Nguyen 1 Trang Nguyen Prof. Yancey English III 18 September 2014 Critical Analysis ofDon Quixoteby Miguel de Cervantes InDon Quixote de la Mancha, the main character, Alonso Quixano, creates a new identity for himself. He calls himself “Don Quixote” and believes that he is a knight with a quest to complete. The author, Miguel de Cervantes, wrote the novel as a collection of Don Quixote’s multiple short events and encounters with other characters. Cervantes give the readers an impression Don Quixote is insane because the whole story itself is a relay between reality and fiction. Don Quixote is described as a man who devotes his whole asset for books. Through reading, he created a new world for himself. Others view Don Quixote as a madman who is mentally sick due to corruption from reading immoral texts. Quixote's code of chivalry is not simply an idle notion, but indeed a life-changing belief that his whole life's mission is to right the wrongs that have befallen his current world. His worshipping of Dulcinea may be questioned, but his respected vision of courtly love is praiseworthy (Cervantes, 18). For example, Quixote forbids himself from thinking any impure thoughts about his lady. This suggests though he obviously feels a certain satisfaction in righting society's wrongs, he values his belief in moral justice over his personal desires or happiness. However unlike Don Quixote, Cervantes know that reality can no longer accept such ideals. Though he strives to carry his romantic era ideals into the simplified world of modernity, embodying the virtues of bravery, piety, justice, politeness, loyalty and reverence for God and others, Cervantes must make such outdated ideals a sign of insanity in order for his novel to be approve by society. Only Don Quixote is able to remain constantly moral, while the world around him is suggested as constantly immoral. In the book, it is implied that he is in some facet conscious of his identity: “I know very well, who I
Nguyen 2 am…and that it is possible for me to be not only those whom I have mentioned…France” (Cervantes, 39). This line is stating he knows who he is and he can play more than one role in life. Quixote through his ostensible madness views the ugly as the beautiful. During his adventure, Don Quixote unexpectedly encounters Sancho Panza, an illiterate man. Sancho foils Don Quixote’s character because he is unable to see the world through Quixote’s eyes. The famous scene of Don Quixote and the giant windmills is an example: “I would your worship would take notice…those you see yonder are no giants, but windmills…work” (Cervantes, 55). Another example of different perspective between Sancho and Quixote is the event of Don Quixote trying to slaughter the flock of lambs, claiming they were soldiers (Cervantes, 128).
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