11/5 Don Quixote (#10b)

Reality vs. Illusion

Every person has influence on those around them. The degree to which a person has impacted another is usually hard to judge, but not in Don Quixote’s case. The reason for the ease in judging Quixote’s influence is all that is to be measured is the time it takes a thing, or people, to resume their normal routines once Quixote has left. For Quixote always leaves a wake of madness. In one example a master is only momentarily influenced by Don Quixote. The man stops whipping his servant at Don Quixote’s command. Once Quixote leaves the master continues his punishment on his servant. In a second example Sancho’s life is influenced greatly. Sancho, at Quixote’s request, leaves his family to join Quixote on his adventures. In either case Quixote’s skewed perception of reality at least momentarily stuns others out of their routines.

Within Quixote’s time of influence, all conduct and courtesies are thrown out the window and for that period often others write themselves in Quixote’s chivalrous tale. An example is when the inn keeper describes himself a king to Quixote, explaining how he came to rule over his present castle.

Character

Don Quixote is both a tragic and comedic character. He is a tragic because everything he does threatens his life and he never once succeeds at anything he sets out to do. He is a comedic because his method of failure usually involves a level of slap stick humor.

As a tragic character Quixote embraces the motif nobility. He imagines a noble lady, who he ride on behalf of. As a Comedic character he illustrates the motif of reality vs fantasy. As Quixote chooses his own reality he fall into deeper levels of fantasy.

Extra Credit

I believe Quixote not to be insane, but to be making a conscious choice to live in the fantasy world of knights. I am convinced that he is sane because at his death he is able to come to terms with reality and get his house in order.

Over the course of the novel Quixote’s failures slowly begin to change his behavior. Quixote is extremely resilient, but it is his repeated failures that finally draw him back to reality.