100 Years of Solitude

Melquiades:
The gypsy Melquiades is an interesting character because he didn't seem to fit the stereotype of a gypsy. People generally have a distrust of gypsies because they usually play the roll of the mystic and are supposedly known for stealing and lying. They are nomads who often make their money by entertaining as the second group of gyspies in 100 Years of Solitude do. They amaze their audience with things they've never seen before and tricks which appear to be magic. However Melquiades appears to be the opposite. He still makes his living by bringing incredible, unheard of inventions for sale to Macondo but he is honest and tries to warn Jose Arcadio Buendia every time he comes up with a far fetched idea for how these inventions will help make him rich. Melquiades seems to me to be the voice of reason, a stoic character who is there to guide Jose Arcadio Buendia as he can.

Theme of Mysticism
I was confused by the blurring of reality and fiction within the novel because the village and the people all seem to be "realistic" until random acts of what appears to be magic occur. The strange thing is that they take it all in stride and as a result are very superstitious. The youngest son predicts Ursula's stew spilling and the pot moves of its own accord to the edge of the table. The Armenian gypsy apparently melts into a puddle with his special 'invisibility potion'. The reader hears about all the impossible products the gypsy's present, but does not expect them to actually work. I expected the magic carpet to be a hoax, all smoke and mirrors, but Jose Arcadio Buendia watches it float past his window and pays almost no attention. I never know what to expect now, or when something inexplicable or magical happens.

Grimm Fairy Tales II

The Tale of One Who Traveled etc I found to be very strange because really the only thing that saved him from all the horrors he faced was his own ignorance. His stupidity made him fearless which usually would end in disaster but in these cases, where he sought out something to scare him or make him "shiver" it was to his advantage. All of the terrors in the haunted castle were violent and intended to harm him but his inability to be frightened combined with brute strength made him invincible. In the end the thing which made him shiver was not fear from violence but the unpleasant feeling of cold water and slimy fish. The theme of violence was rather unconventional here because it did not receive the expected reaction.

I didn't really understand the two stories about Thumbling. There was a lot of "violence" in that he was continually being swallowed by various animals, though he never sustained any injuries. But the stories didn't seem to have any purpose other than to prove his cunning and bravery. Personally if I was trapped in a cow that was being cleaved to bits, I'd be a little upset. But all of these indirect acts of violence seem to serve the purpose of making Thumbling appear to be brave and maybe to show that even though he is smaller than normal, he is still courageous and shouldn't be taken for granted. It could be viewed as a lesson to not judge those who are different from us. Or it could just be a bizarre story. I also didn't really understand why the two stories were so similar. Twice he gets caught in a cow's belly and the cow is killed for being "possessed by evil spirits".

Grimm's Fairy Tales Day 1

Fairy Tales, like most children's stories, serve the purpose of entertaining the children as well as teaching lessons. The particularly gruesome stories such as the Handless Maiden or The Robber Bridegroom are intended to strike fear into children and compel them to behave properly. Though neither female characters in these stories ever did anything wrong, their purity and innocence is what prevented them from being chopped to little pieces or taken away by "Evil" men.
There is a very bold line between "good" and "evil" in these fairy tales. They are structured this way partly because in a child's mind, everything is very black and white. It is easy for them to understand the concept of good and evil. They are taught that if they behave badly they will be punished and that only by behaving well can they combat works of evil. The Handless Maiden was kept safe from the evil man because her water and tears washed her "clean". This cleanliness is a sign of her purity and shows that she is a "good" person. By being "good" she is protected from evil.
Her father is less strong and cuts off her hands for fear for his own life. The violence in this case is not so much a lesson on how to behave as it is an example of how giving in to evil results in tragedy. If children are taught to associate violence with evil they will hopefully be inclined to act properly and be "good".
These stories have become so universally known because they are simple stories which appeal to children everywhere. Children are more or less the same world wide. Aside from different upbringings, they think in relatively the same manner. They are usually easily entertained and like to reread the same stories over and over. They like knowing the ending to their favorite stories. All of the Grimm Fairy Tales have happy endings which is also appealing to children. Though they wrap themselves up quickly and have resolutions that don't necessarily make sense, children around the world enjoy them.

Don Quixote: End of Part I

I don't think that Don Quixote has become completely un-quixoticized by the end of part one because as Cervantes tells us, he later goes on to pursue more adventures after he has recovered at home. However his willingness to be brought home to recover after being beaten by the penitent is uncharacteristic of him because no matter how many injuries he sustained before, he would not be dissuaded from his goal of adventure seeking. I could only imagine that his companions laughing at his misfortune and not taking him seriously had finally gotten to him. But this doesn't seem likely since he had been dealing with this throughout the entire novel so far. He ignored or beat those who laughed at him or scoffed and then he would continue on to the next mad adventure without batting an eye. But maybe this time just pushed him over the edge.
"These words made all those who heard them realize that Don Quixote must be some madman, and they burst into hearty laughter, which was like pouring gunpowder on to the fire of Don Quixote's wrath..." (470)
In this case it is the penitents laughing at him but I was thinking of how all his friends/companions/travel partners laughed at him as he was fighting the one penitent. I felt genuinely sorry for him which is strange because after all it was he who initiated the fight and the other man was acting in self defense. But the fact that his friends did not support him and even stopped Sancho Panza from helping seems cruel. Especially given they know, as the readers do, the unstable state of Don Quixote's mind in terms of judgment calls. As the readers, we often laugh at Don Quixote and his misfortunes because we know he's crazy but now I feel bad laughing at him, the same way I would feel bad laughing if a child fell and scraped their knee. I think as Don Quixote's character evolved, we the readers evolve with him and grow accustomed to his ridiculous antics.

Don Quixote 36-45

"Tell me, sir" said Dorotea, "is this lady Christian or Moorish? Because her clothes and her silence are making us think that she's what we'd prefer her not to be." (Chapter 37 pg352)

This statement made by Dorotea indicates the religious and cultural conflicts that were present in Spain and all over the world during the 17th century. As Christians the characters have a distrust of "Moors" (in other words Muslims or more specifically followers of Islam) and all other religions and those who follow them. However not so drastic as to result in Dorotea and the others disassociating themselves from the captive and Zoraida. As she says they would "prefer" her not to be Muslim but when they discover that she wants to become a Christian, they trust her implicitly. She would probably have less agency than the other women simply because she is not Spanish and she comes from Algeria but they welcome her warmly because of her desire to be Christian. She is described as having "a good mind and a clear and ready understanding" (394). Had she not expressed the desire to be baptized as a Christian, she might have received a less kind welcome.
In any event, the women of the story all get along (and incidentally are all of miraculous beauty, each rivaling the next) and all carry attributes which Don Quixote would expect of all the ladies he had read about in the books of chivalry. They are all also smart and cunning, a characteristic not usually shown in women of the time period. And the male characters are always surprised when the female characters display this intelligence.

Don Quixote XXVIII-XXXVI

In chapter 29, after hearing Dorotea's sad tale, Cardenio realizes that she has been wronged by the same Don Fernando as he was and vows to help her regain her honor:
"...I will make use of the privilege to which every gentleman is entitled and demand satisfaction for the wrong he has done you, setting aside the injuries he has done me, the avenging of which I leave to heaven so as to be able to attend to yours here on earth."
This is an example of characters other than Don Quixote acting chivalrously. It may not necessarily be due to his influence, but it shows that his dream to re-create the code of honor is not entirely impossible, because (though Cardenio is not considered to be of the soundest mind) others are willing and able to maintain it.