Don Quixote's Expeditions - Essay Example

Don Quixote’s Expedition Man has always opted for superstition and imagination as a strategy in an effort to explain the aspects of his world that he does not fully understand. Don Qiuxote is perhaps one example that demonstrates the historical obsession of man with superstition and imagination as he tries to reconcile the real world and various dimensions of his metaphysical world that are constructs of his own imaginations. The story of Don Quixote is an infamous epic about a man from La Mancha in Spain who embarks on a journey an apparently knightly journey rescue people but along the way engages in imaginative endeavors. The book is conveniently divided into three parts because each part represents a stage in the obsession of the character with the constructs of his imaginations. In the first part of the journey, Don Quixote’s embarks on an apparent saintly journey of protecting the feeble and eliminating the wicked and to supposedly meet his lover called Dulcinea del Toboso. The second journey is even more dramatic as Don Quixote turns into a wicked person. [Insert Instructor’s Name]. In the third part of the story the author Cervantes enters into the fictional world of the story and allows the characters to tell the audience their own version of Don Quixote. Each of Don Quixote’s three expeditions represents a stage in the obsession of the character of Don Quixote that contributes to the theme of Quixotism. Don Quixote seems to be suffering from a knightly fever that sees him embark on a saintly mission of protecting the feeble and eliminating the evil. Don Quixote’s search for Dulcinea and his motivation to protect the weak and eliminate the wickedd is so that he can complete his knighthood stature (Saavedra 25&27). According to the Lecture Notes, Quixotism “is a will of power defying materiality.” Don Quixote’s drive is based on the constructs of his mind that seem to defy all the rules governing physical existence. Lacking the virtues, brevity and the characteristics of a Knight, Don Quixote is still able to conceive in him the belief that he is a Knight (26). In the second part of the expedition, the author introduces the character of Sancho Panza to clearly demonstrate the next stage of Don Quixote’s madness and obsession. The obsession in the second expedition demonstrates how Quixotic the character of Don Quixote has become to the point that even differentiating between right and wrong becomes a challenge. Instead of engaging in activities worthy of a Knight, Don Quixote has turned out to be an evil man. For instance, Don Quixote sets free three prisoners believing that his deeds are noble. However, the three prisoners soon turn against him and flee each in different direction (Saavedra 87). Don Quixote’s obsession in the second part of the story borders madness and he begins to become utterly superstitious. For instance, when he meets a man with a helmet in his head he rushes and steals the helmet believing that it is a magical spell (75). Don Quixotes character is full of illogical and incongruent outbursts demonstrating that he has totally given himself to the constructs and impulses of his imagination and escaped from the real world. The third part of the novel the author seeks to demonstrate the peak of Don Quixote’s Quixotism which ultimately leads to his death. Don Quixote’s obsession becomes an aspect of ridicule by the real world. In essence, the author demonstrates that Don Quixote is submerged in his imagination overtly that the real world takes ridicule and even humor in his character. Even the author allows himself a chance to ridicule Don Quixote. The three expeditions are differentiated by the extent of imagination and obsession demonstrated by the character of Don Quixote. The division of the story into three expeditions is to allow the audience to see the growing contrast between reality and imagination as shaped by the encounters of the characters and the observations of the audience. According to the Lecture Notes, the first part of the story “is a parody of contemporary tales.” The diversion from contemporary tales is demonstrated by the actions of Don Quixote that are primarily driven by the constructs of his imaginations and obsessions of being a knight. In this section even the audience is forced to flow with Don Quixote’s imaginations. In the second part the author introduces the character of Sancho to awaken the audience from the imagination. At this point the audience begins to see the consequences of Don Quixote’s behavior through Sancho who at times believes in the imaginations of Don Quixote, but at other times seeks to lure Don Quixote back to reality. However, Sancho is not able to have any impact on the story because he is a slave of the imaginations of Don Quixote courtesy of the promises Don Quixote had made to him. The third division demonstrates the ultimate repercussion of obsession based on imagination rather than substance. In dividing the expeditions into three parts, the author sought to expose to the consequences of Quixotism characterized by obsession and imagination. The character of Sancho and ones mocking Don Quixote play the role of reminding the audience of reality lest the audience is deeply submerged to differentiate between reality and imagination. As one volume the clear distinctions and contrast created at every expedition would have made it difficult for the reader to differentiate between reality and imagination. The parts of the novel differ in sub-plots and structure. These differences demonstrate a deliberate act by the author to force the audience to view the book not as one volume but as a unit composed of three parts. The plot of the first part can be likened to the imaginations of a gentleman perhaps undergoing mid-life crisis. The plot of the second part is of a man so obsessed by his imaginations that he borders insanity. The plot of the third part is of a man completely out of touch with reality that he becomes the source of ridicule of the society. According to the Lecture Notes the first part is written in a structure that completely defies the conventional writing of novel, the second part shows outlines history in a misleading manner while the third part demonstrates the writing of true history. These differences emphasize on the deliberate act by the author to bring out some key aspects of the differences in the parts. As the reader is exposed to the differences, other aspects of diversity also emerge. Although, the imagination, superstition and the incongruence demonstrated by the author in the novel can be challenging for the contemporary reader to follow and understand, the reader can still enjoy the satire, the melodrama and the artistic construct of the author. By telling us the story the author has allowed validation of his story by other characters. In essence, we are able to view the perceptions and responses to different people towards the Quixotic adventures of one character. Works Cited Saavedra, Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote Volume 1. Trans. Ormsby, John. London: Digireads, 2009. Print. Read More