Critique of Modernity throughout Don Quixote In his Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes challenges many of the ideals of his society through a collision of differing values. This is seen throughout the novel by Don Quixote and Sancho Panza’s interactions with individuals of differing religions, social classes, and ethnicities. This intertwinement of cultures results in a social exploration of Spain, which inspires the question: How can societies embrace the growing diversity around them, while also promoting unity and maintaining their cultural identity? Thus, Cervantes’ critique of modernity functions to challenge the ideologies present in Spain, which promote social division among its people. Through the distortion of epic conventions, the presentation of advanced technologies, and the monetization of the Spanish economy, Cervantes grapples with the common misunderstanding that the past must be sacrificed in order to survive an advancing modern world. Therefore, he establishes a social commentary on the invasion of modernity in Spain, which leads to an untraditional form of liberation for our hero. It is no secret that Cervantes was a revolutionary in the world of literature. In fact, in his The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages Harold Bloom states, “only Cervantes and Shakespeare occupy the highest eminence; you cannot get ahead of them, because they are always there before you” (Bloom, Harold pg. 779). Don Quixote is celebrated as the first modern novel.