An inn gives Don Quixote an adventure created by reading. He meets readers of a rival continuation of his exploits and changes his journey to contradict it.
On this page
Characters and setting
Characters: Don Quixote; Sancho Panza; the innkeeper; Don Juan; Don Jerónimo. Setting: A spring beside the road; an inn.
Summary
After the cattle incident, Sancho encourages his master to eat and rest. They reach an inn that Don Quixote recognizes as an inn. During dinner he hears Don Juan and Don Jerónimo discussing another second part, Avellaneda’s. He protests against its claim that he has forgotten Dulcinea and briefly examines the book.
The readers speak with the protagonists and accept that they differ from the figures in the rival account. Learning that the other Don Quixote went to Zaragoza, the knight decides to avoid that city and travel to Barcelona. Sancho pays the innkeeper, and they continue their journey.
What to Notice
Don Quixote does not read the entire book he rejects. His complaint about the name of Sancho’s wife is also imperfect evidence: Cervantes’s own narrative had used Mari Gutiérrez before settling on Teresa Panza.
Analysis
A book read inside the novel changes its characters’ itinerary. Literary rivalry becomes action: Choosing a new destination lets Don Quixote defend his individuality. This freedom is paradoxical, however, because rejecting the rival still allows it to influence his decision. The new readers also recognize the mixture of judgment and delusion that prevents the knight from being reduced to a single, uniform image.
Reading It Today
Someone else’s description can shape our behavior even when we want to refute it. Don Quixote chooses another destination to distinguish himself from his printed double. The scene invites reflection on reputation and decisions made in response to stories about us. Defending an identity may matter, but it helps to notice when that defense gives others the power to direct our choices.
Sources and Text
Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quijote de la Mancha, Part 2, Chapter 59. Francisco Rodríguez Marín edition, Madrid, La Lectura, 1911–1913, volume 8. Facsimile passages consulted: P. 84; p. 86; p. 93; p. 94. Chapter text at the Centro Virtual Cervantes.
