Fight against windmills: what is hidden in this phraseological phrase? Involuntarily, everyone at least once uttered this expression. It can be addressed to oneself, as well as to another person. The most important thing is that, in principle, no one is offended by such a statement. It is interesting to understand what this is connected with.
Naive knight in armor
If someone has not yet read the novel by the Spanish writer M. Cervantes, we advise you to do it as soon as possible. The work is called "The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha". The novel was written a long time ago, but even today it does not lose its relevance.
It's all about the main character. Tall, awkward and thin Don Quixote is a comic image. But by virtue of his character, the reader fell in love with him so much that no one wants or dares to laugh at him. Don Quixote is a romantic and sincere person. He believed the stories of valiant knights described by poets so sacredly that he decided to become one himself.
The hero is written by the author rather comically. Don Quixote is no longer young, not very he althy in body. Tallgrowth, thin elongated face with a long nose and a funny mustache. And most likely, some changes occurred in his brain that led to a passion for vagrancy. And his horse, Roscinante, was also skinny and comical. Funny armor completed the look.
His servant, Sancho Panso, is the opposite of the protagonist, starting with appearance and ending with the ability to soberly evaluate things and call them by their proper names. But fate brings them together. That happens a lot in life, doesn't it?
Real knights, according to the hero, certainly had to perform valiant deeds in the name of a beautiful lady, and also faithful squires should help them in everything. The knight intended to sing the beauty of the chosen one and tell the world about his exploits in the name of love. Don Quixote chose his favorite - Dulcinea de Toboso. By the way, his chosen one was not at all so beautiful as to sacrifice anything for her sake. But our knight was blind and deaf, in his imagination Dulcinea was the most beautiful woman on Earth.
What is the point of fighting windmills
In Don Quixote's inflamed imagination, windmills are huge monsters that somehow threaten humanity. It is clear that Don Quixote is not entirely adequate. But he devotes his exploits to the lady of the heart. In the novel, the fight against windmills is of particular importance for the hero. This stunning nobility combined with naivete is disarming.
Sincerity always softens people's hearts. It was before and is true now. Don Quixote raced furiously in his skinnyhorse and attacked the monsters - "dragons", pierced them with a spear, trying to kill. He was, in fact, a laughingstock for others.
So the meaning and meaning of the expression became obvious to the readers of the novel. "The fight against windmills" as an independent phrase went for a walk around the world, no longer dependent on M. Cervantes.
It means a waste of energy to perform an action that no one needs. A senseless search for the impossible. Empty faith in unworthy people. Or you can put it like this: stupid behavior that does not lead to a result.
Knights among us
Why is the hero of the novel so loved by the people? Everything is simple here. Don Quixote did not want to put up with everyday life and routine. His eyes were able to ignore dirt, vulgarity and greed. The soul aspired to a high flight. Even at one time he surprised others with these qualities.
When you think deeply, you begin to understand the power of the phrase "fighting windmills", the meaning of which is reversed.
Now nobility is not found at every turn. But they are, "knights without fear and reproach." Such people attach special importance to the "fight against windmills": they do not want to put up with injustice in society or with violence. Fighters for the truth, they protest, attract public attention, sacrifice themselves in the name of a lofty (often unattainable) goal. Volunteers, animal rights activists, members of conservation societies - they all fight against"dragons". And no one laughs at them.
Thanks to Don Quixote
I would like to be glad that the image of the "knight of the sad image" will forever live in people's memory. He is a kind and open, sincere and courageous person. Such valuable qualities are concentrated in him that the hero himself and his actions cause little laughter.
The fight against windmills will continue forever. Otherwise, the world will become boring, gray and mundane. People will become poor in spirit and forget lofty goals, lose the main values of the human soul. The world will be mired in philistinism, profit, self-interest and idleness. "The Madness of the Brave" has always delighted and will continue to delight. And writers and poets will draw inspiration from the most (at first glance meaningless) exploits!
