The episode that stands out as a defining moment in Don Quixote is in part 1, chapter 8, about the famous “Windmill”, which offers a deep insight into the character of Don Quixote in the novel. In this episode, the realistic author mistakes thirty or forty windmills for giants and attacks them with his lance despite warnings of Sancho Panza. He ends up breaking his lance and getting dragged by the windmill’s sail while blaming his failure on an enchanter who transforms the giants into windmills at the last moment (De Cervantes). This symbolizes the delusions of Don Quixote and his unwavering commitment to his chivalric ideals despite the obvious reality that he chooses to look at the world through his own eyes. His willingness to fight for his beliefs and chivalric ideals, no matter how misguided they seem in a world full of giants, damsels in distress, and knights, is symbolic of his heroism.
The episode also helped me understand why Quixote’s story has spoken to so many people on different levels because it shows the character’s delusional and idealistic vision of the world and the harsh reality that he faces. Quixote is a tragicomic character who is heroic in his own mind and eyes but not in the eyes of others, as he makes readers laugh and pity him at the same time. On a personal level, I can relate to this episode of Don Quixote because I think we all have dreams, fantasies, and determination that we wish to make true, even if they seem impossible to others. We also have our own “windmills” and internal conflicts that we fight on personal and societal levels. I can also relate to Quixote’s determination to hang onto his dreams and stick to his beliefs even when they are not in line with reality. However, I also think we should be aware of our actions and the limits of our imagination to balance our idealism with realism. We should not let our fantasies and imagination blind us from the truth, as it can harm ourselves as well as others.
Works Cited
De Cervantes, Miguel. Don Quixote. Lulu. com, 2016.
Cite This Work
To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below:
