Sancho Panza, the characterization of which is the subject of this review, is one of the main characters in the famous novel by M. Cervantes “Don Quixote”. He is a simple peasant, has a wife and children, however, succumbing to the entreaties of the knight and tempted by the idea of becoming governor of the island, the hero leaves his native home and becomes the squire of his master.
Character
This hero is considered to be the antagonist of the main character, since he seems to be completely devoid of the worldview that is characteristic of his master. Sancho is primarily interested in material gain, the opportunity to get rich. He has his own philosophy of life, based on simple worldly wisdom. No wonder his speech is replete with popular quotes, sayings and proverbs. An ordinary peasant, he perceives everything that happens through the prism of his special, peasant consciousness. He tries to find a practical explanation for everything, he is not inclined to go into abstract reasoning, like his companion. Thus, at first glance it may seem that the main character is opposed by Sancho Panza. The characterization of this character, however, shows that this is not entirely true.
Comparison with Don Quixote
The squire of the protagonist is, in a sense, his double, despite the obvious difference in characters. No wonder both immediately found a common language and even made friends throughout the journey. The fact is that both can be found a lot of similarities. First of all, it concerns their unlimited credulity. After all, just like Don Quixote, Sancho Panza is simple-hearted and unsophisticated.
The characterization of the hero proves that in this respect he is very similar to the master. For example, he immediately believed in the possibility of his governorship and during their journey never once doubted this. Despite the fact that he often questioned the words of his companion and even deceived him more than once, Sancho himself nevertheless easily allowed the possibility that he was once destined to become a ruler. At the same time, his own comfort is most important for him, as his following statement says: “Now feed me or take away the governorship.”
Most surprisingly, his wish really came true: once the duke actually appointed a squire as the leader of the island. Panza borrowed a lot from Don Quixote and realized these skills in his management. So, he was honest, fair, trying to imitate his master. Residents were particularly struck by his exquisite manner of expression, which can be largely explained not only by his innate eloquence, but by the influence of the owner.
Folk traits
Of great importance for understanding the meaning of the novel is its image. Sancho Panza is one of the most attractive heroes not only in the novel of the writer, but also in world literature in general. He became close to many readers and gained great popularity largely due to the fact that in his person the author embodied the traditional national character. Such characters, as a rule, have always enjoyed the love of readers because of their innocence, credulity, and humor. During the journey, the hero takes all adventures for granted, which immediately becomes attractive to the reader. He operates with concrete concepts, in his speech there are almost no abstract metaphors (“A building can be good on a good foundation”).
His remarks and phrases are a real treasury of the folk experience of life. And if Don Quixote explains what is happening from the point of view of a knight and a nobleman, then his faithful and unchanging squire prefers to dispense with well-defined, vivid phraseological units that add a touch of warm humor to the story.
Statements
Sancho Panza's famous quotes testify to his keen mind, observation and cunning. It can be seen from them that the hero argues from a practical point of view, taking care primarily of physical health, relations with people, and comfort - both physical and mental. For example, he belongs to the phrase: "Where the music plays, there can be nothing wrong."
So, the image of the squire Don Quixote is an integral part of the whole novel, without him the character of a knight would not be so expressive. And the character himself is a self-sufficient and independent figure, since it is rooted in folk life. So, Sancho Panza was a kind of double of the knight. The characterization of this character is impossible without comparing it with the master.