Don Quixote is definitely not your average Joe. He is part lunatic, part hidalgo, and part knight. Some may argue that he is a heroic knight and others argue that he is a fool. It is all about perspective.

Hero

Quixote has an idea in his head that he is a hero and is out to save the world. So for starters, there is one person who thinks Quixote is a hero; Don Quixote. There are several instances in the book that make Quixote seem like a hero as well. The first example is the Galley Slaves. To some of those Galley Slaves he saved their lives. He is their hero. Also, he is sort of Sancho’s hero in some ways. Sancho has so much trust in him to bring him to this better life and to make him a governor. While Sancho realizes that at times Quixote is crazy, he also follows Quixote and sees him as a hero.

Fool

On the other hand, it seems as though most of the time Quixote is a fool. He always gets into trouble and even when he thinks he’s doing good, it usually turns arounds and bites him in the ass. While to few of the slaves who escaped Quixote may have been a hero, he was definitely a fool for letting them go. As we saw earlier in the book, shortly after Quixote let the slaves go they turned on him and beat him up and we think one of them stole Sancho’s donkey.

Quixote makes very foolish decisions throughout most of the chapters we have read. He is very gullible and does not make very smart choices. It seems as though he gets beaten up at least once every few chapters. The barber even says in chapter 52, “Who should it be,” said the barber, “but the famous Don Quixote of La Mancha, the undoer of injustice, the righter of wrongs, the protector of damsels, the terror of giants, and the winner of battles?.” In this statement it seems very clear to me that the barber is even making fun of Quixote. It also seems as though when anything bad happens, Quixote and Sancho make up the excuse that it is just because of enchantment or because they were enchanted. In my opinion that is very foolish of them to say.

The Chapters from this week

Once again this week we were introduced to new stories and characters. It continues on with the story that had just started at the end of the last chapters with the captive and Zoraida. It then introduces Clara, the judge, and Don Louis. Once again another love story. It seems as though these love stories just keep reoccurring just more intense and different scenarios.

Quixote’s actions and insanity can be perceived in several different ways. While some may see Quixote as a hero, I personally see him as a fool. Most of his actions in the chapters we have read thus far are foolish and do not end well.