The Role of the Skeptic: Sancho Panza and Don Quixote

Part 2

The relationship between Don Quixote, the delusional knight, and Sancho Panza, his earthbound squire, particularly serves as a potent metaphor for the dynamic between religious believers and skeptics. Part 2 examines the interactions between these two characters, analyzing how Sancho's realistic worldview counters Don Quixote’s fantastical perceptions, paralleling the interaction between believers and non-believers in religious contexts.

Sancho Panza serves not merely as comic relief but as a voice of reason in the narrative of "Don Quixote." His skepticism often brings a pragmatic perspective to Quixote’s quixotic adventures. For instance, when Quixote mistakes windmills for giants, it is Sancho who tries to correct him, saying, “What giants?"  said Sancho Panza. "Those you see over there," replied his master, "with the long arms; sometimes they are almost two leagues long." "Look, your grace," Sancho responded, "those things that appear over there aren’t giants but windmills" (Cervantes, Chapter 8). Sancho’s role is crucial, as he often attempts to bridge the gap between Quixote’s imagined world and reality, akin to how a skeptic might question or challenge the foundational beliefs of the religious.

Sancho's efforts to infuse reality into Don Quixote's delusions appear throughout their journey. Another poignant example occurs when they encounter two flocks of sheep, which Don Quixote imagines to be armies on the verge of battle. Sancho tries to prevent his master from charging into what he perceives as an epic confrontation, proclaiming “Do you not hear the neighing of the horses, the call of the clarions, the sounds of the drums?” Sancho, trying to reason with Don Quixote says, "I don’t hear anything, except the bleating of lots of sheep" (Cervantes, Chapter 18). Despite Sancho’s warnings, Quixote charges ahead, resulting in a chaotic scattering of the flock and further ridicule and harm to himself.