Self and the Other the Term Paper

Don Quixote, despite his inability to recognize between his conscious and unconscious selves, differed from Shylock in that made no conscious effort to allow his unconscious self to emerge. His continued exposure to an alternative life -- life in the world of fiction -- made him develop a stronger unconscious self: " ... he became so absorbed in his books that he spent his nights from sunset to sunrise ... And what with little sleep and much reading his brains got so dry he lost his wits. His fancy grew full of ... all sorts of impossible nonsense ... " This narrative about the development of Don Quixote de la Mancha's character, the metaphorical self of Don Quixote, was associated with the Captain's Leggatt's persona, the individual who symbolized the man's innermost desire for freedom and adventure. In effect, the hero that was Don Quixote surfaced to dominate over the old man; what emerged instead was the individual who knew no bounds in terms of age, physical capability, and even the courage to endeavor to fight even without the proper faculties and skills.Don Quixote therefore possessed a fusion of the Captain's and Shylock's metaphorical selves: Leggatt as the Captain's other self allowed him to seek freedom in life, while the emergence of Don Quixote's other self was likened to Shylock's succumbing to the vengeful personality he had cultivated for a long time.

Bibliography

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