Why Does Bluntschli Compare Sergius to Don Quixote?
Arms And the Man is a notable literary work by George Bernard Shaw. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Arms And the Man.
Answer
Why does Bluntschli compare Sergius to Don Quixote?
Arms and the Man (1894) is one of the most famous comedies in the history of English literature by George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950). The play shows the inadequacy of war and humorously deals with the duplicities of human nature.
In this famous play, Bluntschli compares Sergius, the leader of the cavalry charge, to Don Quixote. It is because Sergius foolishly led his cavalry in front of heavy machine artillery and would have been massacred if the Serbians had the right kind of ammo in their machines.
Don Quixote: Don Quixote is a so-called knight of the Spanish epic novel “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes, published in two parts in 1605 and 1615. Don Quixote once fought with a windmill, thinking it was a giant. He thought it was his duty to fight with the giants. This thought came to his mind because he believed himself to be a primitive knight, a brave and strong fighter.
Sergius’ Foolish Act: Bluntschli tells Raina, the heroine of the play, that Sergius did not act like a hero on the battlefield but led the charge like a fool. Though Sergius tried to show his heroism in the battle, all efforts went in vain. He did not realize that if the Serbians had the right kind of ammo in their machine guns, the Bulgarians could not stand before them. They would be massacred. Sergius, with his big bright eyes and amusing mustache, looked like an opera hero, according to Bluntschli. He looked like Don Quixote. As Bluntschli says-
A regular handsome fellow, with flashing eyes and lovely moustache shouting his war-cry and charging like Don Quixote at windmills.
There was no doubt that Sergius’s foolish act of leading the charge against the Serbians was a stupid act like that of Don Quixote.
To wrap up, Bluntschli addressed Sergius as a fool because of his foolish and suicidal attack. Though he won the battle, he was criticized by his senior officer as it was a non-military approach.