in decision making. Although white females, such as the narrator in Behn’s story, have more power and say in a matter compared to African females, they still hold an inferior role to men and have no say in important “men” decisions. However, unlike Voltaire who degrades his female characters, Behn praises her character Imoinda. Behn’s main female character, Imoinda, is a woman and a slave. Thus, meaning she has little to no power or have the right to do anything on her own. She has no choice and must follow men’s orders. However, Imoinda went against the odds, and stood up for herself. After disobeying the Royal Veil and refusing to surrender and submit to the king’s attempts to rape her, Imoinda left a powerful message to women to say that they have a voice and to not be silent about prejudice acts. Imoinda represents women today in 2016. She represents feminists in the world who gladly stand up for themselves and against male dominance and to support equality between genders. Additionally, while Imoinda fights against the slave owners, she is depicted as a hero and even considered being as brave as a man. In this particular scene, many of the other slave wives stand back and watch their husbands fight while Imoinda, who is also pregnant, takes matter into her own hands and
Women, in general, had more opportunities and were respected by male figures compared to women in Voltaire and Behn’s stories. Right from the beginning, two men go to the Old Woman to ask for advice, which may come as a surprise to women in Voltaire and Behn’s stories since men were always portrayed as the superior gender. Regardless, the Old Woman in Ihara’s story gives an insight of what duties women had to attend to during in that era and their life styles. Women were able to become attendance at a palace, teachers, seamstresses, and many more. Although women, like the Old Woman in the beginning of the story, have more opportunities than those in “Candide, or Optimism” and “Oroonoko”, women still had to become mistresses for lords to help their families. They were portrayed as a way to become wealthy, especially in a poor family’s condition. However, to the female protagonist, she did not follow the normal route of life – staying humble and faithful, getting married to a man, and suppressing her own dreams. She went against the odds and lived her life as she pleased, much like the behavior of women