FREE ESSAY ON DON QUIXOTE: THE STORY OF AN ANTIHERO

DON QUIXOTE: THE STORY OF AN ANTIHERO

DON QUIXOTE: THE STORY OF AN ANTIHERO
A hero is a man of great strength and courage admired for his exploits, qualities and
achievements; he is thought of as an ideal or a role model. Heroes in literature include
Ulysses, a brave warrior who fought the Cyclops; Hercules, noted for his physical
strength and courage in accomplishing the Twelve Labors; and Jason, who fearlessly
successfully completed amazing tasks in order to regain his Greek kingdom. The character
Don Quixote is an antihero. An antihero is a person who is not admirable; he is
unqualified, incompetent, unfit and inept. Don Quixote is an antihero because of the
traits he exemplifies, including an inability to learn from his mistakes, cowardice, and
incompetence. For example, he does not learn from adverse experience when his homemade
cardboard helmet visor falls apart. In addition, when villagers attack Sancho, his
squire, Don Quixote first tries to help, but then runs away. Finally, Don Quixote is
ineffectual when he intervenes while Andres, a young lad, is being whipped. 
Don Quixote is unable to learn from adverse experience. While cleaning an old suit of
armor to use for his adventures, he finds that the helmet's visor is missing. He makes a
visor out of cardboard; when he tests it, it falls apart, thus offering no protection. He
fabricates a second visor just like the first. He declares it to be the best ever made
without determining whether or not it works. (Chapter 1) He simply does not acknowledge
his problems or mistakes. Therefore, Don Quixote cannot learn to develop appropriate
solutions.
Don Quixote is a coward. When angry villagers attack Sancho, his squire, Don Quixote
first comes to his rescue. However, as the villagers turn their attack from Sancho to
him, he immediately flees. Sancho is left alone to defend himself. (Chapter 27) Don
Quixote demonstrates that he is not brave. 
Don Quixote is ineffectual. He intervenes while a farmer is whipping a young lad, named
Andres. Don Quixote frees Andres and instructs the farmer to stop beating him. However,
once Don Quixote has left, the farmer not only resumes the beating, but also taunts
Andres by mocking Don Quixote. Later in the story when Andres reappears, Don Quixote
leads him before a group of travelers to recount the story of being saved from the
beating. Andres relates the tale, indicating how ineffectual Don Quixote was in helping
him. (Chapters 4 and 31) In this manner, rather than having his actions glorified, the
antihero is humiliated due to his incompetence.
As an antihero, Don Quixote illustrates the traits of being unqualified, incompetent,
unfit and inept. His actions are those of an antihero. He fails to acknowledge problems
and therefore cannot adequately address them. He is a coward in battle. He is ineffectual
in helping people. In my opinion this story is quite interesting and through the
descriptions of the adventures of Don Quixote, successfully conveys the characteristics
of an antihero.