Don Quixote 

Gustave Doré created this image of Don Quixote using wood engraving techniques to illustrate Miguel de Cervantes's novel. Doré positions us amidst a jeering crowd as Don Quixote is beaten, capturing a moment of public humiliation. Consider this image in the context of 19th-century Europe, where class divisions were stark and societal norms were strictly enforced. Doré's Quixote is not just a figure of ridicule; he embodies the struggle against conformity. The novel has been read as a commentary on the clash between idealism and reality, and here we witness a painful collision. Doré’s detailed rendering invites us to reflect on our own values and the price of holding onto them in the face of societal pressure. What does it mean to be an outsider? How do we negotiate the tension between our dreams and the expectations of the world around us?