Part two of Don Quixote is completely different than part one. Once again Cervantes throws us for a loop. He introduces new characters and also portrays Don Quixote in a different way.

I am questioning whether Cervantes would have written Part 2 the same way if the False Don Quixote was not first written. Would Cervantes still have changed the way Quixote acted? What other stories would be added to the text without Cervantes spending so much time bashing the False Don Quixote? I do not foresee these questions being answered until later on in the novel.

Don Quixote’s Change

Don Quixote seems to be somewhat back in reality in the first few chapters of part two. He is easily persuaded by Sancho which never happened in part one. Quixote also actually cares what people think about him now. He asks Sancho what people in the village think about him and when Sancho tells him that everyone thinks he is crazy he gets upset. This is a new side of Don Quixote that was never seen in volume one. Quixote would never have let anyone tell him what to do and he would fight anyone who approached him in part one.

New Characters

Cervantes is always introducing new characters and in these chapters Sampson and Cide Hamete Benegeli appear. Sampson pretends to be a knight and challenges Quixote to a duel expecting an easy win. Cide is a fictional author who Cervantes apparently translated his Moorish novel. Cervantes uses Cide as another way to show critique, this time he is critiquing historians.   We will see both Sampson and Cide Hamete Benegeli throughout the rest of the story.

Religion

There is more religious talk in these chapters. In the Intro of Volume one it is mentioned that there is a lot of religious hinting but they never fully address Quixote or Sancho’s religious views. In chapter 13 Sancho asks Quixote if they can be Saints instead of knights because “Saints go to heaven.” This is another example of Religious views being hinted at without being fully addressed.

Sancho

We also see Don Quixote making Sancho upset again. Sancho asks Quixote for a raise in wages and Quixote refuses. This makes Sancho extremely upset and Sancho cries. For some reason Sancho sticks it out and decides to continue on with Quixote. I have questioned many times why Sancho decides to keep on adventuring with Quixote even though it seems he gets nothing out of it. I have come to the conclusion that Sancho sticks with Quixote because he is so loyal to Quixote and does not want him to go adventuring on his own.

I see volume two going very differently than volume one went. I see Quixote acting as a completely different person as well as Sancho’s roll changing. I also see Cervantes changing as an author. I think that his experiences in the ten years between volume one and volume two may impact his writing on volume two.