Don Quixote in Literature, the Intrepid Hero

Don Quixote

In literature, the intrepid hero Don Quixote decides that his favorite courtly romances are more enthralling than life "outside" books because he did not believe his real life was exiting. Therefore, he thought his life should be like the stories in books. Don Quixote is a character that represents some people in real life who wish their lives were like the stories that they read. He knew he was not a real knight but that did not stop him from trying to be one as it can be determined from the following example. "Obsessed with the chivalrous ideals touted in books he has read, he decides to take up his lance and sword to defend the helpless and destroy the wicked. After a first failed adventure, he sets out on a second one with a somewhat befuddled laborer named Sancho Panza, whom he has persuaded to accompany him as his faithful squire. In return for Sancho's services, Don Quixote promises to make Sancho the wealthy governor of an isle. On his horse, Rocinante, a barn nag well past his prime, Don Quixote rides the roads of Spain in search of glory and grand adventure. He gives up food, shelter, and comfort, all in the name of a peasant woman, Dulcinea del Toboso, whom he envisions as a princess" (Don Quixote-Sparklenotes). From there, it is clear from Don Quixote that people like to escape from their real life by intimidating life n books and stories.

It is clear that Don Quixote represents how people wish they could live their lives as heroes or something that they are not in real life. The reasons to escape from reality by reading books vary from person to person. Some reasons may be because some people may think their lives are simply boring or depressing as the character, Don Quixote thought about his own life.

"The story of Don Quixote's deeds includes the stories of those he meets on his journey. Don Quixote witnesses the funeral of a student who dies as a result of his love for a disdainful lady turned shepherdess. He frees a wicked and devious galley slave, Gines de Pasamonte, and unwittingly reunites two bereaved couples, Cardenio and Lucinda, and Ferdinand and Dorothea. Torn apart by Ferdinand's treachery, the four lovers finally come together at an inn where Don Quixote sleeps, dreaming that he is battling a giant" (Don Quixote-Sparklenotes).

As stated above, people, like Don Quixote want to escape their reality with literature because they feel their lives are boring and they can pretend be they are something that they are not. It helps them to set off the realness of reality, which means they can release the stress from their reality for a while by pretending they are like the characters in the book. For example, some women read romance novels in order to escape their realities either there's a lack of romance in their lives or their lives are so stressful that they need an escape. With that, some women suffer from illnesses when they are separated or divorced. Researchers believe this is true because they are alone, financially insecure and have no opportunities for jobs, especially if they are of an older age group. From there, some women may escape this harsh momentary reality with a good romance novel, which is has no negative effects on them as some people may suggest.

"A romance novel ends with "and they got married and lived happily ever after," but the secret ingredient is the heroine's hard-earned self-confidence to enjoy it. What's so threatening about that? A happy, secure woman is a lot harder to sell stuff to -- be it enhancing undergarments or the cork-brained idea that she needs a man to rescue her and that she needs to be wearing a size-0 dress when he does (Rodale).

And, other times, people let literature empower them to live better lives. For example, in the article, "Close Relationships Sometimes Mask Poor Communication," it discusses that people mistakenly believe their loved ones understand them better than anyone else. In truth, people have a harder time communicating with their loved ones than they do strangers. I read this article and empowered me because my husband and I have trouble communicating because he does not listen very well and I grow impatient with that. I want to be able effectively communicate with him so that he will listen and not twist things around. I tell myself to keep communicating short and to the point so he will focus more on what I am saying more rather than just hearing noise. Normally, I do not have trouble communicating with anyone else except for my mother, which is another loved one. She likes to talk over people especially me. However, through this article, it empowered me to change communication skills. Sometimes, by my husband not listening to what I am saying, it causes a big fight because he spends too much money and overdraws the checking account or I tell him that there is very little money in the bank and he has our five-year ask me if we can get McDonald's. Over the years, I have grown short tempered with him because of these poor communication skills. Furthermore, in a sense, we both want to be heard and understood as it has been shown in our text.

"One of the most obvious benefits of human communication is that it allows people to share thoughts, feelings, experiences, and views of the world. When you do so, you share the meaning they have for you, and you connect with others. A prominent early 20th century British psychologist named Frederic Bartlett (1932) believed that people are motivated by what he called "effort after meaning" (p. 20), a fundamental need to understand reality and the world around them. This meaning and shared view of reality is achieved through communication" (Sole 2011).