2. Don Quixote de la Mancha
The narrator designating these synonymous titles of lunacy to Don Quixote is in sound observation. Throughout the text he repeatedly exhibits his knowledge and research of the figure thus demonstrating his ability to derive to this credible form of judgment. Don Quixote very well can be deemed “a madman” and “crazy,” but the complexity of the character and his story forbids the reader from making a declaration in haste. Quixote’s existence in the socio-economic structure of imperialist Spain is one that draws empathy. Our hero assumes the role of knight errant to assimilate himself in a nostalgic past time: that of idealized collectivity. By doing so he sets to restore old-fashioned values in contemporary society for which he believes has been curdled and immoral in practice. The noble task, a primitive one, is juxtaposed with the modern ideology of the time and it is from the linear relationship between the two that the existential struggle of Don Quixote can be understood in its proper place.
An important point to bring up at conception before the analysis goes deeper is the disposition of Don Quixote de la Mancha before he became a knight errant. His name was once Alonso Quijano, a retired respected farmer who was intelligent, decent, and perfectly rational. As an avid reader of books of chivalry he “went so far as to sell acres of arable land in order to buy [these] books of chivalry to read (Chapter 1, pg. 20)” and “when his mind was completely gone […] it seemed necessary to him […], for the sake of his honor and as a service to the nation, to become a knight errant. (Chapter 1, pg. 21)” The evidence here points to a selfless individual unafraid of giving up a valued asset to feed a devotion (or addiction) that, regardless of perspective differences, is in bare essence virtuous and compassionate. The decision to his transformation, from retired 50 year-old farmer to knight, is an individual’s right to autonomy. Don Quixote had certainly the capacity to make an educated decision in determining how the remaining of his [now] workless life should be spent. An aspiration to right all manners of wrong and seek out adventure is a most satisfying mean to spend the rest of your vacant time and from this premise the intent of Don Quixote is understood to be founded by a will to serve through activity.
Beyond the fundamental reasoning of our hero is a multifaceted enigma. Quixote is breaking away from the contemporary barriers of sixteenth-century Spain in preference of a mythical world that deeply resembles utopia. When in a discussion with his squire Sancho Panza over the golden age Quixote explains “that those who lived in that time did not know the two words thine and mine. In that blessed age all things were owned in common. (Chapter 11, pg. 76)” Here he is suggesting that his generation needs an alternative from its current state. The outlet provided comes through the paragon of chivalry where egalitarian rule will eliminate the obstructive divisions the present society has shaped. This desire to do so is exemplified from not merely the nobility of the character, but his refusal to play the role of a pawn in a world he sees as systematically flawed (a state of awareness that only a few reach, or fathom). The advanced knowledge Don Quixote possesses is a reflectance of his pre-knight errantry intelligence and he continues to articulate the differences between the golden and iron age: “There was no fraud, deceit, or malice mixed in with honesty and truth. Justice stood on her own ground, and favour or interest did not dare disturb or offend her as they so often do now, defaming, confusing, and persecuting her. (Chapter 11, pg. 77)” The integrity our hero bestows upon himself indeed is virtuous because the welfare of others is at the threshold of his manifesto, but what is disheartening is the applicability issue which unveils the impracticality of establishing an ideal and perfect civilization.
As a renegade, Don Quixote sets himself up naturally to bouts with adversity. What often goes overlooked in the novel is his persistence and dedication to the cause. The comical aspects to Cervantes’ novel are intriguing because they do many things. A countless number of characters mock Don Quixote over entirely ridiculous events that frequently back fire in his face (sometimes literally) and it is expected that even readers of the text are guilty of the same exact crime as those mocking characters. In a conversation with Vivaldo, Quixote reiterates the purpose of his profession and how it is distinct from commonplace: “Tranquility, luxury, and repose were invented for courtiers, but travail, tribulation, and arms were invented for those whom the world calls knight errant. (Chapter 13, pg. 87)” Yet despite the argument’s accuracy and merit, Vivaldo and the travelers continue to facetiously provoke Don Quixote by giving him “the opportunity to go on with his nonsense and entertain them for the short distance that remained. (Chapter 13, pg. 88)” Which confirms their bourgeois attitudes via the placement of hedonism above all else. This theme carries on into the following chapter where contemporary man’s shade is illuminated with their unreasonable love for Marcela’s beauty. Grisotomo had brooded to such a length that he lost his life over her and there is a dispute for who falls accountable. Marcela addresses the men, “Why should a woman, loved for being beautiful, lose that virtue in order to satisfy the desire of a man who, for the sake of his pleasure, attempts with all his might and main to have her lose it? (Chapter 14, pg. 99)” She has the right to live free just the same as Quixote has the right to his autonomy; to point blame in an instant is thoughtless. The invalidity of these claims is in direct connection to the pleasure senses that corrupt man. This is precisely the kind of obstinacy that brought Grisotomo to his death and degenerative behavior our hero longs to remedy.
In regard to the wrongs Don Quixote encounters and wishes to right, again the mistake can be made of looking at the acts as justification for his madness. Once more, face value does not tell all and is insufficient in deriving to a sober claim of the character. After all, Quixote recognizes people see him as delusional. At various encounters, apart from concerning pleasure, is the faith dilemma. When Don Quixote meets Andres early on in the book, receiving a beating from his master, he reacts to the perceived injustice swiftly and Andres is won over, telling his master to “obey the commands of that good knight, may he live a thousand years; for, as he’s a valiant man and a fair judge, heaven be praised. (Chapter 4, pg. 38)” When his master terminates the obligation to comply with the orders Quixote issues he resumes beating Andres senseless. The fault here lies in our hero having faith that the master will fulfill his promise. A similar incident appears with the freeing of the galley slaves who have been taken against their will. They tell Quixote of their fictionalized crimes which makes it look as if they are being persecuted without good reason. He goes on to say, “[…] it seems harsh to make slaves of those whom God and nature made free. Furthermore, these poor wretches have done nothing against you gentlemen. Each man must bear his own sin; there is a God in heaven who does not fail to punish the wicked or reward the good. (Chapter 22, pg. 170)” Though it is true that the galley slaves were not actually innocent people, furthermore the refusal to live up to their debt and pummeling their benefactor with stones is unquestionable confirmation that society is imperfect. Don Quixote acknowledges this from a possible Freudian slip in his conversation with the canon: “[…] read these books and you will see how they drive away melancholy if you are so afflicted and improve your spirits if they happen to be low. (Chapter 50, pg. 430)” The suggestion of an escape from despondency seems to go in hand with the inclination that Quixote is breaking away from contemporary barriers because it is through the principles of knight errantry that he is able to fill his life with purpose. By faith in the craft Quixote finds himself humbled, but the actions of others is proof that faith in humanity cannot exist on its own. It has become lost and is not enough to tame the animal instinct of man.
In conclusion, it is perfectly understandable for Don Quixote to be called a mad man. The reason why he is not in his right mind is close to the blending of fact and fiction. The diagnosis is founded by the predicament of man forced to live in a world where greed and inequality are a naturally occurring phenomena (for which he is mad to not believe). There no longer exists (or never was) a time where benevolent nature and freedom can become one. Human agency of the sixteenth-century was refigured by that of the relevant social structure, namely the enactment of the judiciary. Based on the conception that in all reality men are not of inherent good will and therefore cannot be cured or coexist in an idealized society widely recognized as utopia. Cervantes pits our hero against all odds and the friction the social world around him creates becomes incrementally unsurpassable. Don Quixote is a tragic hero in the sense that his desire to create a world full of freedom and happiness was impractical by the laws of nature.