Summary
The old woman finally tells her backstory, revealing she was born into ultimate privilege as the daughter of a Pope and a princess. She describes her perfect life - beauty, wealth, an ideal fiancé - until everything collapses in a single day when her prince dies mysteriously from poisoned chocolate. Fleeing with her mother, they're captured by pirates who strip and search them in humiliating ways, justified as 'civilized custom.' Sold into slavery in Morocco, she witnesses horrific violence during civil wars where her mother and companions are literally torn apart by fighting factions. She survives by hiding under corpses, crawling to safety more dead than alive. The chapter ends with her discovery by a mysterious white man who sighs about his own misfortune. Voltaire uses her story to expose how quickly fortune changes and how societies normalize cruelty through tradition and religion. The old woman's matter-of-fact tone while describing unthinkable horrors shows how trauma survivors often protect themselves by treating catastrophe as routine. Her fall from the highest privilege to the lowest degradation illustrates the arbitrary nature of fate and social position. The story also satirizes how people justify terrible actions - the pirates claim their invasive searches are 'established custom,' while the Moroccans never miss their prayers despite constant murder. Through her extreme experiences, Voltaire questions whether civilization is just organized barbarism with better PR.
Coming Up in Chapter 12
The old woman's story continues as we learn how she survived her discovery by the mysterious stranger, and what new horrors and unexpected turns her life would take in the years that followed.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
HISTORY OF THE OLD WOMAN. "I had not always bleared eyes and red eyelids; neither did my nose always touch my chin; nor was I always a servant. I am the daughter of Pope Urban X,[10] and of the Princess of Palestrina. Until the age of fourteen I was brought up in a palace, to which all the castles of your German barons would scarcely have served for stables; and one of my robes was worth more than all the magnificence of Westphalia. As I grew up I improved in beauty, wit, and every graceful accomplishment, in the midst of pleasures, hopes, and respectful homage. Already I inspired love. My throat was formed, and such a throat! white, firm, and shaped like that of the Venus of Medici; and what eyes! what eyelids! what black eyebrows! such flames darted from my dark pupils that they eclipsed the scintillation of the stars--as I was told by the poets in our part of the world. My waiting women, when dressing and undressing me, used to fall into an ecstasy, whether they viewed me before or behind; how glad would the gentlemen have been to perform that office for them! "I was affianced to the most excellent Prince of Massa Carara. Such a prince! as handsome as myself, sweet-tempered, agreeable, brilliantly witty, and sparkling with love. I loved him as one loves for the first time--with idolatry, with transport. The nuptials were prepared. There was surprising pomp and magnificence; there were _fêtes_, carousals, continual _opera bouffe_; and all Italy composed sonnets in my praise, though not one of them was passable. I was just upon the point of reaching the summit of bliss, when an old marchioness who had been mistress to the Prince, my husband, invited him to drink chocolate with her. He died in less than two hours of most terrible convulsions. But this is only a bagatelle. My mother, in despair, and scarcely less afflicted than myself, determined to absent herself for some time from so fatal a place. She had a very fine estate in the neighbourhood of Gaeta. We embarked on board a galley of the country which was gilded like the great altar of St. Peter's at Rome. A Sallee corsair swooped down and boarded us. Our men defended themselves like the Pope's soldiers; they flung themselves upon their knees, and threw down their arms, begging of the corsair an absolution _in articulo mortis_. "Instantly they were stripped as bare as monkeys; my mother, our maids of honour, and myself were all served in the same manner. It is amazing with what expedition those gentry undress people. But what surprised me most was, that they thrust their fingers into the part of our bodies which the generality of women suffer no other instrument but--pipes to enter. It appeared to me a very strange kind of ceremony; but thus one judges of things when one has not seen the world. I afterwards learnt that it was to try...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Normalized Horror
How institutions wrap harmful actions in official procedures to avoid moral responsibility while maintaining social legitimacy.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter shows how organizations use elaborate procedures to make victims doubt their own experiences while protecting perpetrators.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone uses 'policy' or 'procedure' to justify harmful actions—ask yourself who really benefits from these rules.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Papal Nepotism
The practice of Catholic Popes giving high positions and wealth to their illegitimate children, despite vows of celibacy. The old woman claims to be Pope Urban X's daughter, showing how religious leaders lived hypocritically. This was common knowledge that people accepted while pretending it didn't happen.
Modern Usage:
Like when CEOs hire their unqualified kids for executive positions, or politicians give family members government jobs.
Barbary Pirates
North African pirates who captured European ships and enslaved passengers from the 1500s-1800s. They operated from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, selling captives in slave markets. Europeans lived in terror of these raids but continued trading in the Mediterranean anyway.
Modern Usage:
Similar to how we know human trafficking exists but still book cheap overseas trips without thinking about local dangers.
Established Custom
The excuse people use to justify horrible behavior by claiming 'that's just how things are done here.' The pirates strip-search women and call it civilized tradition. Voltaire shows how societies normalize cruelty by making it seem proper and official.
Modern Usage:
Like saying 'boys will be boys' to excuse harassment, or 'that's just our company culture' to justify toxic workplaces.
Reversal of Fortune
A dramatic plot device where characters fall from the highest success to complete disaster, often in a single moment. The old woman goes from princess to slave overnight. This literary technique shows how quickly life can change and how fragile social position really is.
Modern Usage:
Like families who lose everything in medical bankruptcy, or people whose careers end with one viral video.
Trauma Narrative
The way survivors tell their stories in flat, matter-of-fact tones to protect themselves emotionally. The old woman describes horrific events like she's reading a grocery list. This detachment helps people cope with unbearable memories.
Modern Usage:
How abuse survivors often sound calm when describing terrible experiences, or how veterans talk about combat without emotion.
Religious Hypocrisy
People who claim moral authority through religion while acting completely opposite to their stated beliefs. The Moroccans never miss prayers while constantly murdering each other. Voltaire shows how faith becomes performance while real behavior stays unchanged.
Modern Usage:
Like politicians who campaign on family values while cheating on their spouses, or megachurch pastors living in mansions.
Characters in This Chapter
The Old Woman
Survivor narrator
Reveals her backstory as the daughter of a Pope who fell from ultimate privilege to slavery. Her matter-of-fact tone while describing unthinkable horrors shows how trauma survivors protect themselves. She represents how quickly fortune can change and how people adapt to survive.
Modern Equivalent:
The coworker who's been through everything but never complains
Pope Urban X
Hypocritical father figure
The old woman's father, representing religious hypocrisy since Popes are supposed to be celibate. His existence shows how powerful people live by different rules while preaching morality to others. He provides wealth and status that disappears when needed most.
Modern Equivalent:
The family values politician caught in scandals
Princess of Palestrina
Privileged mother
The old woman's mother who flees with her daughter when disaster strikes. She represents how even the highest social position offers no real protection. Gets literally torn apart by warring factions in Morocco, showing the brutal reality behind civilized facades.
Modern Equivalent:
The wealthy mom who thinks money will protect her family from everything
Prince of Massa Carara
Lost love interest
The old woman's perfect fiancé who dies from poisoned chocolate on their wedding day. His sudden death triggers her fall from grace and shows how happiness can vanish instantly. Represents the illusion that love and privilege provide security.
Modern Equivalent:
The perfect partner who dies in a freak accident right before the wedding
Barbary Pirates
Civilized barbarians
Capture and enslave the women while claiming their invasive searches are proper custom. They represent how societies justify cruelty by making it seem official and traditional. Show the gap between claimed civilization and actual behavior.
Modern Equivalent:
TSA agents who claim inappropriate searches are just following protocol
Key Quotes & Analysis
"I had not always bleared eyes and red eyelids; neither did my nose always touch my chin; nor was I always a servant."
Context: Opening her life story to explain how she ended up in her current condition
This matter-of-fact opening shows how she's learned to accept her degraded state while hinting at a dramatic fall. The physical description emphasizes how completely her circumstances have changed. It sets up the contrast between past glory and present misery.
In Today's Words:
I wasn't always broke and beaten down - I used to be somebody.
"This proceeding appeared very strange to us, but such is the established custom of civilized nations that scour the seas."
Context: Describing how pirates strip-searched the captured women
Voltaire's irony is sharp here - calling pirates 'civilized nations' while they commit assault. The phrase 'established custom' shows how societies normalize horrible behavior by making it seem proper and traditional. It reveals how people justify cruelty through bureaucracy.
In Today's Words:
They said this was just how things are done, like that made sexual assault okay.
"I was dying with hunger when I fell upon the dead bodies of my mother and my companions."
Context: After surviving the massacre in Morocco by hiding under corpses
The casual tone while describing ultimate horror shows how trauma survivors protect themselves emotionally. She treats finding her mother's mutilated body like a minor inconvenience. This detachment reveals the psychological cost of surviving extreme violence.
In Today's Words:
I was so hungry I didn't even care that I was lying on my dead mom.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Ultimate privilege offers no protection—the Pope's daughter becomes a slave overnight
Development
Continues showing how social position is arbitrary and temporary
In Your Life:
Your job title or family status won't protect you when systems collapse
Identity
In This Chapter
The old woman's identity completely transforms from princess to survivor, yet she remains herself
Development
Builds on how external circumstances don't define core self
In Your Life:
Who you are isn't determined by what happens to you or what others do to you
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Pirates follow 'civilized customs' while committing crimes, showing how social norms can justify evil
Development
Expands the critique of how societies rationalize harmful behavior
In Your Life:
Just because everyone does something doesn't make it right or necessary
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
People become commodities to be bought, sold, and discarded based on utility
Development
Shows how crisis reveals who treats others as human versus property
In Your Life:
Pay attention to how people treat you when you can't benefit them
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Trauma creates wisdom—the old woman's suffering gives her perspective on others' complaints
Development
Introduced here as survival creating unexpected strength
In Your Life:
Your worst experiences often become your greatest sources of wisdom and resilience
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
How does the old woman describe her transformation from princess to survivor, and what specific 'customs' does she encounter along the way?
analysis • surface - 2
Why do the pirates and Moroccans justify their cruel actions through religion and tradition? What does this accomplish for them?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today using 'policy' or 'that's just how we do things' to avoid taking responsibility for harmful decisions?
application • medium - 4
When have you had to choose between following official procedures and doing what you knew was right? How did you navigate that situation?
application • deep - 5
What does the old woman's matter-of-fact tone while describing horror teach us about how people survive trauma and maintain hope?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Decode the Justification Machine
Think of a situation where you've been told 'that's just policy' or 'that's how we've always done it' when you knew something was wrong. Write down the official explanation you were given, then identify who really benefits from this system. Finally, imagine what a person with real power to change things would say if they were being completely honest about why the policy exists.
Consider:
- •Look for who profits or gains power from the 'custom'
- •Notice how elaborate justifications often hide simple greed or control
- •Consider what would happen if ordinary people simply refused to participate
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to break or bend an official rule to help someone or protect yourself. What gave you the courage to act, and what did you learn about when rules should be questioned?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 12: The Old Woman's Catalog of Suffering
The coming pages reveal people use storytelling to process trauma and find connection, and teach us shared suffering can create unexpected bonds between strangers. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.