I came across this snippet of lyrics about Don Quixote — “The Impossible Dream” from musical “Man of La Mancha”.
This musical was premiered in Broadway in 1965, which was inspired by Miguel de Cervantes and his 17th-century novel Don Quixote.
I was a child when I read Don Quixote very first time in Korean translation. I remember even a textbook has the excerpts from Don Quixote, also in Korean translation, during my elementary school.
Lately, I came across these contents of Don Quixote, and I realized immediately that it was too early for me as a child to understand what this book is really about. I’m not sure why it was included ambitiously in the textbook targeting elementary students in South Korea in the first place.
Don Quixote is often depicted as an eccentric, unrealistic, and ridiculous character. Surely we might think of him as just a crazy idealist who tries to reform the world without knowing the weight of reality, obsessed with ideals, or as a person who insists on a theory that is not accepted as common sense in the world because of his own fantasies.
But now, after few decades of my various life journey, I do think he is a real optimistic contrarian, not a conformist, who is the rarest breed in our world who can change the world. Very smart people tend to be weird and anti-social from the eyes of commoners.
The meaning of Don Quixote as a classic is that it makes people to think about the reason for existence and the value of life as well as the class problems, democracy, and religious oppression. Don Quixote’s ridiculous side was the mask Cervantes wore to avoid censorship.
Probably now is the right timing to truly appreciate this classic masterpiece in many senses!
What is your dream?
What is your quest?
