Introduction
The most profound meanings are texts in which the conflict is expressed implicitly, and occurs inside the character. The story of the knight Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza is a brilliant example of how a writer skillfully recreates inner-personal conflicts leading to the radical metamorphosis. Thus, a dreamy and detached from reality knight by the end of his life becomes a man impatient for novels about knightly exploits, while a practical and mercantile peasant, on the contrary, spiritually breaks away from real life. This essay will discuss the metamorphoses that occurred in the storylines of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.
Don Quixote
The second part of the knight’s story is surprised by unexpected Don Quixote’s changes. If the first volume focuses on the altered reality, where the traveler perceived all the occasional failures and misses as witchcraft, the second one aims at epiphany. Pope writes that metamorphoses cannot be considered outside the context of political and socio-economic conditions: thus, the knight’s image embodied the traditional aristocracy broken by democratic and liberal foundations (Pope, 1988). This is appropriate to use because, in reality, the nature of a strong character begins to weaken under the wrath of circumstances. In the second volume, the impression is that Don Quixote begins to be disappointed in a reality that is not true and only tries on the mask of a valiant knight. This can be confirmed by an episode in which the man deliberately imitates the obsessions of the heroes of Amadis and Roland’s novels, condemning himself to loving obedience in the Sierra Morena mountains (Cervantes, 2019). The spark that drives the knight begins to fade away, and Don Quixote more clearly understands the fantasticity of the adventure within the existing reality. Ultimately, a man’s adventures end with the full reflection of the path and the thought of leaving a knightly journey in favor of a quiet and measured life. Nevertheless, life in illusion cannot leave Don Quixote, which brings him sorrow and sadness. The culmination of this development is that in his will to his niece, he writes that he will give her all his inheritance on the condition that she will marry a man who has never read a novel about knights.
Sancho Panza
It is safe to say that the image of Sancho was, at first, the opposite of the knight. He was a simple, naive, and kind man who represented the whole people (Pope, 1988). In the second volume, Sancho leaves the mercantile expectations of Don Quixote, showing a genuine interest in the man’s thoughts. At some point, one can notice that the squire begins to model reality so that the knight becomes more convinced of magic, chivalry, and valor (Cervantes, 2019). Adjusting to the interests of Don Quixote certainly affected the worldview of the peasant, so over time, he became a dreamer and realized that the benefits he can achieve were only next to the knight. For the peasant who believed in the reality of Don Quixote, becoming governor of the island was a great achievement, and in this position, Panza showed mercy, wisdom, and justice. Nevertheless, the management itself was an illusion, and probably Sancho was well aware that the island was a deception, and he was leading a small area. The plot twists of the second volume proved more favorable for the peasant than for Don Quixote, although it is noticeable how Sancho Panza is more detached from reality.
Conclusion
The storylines of two central figures, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza undergo radical modifications in the second part of history. Don Quixote renounces his heroic journeys to the ordinary and measured life of a shepherd. The past events and the realization that he was a laughingstock to the extent that men are convinced that grief is the reason for his death. On the other hand, Sancho Panza changes more deeply spiritually — from an ordinary peasant looking for benefits from a knight, the squire reaches a faithful assistant who projects the reality of chivalry, magic, and princesses.
References
Cervantes, M. (2019). Don Quixote. The Project Gutenberg EBook. Web.
Pope, R. D. (1988). Metamorphosis and Don Quixote. Cervantes: Bulletin of the Cervantes Society of America, 8(1), 93-102.