Satire in Don Quijote

Don Quijote was a tall, skinny “wanna-be” who found himself morally obligated to involve himself in other people’s business for the sole purpose of acting as a proper knight errant would. Although he believes that his “battles” help solve situations (though the results is usually the opposite), what it comes down to is that he wants to be famous, to be in love with his woman, to be accomplished, recognized, and adored. Therefore, Don Quijote’s motives are self-serving, and not “by-the-book” as a knight errant should be. “As much for the sake of his own greater honor as for his duty to the nation, he decided to turn himself into a knight errant...” (p. 15) The thing was, this was how knights generally were - a selfish man looking for trouble to fix so people will respect him and give him things, and women will sleep with him. The reader sympathizes with Don Quijote, though, because his insanity prevents him from seeing his reality as fake and inappropriate to actual societal needs.

In chapter eight, we find our “wanna-be” hero attempting to beat up windmills, or so the reader is led to think. But what if it was all a ploy? He may have really believed that these windmills were giants and wanted to attack them, but purpose had he for doing so? They did not speak to him or threaten him, until Don Quijote started in with them. “Flee not, oh cowards and dastardly creatures, for he who attacks you is a knight alone and unaccompanied.” (p.44) It was after Don Quijote’s threatening words that the windmill’s arms began to move in the wind. What proper knight errant would beat up someone, claim the victory, and then of course, claim its spoils? I guess that’s just it - knights did that. But how do we know our “hero” wasn’t just pretending to be crazy to get away with this?

In chapter sixteen, Don Quijote and his sidekick, Sancho, arrive at an inn, all beat up from their battles, and from falling down a lot. The hero thinks the inn is a castle, and deems that they are owed a warm and comfortable place to sleep because he is the Great Don Quijote de La Mancha, braving battles against all evil for the purpose of saving the kingdom. Sancho and a girl who works at the inn, Maritones, have a “knight errant” conversation, in which he realizes he needs to explain the point behind what he and Don Quijote do. “A knight errant can see himself, as fast as ‘one, two, three,’ either beaten with clubs or turned into an emperor. Today, he can be the most wretched creature in the world, and the neediest, and tomorrow he can have two or three kingships to give his squire.” (p. 87) The poor man really thinks that Don Quijote will someday be rich and famous and hook him up. Even if this became the case, as he is really secretly out for himself, for his own recognition, who’s to say that Sancho would get anything out of this, except for orders to relay his newfound fame to Dulcinea?

In chapter twenty-two, Don Quijote, wanted so much