Who Is Don Quixote A Hero

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Don Quixote is a man who appeals to our imaginative souls and high-minded spirit. He is inspired by the books of chivalry and romance, and transforms himself into a knight of great repute. Don Quixote stays up countless nights to devour the books that bring him to another reality. When he transforms into a knight that fights windmills, many feel he has gone mad. To him, everything he does is for a greater purpose: to be a great knight in order to correct the wrongs committed throughout the land. Don Quixote transforms and evolves from a comic novel, to a call of action during the French Revolution, and to a social commentary that still relates to readers today (Cervantes 83).
He is an unorthodox hero in that his monsters are windmills. While …show more content…

He alters the mundane by bringing beauty and romance to the pedestrian. Chivalry was a Christian code of morals set forth for the upper class which created a new genre of literature. This genre of literature brought the reader to a world of knights rescuing fair damsels in distress and worlds they would never be able to see otherwise. Fantasy creates heroes, romance/ beauty where characters could live out their greatest fantasies without fear of consequences, as the hero always won out in the …show more content…

Don Quixote is increasingly seen as the "knight of the faith" who embodies the spiritual force of human aspirations, being "superior in moral fibre to the people who flout him" (Brief History of Criticism of "Don Quixote", sec 2). The dignity of the common man took on a new significance. Don Quixote is no longer a comic novel but a call to action, to rebel against an aristocracy that ignored the people. The French Revolution is a time of great suffering and each time the public reaches out to their monarchy, they are pushed back, repressed, and brutalized. At the end of the novel the French Revolution ends as Don Quixote does, broken, unhappy, and dispirited as they must face the devastation they have created.
Even today, Don Quixote has transfixed its readers and one can identify with his personal struggles. Each society is able to mold his character into the ideals that they idealize. A hero that stood up against society and stayed true to his beliefs no matter how many times he was mistreated or mocked by the society he looked to protect. Many are able to relate to his character as it takes the reader into Don Quixote’s world and allows one to feel that they can overcome their own obstacles and stay true to their beliefs and