Riding with Don Quixote and Sancho: A Spanish Knight in the 17th Century

This honor’s thesis is a literary/historical/economic analysis of the two most influential characters in Cervantes’17th-century novel, Don Quixote de La Mancha. The thesis argues the impact that Alonso Quijano, the title character's real/original name, and Sancho Panza, Don Quixote's wise-cracking sidekick, have on one another. The thesis also contains a study of Cervantes’ social commentary portrayed through the actions and dialogue of the two characters. The first chapter provides some historical background of the time period when Cervantes wrote the novel and the significance the history and economy had in the action of the novel. The remaining chapters look at Alonso and Sancho as individuals. The chapters explain the transformation the two characters undergo, and the concluding chapter discusses the end of the novel and how the characters are different in the end.