Quijote’s inner self he sees himself as something very different than an old commoner who, yet intellectual and likes to read, is just a man like the rest of us. The encouragement from seeing his beloved yet enchanted Dulcenia del Toboso there helps him to renew his journey, so he can go on and continue to change the public feelings on expressing one’s inner self, ones dreams and convictions to the utmost. Quijote can, in a very real sense (since it forms his and others’ behavior), to change his destiny by small and insignificant things, like 30 minutes in a cave. It was much more than a cave to him though, just like how everything else in his poverty-stricken low-class life. He had to make do with what he had to create his ideal reality, and the ideal reality for the rest of humankind.
So, the immaculate detail we read of in the episode of the cave of Montesinos is just as necessary as all the other detail we hear of in the tale on The Knight of the Sorry Fact who becomes the Knight of the Lions. Detail, when you have so little adventure to whorl with in the reality that you have been given, makes all the difference. Palace halls, divine callings from a mysterious enchanted being, these all go to confirm to Quixote the importance of his mission and renewed his confidence in it. He had renewed confidence in part 2 vs part 1 to begin with, deciding to leave his home yet again besides the petitions of his caring niece and maid. Like Virgil’s Aeneid in something of a decent to Hades, Quixote relished the opportunity to have a rebirth experience, rising out of the cave like a birth canal or a tomb. Quixote had to have sources of strength so he could be one for his people, first of all for his squire Sancho Panza, whom he had to reassure constantly that his island awaited him, and that he need not doubt the many requirements of chivalry as being entirely necessary in every case, be it attacking sheep, windmills, these giants and armies, or whether it be demanding involvement in the releasing of a boy being whipped, or swiftly getting princess M. who turns out to be Dorotea, getting rid of all the giants in his way in whatever from he saw them, wine skins of what have you.
There is always Quixote telling Sancho promise of reward so great that he should not ever spend his time asking about how great the reward will be (isn’t that how the gospel of Christ operates to a point? Or at least should operate if we live it?).
Panza’s desires for rewards turn from islands to a more blessed pleasant existence from time to time, but Quixote revives Sancho constantly, and Sancho takes courage at the words of this dedicated man living the lives of the knights and realms of his books, seeing those as the only path toward a good society.
One may consider the need to defend into the pit a peas of Quijote’s dedication, seeing we could say, to defend into every possibility for adventure. The essence of a Knight errant is that he is something of a “yes-man”, taking upon him nearly every adventure so long as he could justify it (so long as it was just).
Quixote was unconquerable and laughed at the prospect of being put under arrest for the deliverance of criminals. Quijote’s method was that he was so important, being on his quest for peace on earth, especially the sake of his dearly beloved beautiful to him although extremely unacquainted Dulcenia del Toboso, as Knights errant do. He must go into that cave for his fame now growing, he becomes even more brave and developed finding out his story has been published, and although detailed it is yet with some discrepancies he would say of its completeness, he was still proud to be going down with the heroes in being in a book of chivalry. Quixote although still insane, begins to be seen in part 2 how society is being to imitate him, and he must carry on doing every civic deed he is blessed with the opportunity of partaking of. The magic is still very alive to Quixote even when he recognizes the knight of the woods and mirrors to be Samson, the college student, it was a mere enchantment to show that he was to have mercy on this fellow and let him live.
Quijote has enemies and friends but he goes on in his adventures and be it going in a cave on sleeping in the woods when a bed at an inn is offered him at time to time, he must act congruent to a Knight because he is one. At least he is set on service rather than trivial matters like the inn keeper so concerned about his dues on strange occasions like dealing with lunatics like Panza and Quijote. The cave descent is important as all Quijote’s extravaganzas, and out of loyalty, for certainly no money was coming in, nor a whole rib uncracked remained in his stomach for that matter, Panza followed Quijote as his traditional Knight Squire, and his wife even allowed him to go.
Quijote’s errands were strange, all of them, but the important fact was that he was doing them, not so much that he was successful in every case (he usually doesn’t get the outcome he expected). By doing what he says to do, Quijote reunited the eternal lovers Leona and D. as well as the revived lovers Don Fernando and Dorotea. We see Quijote does a lot of good even when he doesn’t realize it. Since Quijote decided to be a Knight errant and go on every feasible quest like into the cave, he set up the stage for things to happen. Were the priest and the barber sitting around doing their normal tasks, the deranged forsaken wilderness bound lovers would have remained that way and perished by depression and grief comp rending on their souls day by day as that was the consuming thought of their conscience and their first story to tell anyone who met them. Quijote’s cave dive is symbolic of great things happening by following your dreams. The vision he received there , we have no reason to dispute he did receive it since he is the only witness of his conscience, save it were the short duration of time he spent there- time means nothing to Quijote, this shows that we create our own reality and build with what we have to give us the motivation to do as we see right and true. Quijote had seen, in his mind, through his books, 100’s upon thousands of warrior Knight errants who made their name known this by sword rather than by pen, and he knew in himself that he could revive chivalry and a society with Knights at its core defense and virtue, a revived symbol of a character and force that stops not at their own experience to do right, and laughs at opposition. Sancho, never having had seen Dulcenia del Toboso, randomly picked who was available to be she when they were in Toboso for Quijote. Seeing her appearance different Quijote fell back on truly wicked enchantment, which so often played part in the mysteries of his journeys, attributing her altered appearance to mystery or magic. Quijote was fine to begin with about the pact that compared to other women, a commoner would not think Dulcenia beautiful, but this didn’t matter to Quijote, what she steer for in his mind made Quijote admire her as much as anyone ever adored anyone, this he explained to Sancho when Sancho thought she was not ugh to look at having known her from town.
It’s a long dark descent into the cave, where revelation comes, where we all need go to get our eternal bearings but ascend we must. We think it take s longer than it does to go through these type things, because we are experiencing the full weight of them in detain, and they are the world to us, we are so sure that this absolutely must be where we are supposed to be, loving the adventure of it. Be it in a dark cold difficult cave, it beats sitting at home and watching life go by. Who them is willing and bold enough to ascent their caves, and who will believe virtue? (For Quijote spoke virtue, and none believed him. None were willing to leave their riches for the master).
