Don Quijote of La Mancha: Symbol of the Spanish Spirit

Abstract

In his masterpiece Don Quijote of La Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes uses protagonists Don Quijote and his squire, Sancho Panza, to discuss various important themes, including the juxtaposition of reality and illusion, and the Spanish culture itself—both of which continue to be relevant today. He attributes ideas such as illusion and idealism to Don Quijote, and reality and realism to Sancho Panza. All of these attributes can be applied to Spain, a country with a history full of contrasts. This is especially clear through the history of Spain in the twentieth century. At this time Spain lost its last colonies, had a civil war which resulted in a 36 year dictatorship, and, obtained freedom with the death of Franco in 1975. This study examines poems by writers such as Miguel de Unamuno, Miguel Hernández, and Mario Hernández and analyses the attitudes present towards each of these historic events. In doing so, it becomes clear that the Spanish mindset shifts between moments of“quijotismo” and moments of “sanchismo.” Therefore, this study aims to demonstrate that by analyzing twentieth century Spanish poetry, it is clear that Cervantes’ masterpiece Don Quijote serves as the symbol of the Spanish spirit throughout history.