The missing library does not end the project. The next expedition adds funds, supplies, and a companion with expectations of his own.
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Summary
Books destined for the fire are burned, and the library room is sealed. The family blames an enchanter for its disappearance. Don Quixote identifies his enemy Frestón and makes the explanation fit his existing beliefs.
At home he persuades Sancho Panza to become his squire by promising an island governorship. He raises money and prepares equipment. They leave secretly at night. Riding his donkey with saddlebags, Sancho begins imagining a higher social position for his family.
Characters
Sancho is a neighbor with a wife and children, attracted by the promised reward. The housekeeper and niece try to restrain Don Quixote through an invented story. The priest alternates objections with concessions in conversation.
Analysis
The attempted remedy reinforces the explanation through enchantment it was meant to defeat. Sancho brings sustained dialogue and another set of desires into the narrative. Adventure now depends on negotiation between two people.
Humor and narrator
Uncertain versions of the enchanter’s name expose the family’s improvisation. Sancho quickly relates lofty titles to the family he knows, while questioning which rank would suit his wife.
Reflection
A promised reward can unite people pursuing different goals. Shared projects benefit from clear expectations: Sancho hears an opportunity for material advancement where Don Quixote sees the restoration of an ideal.
Source and reading
Cervantes’s text in Rodríguez Marín’s La Lectura edition (1911–1913), volume 1. Checked passages: P. 176, p. 181, p. 183. Original summary, analysis, and reflection by QuixoteGuide.
