“Don Quixote” Blog

“Don Quixote” Blog     

Due April 28th  

World Literature

• Megan Braine •

••Self Identity vs. Conformality••

Self Identity and conformity are two different things. Self Identity is the recognition of one's potential and qualities as an individual. Conformity is behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards. “Don Quixote,” a novel written by Miguel de Cervantes, magnifies the theme of self identity vs. conformity in many sections of its text. The first section we see this theme is in chapter one. In the start of this novel we are introduced to the main character, a gentlemen whom does not provide a name. He is described to be poor and simply boring. He likes and engages in chivalry romance books and desires nothing more.

“You must know, then, that the above-named gentleman whenever he was at leisure (which was mostly all the year round) gave himself up to reading books of chivalry with such ardour and avidity that he almost entirely neglected the pursuit of his field-sports, and even the management of his property; and to such a pitch did his eagerness and infatuation go that he sold many an acre of tillage land to buy books of chivalry to read, and brought home as many of them as he could get.” (Cervantes, Ch.1)

You’d think this character would stay poor, powerless, and continue to live beneath his poverty, but this character changed his conformality to what he wanted, what he wanted his self identity to be. And that was to become a knight, and keep chivalry alive (this was based off his books he read). This character remade himself, and changed his self identification, by changing his name to Don Quixote de la Mancha. “...he made up his mind to call himself “Don Quixote,” whence, as has been already said, the authors of this veracious history have inferred that his name must have been beyond a doubt Quixada, and not Quesada as others would have it.” (Cervantes, Ch.1) Quixote beliefs were toward self identity not conformality. He believed that circumstances of your birth did not matter, what did matter was your strength and the strength within your character. This novel shows Don Quixote, the knight who wants to spread chivalry and kindness. But within this novel, the society in which Quixote is trying to influence is very spectible. There is a great influence of social change from Quixote, which can relate to the present day. And just like this present day, judgments are made toward those influencers of social change. In chapter five, a farmer tries to bring Quixote to realize the truth of his existence, but Quixote ignores it and explains his point of view to the farmer. He is believed to be insane.

“Don Quixote was firmly persuaded that this was the Marquis of Mantua, his uncle, so the only answer he made was to go on with his ballad, in which he told the tale of his misfortune, and of the loves of the Emperor’s son and his wife all exactly as the ballad sings it.

The peasant stood amazed at hearing such nonsense, and relieving him of the visor, already battered to pieces by blows, he wiped his face, which was covered with dust, and as soon as he had done so he recognised him and said, “Senor Quixada” (for so he appears to have been called when he was in his senses and had not yet changed from a quiet country gentleman into a knight-errant), “who has brought your worship to this pass?” But to all questions the other only went on with his ballad.” (Cervantes, Ch.5)

With this specific section, we can clearly view and examine the theme of self identity vs. conformality. This character believed himself to be Don Quixote, that was his real self identity to him. While society knew him as Senor Quixada, this being when he lived with sanity. The theme self identity vs. conformality is shown greatly in this novel. This character did believe is self identity to be something else, while his village people knew him as someone else, his conformality.