In todays society it is rare to find someone who sticks to any morals. With a new fad happening everyday, we have escaped the idea of tradition. In “Don Quixote”, Don Quixote can be viewed as a hero or a fool. While most view Don Quixote as a fool, I view him as a hero.

Although he is mostly unsuccessful in his actual “heroic” tasks, he is a hero in that he stick to what he believes in, even if it is a difficult task and he most likely will be defeated. With technology simplifying everything in our every day lives we have lost the will to fail. Now if something is hard we just quit. Don Quixote fails multiple times a chapter, but continues to try to complete his quest.

I believe Cervantes uses Don Quixote to show the importance of humility. Humility has become the greatest fear of our generation. We are afraid of not seeming “cool” to our friends and peers . Don Quixote defeats this by vowing to himself to be a knight no matter what anyone thinks. Although he is continually humiliated, he is being who he wants to be and he doesn’t give it a second thought.

In contrast, Ruth El Safar states in “Don Quixote: Fool or Hero”, “Those who say that Don Quixote’s mission was a failure are right, but not because it was crushed by an unworthy world . . . nor because the mission was foolish.” Basically what she is saying is that the messages that Cervantes is trying to relay to his audience weren’t successful. At the time the book was written I agree, most likely the messages most likely didn’t reach his audience, but today the book is widely studied that it is virtually impossible for his points to be overlooked.

Don Quixote is a hero. No matter if he is a crazy old man thinking he is a knight, contextually he is a hero. He is a rare breed to find even today. He sticks to what he believes in, he is not afraid to fail, and he sees the good in everyone he comes across. Cervantes crafts Don Quixote perfectly. They teach us to be who you want to be no matter what others say. anyone who can live life with that type of bravery is most definitely a hero to me.