Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Why do you think it's so difficult for other characters to convince Don Quixote that the stories he reads are not real? Use specific evidence from the text to support your answer.
- Chivalry books were by far the most popular type of literature in Spain when Cervantes wrote Don Quixote. Do you think his satire would have been effective in convincing people not to read these fantasies? Why or why not?
- Do you think that the curate is right to burn Don Quixote's books? Should we blame the books for being a bad influence on the reader, or is it the reader's responsibility to know fact from fiction?
- Why do you think Sancho Panza sticks with Don Quixote throughout his adventures? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer.
- Can you think of a present-day example of people who get way too invested in something that's fictional? How is it similar to or different from Don Quixote's obsession?
- Is there a moral center in Don Quixote? If so, which character occupies the center? If not, why would Cervantes leave this space absent?
- Why do you think Don Quixote recovers his wits at the end of the novel? What overall point does this transformation make about his story?
- Why do so many people exploit Don Quixote's madness for their own amusement? Use specific evidence from the text to support your answer.
- Overall, do you think that Don Quixote is either sexist or racist in its representation of women and African people? Does it give any positive examples of either?