Pity in Candide

In Candide by Voltaire, pity is an aspect that is quite often addressed. As Candide goes through his terrible events, he becomes to have pity for himself. He gets down, and believes that his life is the worst. When he meets Cunegonde again, she goes into her own pity. Her story is just a form of her saying that her situation is less than his. Throughout the story, there seem to be characters trying to say that their life is worse than one another. They all experience bad situations, but the need to one up some one over it just seems ludicrous. Over and over again, we meet characters whose stories become more and more pitiful. The old woman says "Miss, replied the old woman, you do not know my birth; and were I to show you my backside, you would not talk in that manner, but would suspend your judgement." (23). After Undergone finishes telling her horrific story, we are led straight into another terrible story.I seem to find myself thinking this book should be called "A serious of Unfortunate Events" rather than "Candide."