Humanities Crowning Literary Achievement, | By | Focusphere (California) - See all my reviews |
Alonso Quixano was a man who loved to read. He particularly loved books on Knights and their passion for helping others. The Don took his stories of Knightly heroism so seriously that he believed that he too could right society's wrongs and revive humanity. He followed the ethical codes of Knighthood and convinced a local man, Sancho Panza, to join him in his quest.
Throughout the first part of the novel, they come across many adventures where they valiantly attempt to help others. He travels thoughout Spain to help all he comes across, in the name of his fair maiden Dulcinea del Toboso, who is really a peasant girl who the Don has never seen, but understands that all Knights must have a woman who they fight for, and he has created this imaginary woman as a result. They fail many times in their adventures, and during those times when they do succeed, they are rarely ever appreciated, and ridiculed as a result.
The second part includes similiar adventures, but is also more serious, especially with the conversations between the Don and Sancho. Their downfalls are more painful, and because they have become well-known in Spain as a result of their adventures being printed, the people they come across pretend that they need rescuing, with terrible results, or knowingly play tricks on them to deride their cause.
The Don's good friends begin to see that he has suffered greatly with his efforts, and one of them challenges the Don to a duel. The loser is faced with permanent retirement of Knight-Errantry. Because a Knight never backs down from a challenge, the Don accepts this match and is defeated. The Don admits defeat, and sorrowfully retreats home.
The Don becomes ill, but it is not said as to why. Cervantes himself is unsure, but nonetheless, the Don Quixote becomes very sick and is bed-ridden. Sancho never leaves his side, and the Don regains his, "sanity", realizing that his adventures were futile. He apologizes to a weeping Sancho for causing him to follow his, "illusional" quest for righting wrongs. The Don says goodbye to all and perishes in his bed.
The novel is so vast, that many interpretations and meanings can be concluded as a result.
It is a comedy, a love story, an adventure, a mystery, and ultimately, a tragedy all in one. It comprises every human emotion known to man. It is incredibly detailed with well-defined characters and a contemplation of the present and it's meaning throughout.
Don Quixote went from a man who was laughed and scoffed at in the beginning of the novel, into a man who was well-respected and admired for his bravery. Only in his death did everyone realize that the Don had a great vision. His vision was to help humanity and those who were in need. The greatest gift the Don possessed was the gift of honor. His moral code never wavered, no matter how dire the circumstances.
Finishing the novel, you realize that humanity as a whole is often quite cynical, and rarely does it attempt to change the things which are wrong in the world. When one encounters someone who tries to help others, they are laughed at like the Don. The greatest moral one can take from this book is to appreciate the Don's bravery, and see that even though the Don may have believed deep-down inside that his many adventures would not be victorious, it was his attempt in the face of defeat that makes him the hero he was.
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