Why Does Bluntschli Compare Sergius to Don Quixote?

Answer

Why does Bluntschli compare Sergius to Don Quixote?

In “Arms and the Man” (1894), G. B. Shaw (1856-1950) mocks the foolish ideals about war and heroism. He argues that war is not about bravery and heroism. In the play, Bluntschli is his mouthpiece. Bluntschli compares Sergius to Don Quixote because both live in a world of fantasy rather than reality.

Don Quixote: Don Quixote is a character from the Spanish novel “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes. He imagines himself as a brave knight fighting battles, even when there is no real danger. Once, he attacked a windmill—thinking it to be a giant. Similarly, Sergius sees himself as a heroic soldier, but his bravery is not based on reality.

Sergius’s Charge Was Foolish: In Act 1, Bluntschli describes the cavalry charge led by Sergius. Instead of calling it a heroic action, he makes fun of it. He says Sergius’ cavalry charge was like—

“Throwing peas at a window.”

The charge only succeeded because the enemy soldiers had the wrong bullets and could not shoot back. Sergius was only lucky, not truly brave. Like Don Quixote, he believed he was performing a great act of heroism when, in reality, it was foolish.

Both Are Not Practical or Realistic: Don Quixote fights imaginary enemies—such as windmills, believing they are giants. Similarly, Sergius fights battles with unrealistic ideas about war and honor. He thinks soldiers must always be noble and heroic. However, Bluntschli, a practical soldier, knows that real war is about survival, not glory. He says to Raina that all soldiers are afraid to die:

“All of them [are afraid to die], dear lady… It is our duty to live as long as we can.”

In short, Bernard Shaw shows that those who see war in a romantic way, they fail to understand reality. At the end of the play, Sergius realizes that war is not as great as he imagined. In real life, intelligence and practical thinking are more important than glory.