Breanna Cummings Professor Sezonenko LIT 2110 April 29, 2015 Don Quixote: Analysis Miguel de Cervantes’ storyDon Quixoterelates the story of an unusual man from a village in La Mancha. This man has lived his life, neglected his estate, squandered his fortune, and now, gaunt with age, has spent too much time reading far too many books about chivalry. He becomes so entirely engrossed with the chivalrous ideals flaunted about in his books that he decides one day to take up his lance and go wandering the countryside to defend the helpless and destroy the wicked as a “knight-errant.” He polishes his old family armor and makes a new pasteboard visor for his helmet. He finds an old nag, which he renames Rocinante, and takes the new name Don Quixote de la Mancha, hence the name of the narrative itself. His high spirit and his courage never fail him, but his delusions lead him into endless trouble. There is a constant line of divide between what he sees as Don Quixote and the reality of the events around him. The whole of the story is spent on his going around comically intruding and assaulting anyone he sees as discourteous or oppressive. However, the reading gains a certain sympathy for him as he is beaten, cheated, and ridiculed very step of his journey, never seeing or grasping the gravity of what is happening until it is far too late. One important traumatic event that arises out of laughable (unfortunate) chain of actions for Don Quixote occurs in the fourth chapter of the first book. While roaming around, looking for adventure, Don Quixote stops a caravan of merchants, dramatically invoking name of the great Dulcinea del Toboso, and saying he’ll only let them pass if they admit that she is the
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