The adventure with poor Andrew is one incident not the last where the Don's meddlesomeness results in the undoing of those he would wish to help. Critics infer from this adventure that Cervantes wishes to show the futility of impetuously intruding into people's lives without considering all facets of the situation. Don Quixote's intrusions stem from his will to impose his faith on everyday situations. As he is certain that the rich countryman will faithfully remunerate his servant because he has promised to do so, his job as a knight-errant is finished. This same faith impels Don Quixote to challenge the silk merchants in order to force them to acknowledge a pure abstraction, the perfection of his ideal mistress Dulcinea. Traders, however, used to bargaining and haggling, do so even in matters of faith. The spokesman asks for a bit of portraiture "though it were no bigger than a grain of wheat," a blasphemy which deserves instant punishment. Don Quixote gets beaten, however, not only by the unconvinced merchants, but by an ignorant muleteer. Here Cervantes shows that although the basic beliefs of common men are tenets of faith, yet their imaginations are so circumscribed that they cannot admit any other faith. Don Quixote, on the other hand, is prepared to defend not only his own faith and sense of truth, but that of others as well. This will be shown in future adventures.
Connect with CliffsNotes
