Loss Of Identity In Don Quixote

Identity is one’s self. The identity determines how an individual treats their everyday life. From their attitude, to how they address social situations, and how well the individual can function going through the daily routines that most productive members of society follow. This identity decides how smooth the process of just living really is. Throughout Don Quixote the man struggles with identity. When he lost touch with his present day society he inserted himself into a role that was completely out of place, and put his character into a multitude of bad situations. Don Quixote’s struggle with identity aligns him with even the most crippled people in the modern world. Feral Children are placed into situations where their attachment to humankind

The isolation from humans causes feral children to behave like whatever they are nurtured by. Some feral children grow up with wolves, some grow up with primates, but both end up mimicking the animals that they are surrounded by. This parallels with Don Quixote because he himself ended up cut off from human contact. Don Quixote found his coping mechanism in literature rather than other animals, but still ended up mimicking the behavior of what he surrounded himself with. The way that feral children become like the animals they are around Don Quixote became like the characters in the literature he

Although identity is internal it is forged through the interactions that an individual has with others. The lack of interaction with with others experienced by both feral children and Don Quixote leave their identities incomplete. Feral children become like the animals that they grow around. This prevents these children from developing a deep personality and identity. Feral children live in a space where survival itself is a challenge. When the survival of an individual is the main day to day goal things such as purpose, and personality fail to develop. This can be seen with Don Quixote as well because after he comes out of isolation his life becomes based on the goal of glory. Besides Don Quixote's desire to go on different quest to become a famous and noble knight he has nothing else. His focus on one centered goal prevents the readers from learning anything about the man besides his outside desires. Both Don Quixote and feral children live existences that allow them to focus on a central goal. The focus that they both have on this goal prevents the true formation of a well fleshed out personality, or