The end of the novel is deeply concerned with authorship.
The novel’s conclusion abounds with insults against the counterfeit sequel
to the history of Don Quixote. These insults include the remarks
about the musician who justifies plagiarism, the tale of the devils
who throw the book into hell, and Don Alvaro’s disavowal of the
counterfeit Don Quixote. Cervantes allows Benengeli to have the
last word, which supports the idea that Cervantes has merely been
translating Benengeli’s text all along. At the end of the novel, Cervantes
clings to his legacy as the bearer of Don Quixote’s tale just as
Don Quixote tries to preserve his name through Don Alvaro.
Even as Benengeli attempts to tear apart traditional
chivalric texts, he elevates Don Quixote to an heroic status. Benengeli
says that Don Quixote needed him to survive throughout history but adds
that he needed Don Quixote in order to write. Cervantes’s purpose
in writing Don Quixote is much greater than simple
self-glorification, a fact Cervantes highlights by distancing himself
from the final words of the text. Benengeli admits that his purpose
in writing was to show that chivalric tales are ridiculous, because
they deny reality and gloss over the tragedy of trying to live an
ideal, romantic life in an imperfect world. Benengeli wants his
historical account of Don Quixote to put to rest any remaining chivalric
tales that fail to highlight the tragic elements of knight-errantry—tragic
elements so evident in the character of Don Quixote. Though Don
Quixote’s chivalric spirit and physical body may die, the final
paragraph of the novel heightens our sympathy for Don Quixote, ensuring
that he will live on with us.
