The Witty Adventures of Thomas: A Satirical Journey
The Life and Adventures of Thomas
Structure of the Work
Approach
Thomas Pebbles, an eleven-year-old boy, meets two students in Salamanca. They agree to provide him with education in exchange for his services.
Node
Thomas travels through Italy and Flanders with Captain Valdivia. Upon returning to Salamanca, he earns a Bachelor of Laws degree. A lady, desiring his love, poisons him, leading to madness.
Outcome
A religious healing restores Thomas’s sanity. He loses his popularity and returns to Flanders as a soldier with Captain Valdivia, eventually dying in battle.
Author’s Purpose
Cervantes uses this work to satirize the society of his time. Some episodes may reflect Cervantes’s own life as an educated man, writer, and soldier.
Theme of the Work
The story follows the adventures of a witty character, even in madness. Cervantes uses Thomas to ridicule and satirize the customs and characters of his time.
Abstract
Two students encounter young Thomas on the banks of the Tormes River. He seeks a master who will provide him with education in exchange for work. The students accept his proposal. Thomas’s loyalty and wit earn him their companionship and popularity at the university.
After eight years, the students complete their studies and decide to return to Malaga. Thomas, however, requests permission to return to Salamanca. On his journey, he meets an infantry captain who persuades him to join him on travels through Italy and Flanders.
Upon returning, Thomas earns a law degree in Salamanca. A lady falls in love with him, but he is preoccupied with his studies. Scorned, she enlists a Moorish sorcerer to create a potion that induces madness in Thomas.
The potion causes a serious illness, leading Thomas to believe he is the “Master Glass.” In his madness, he answers any question posed to him. He wanders the streets, satirizing everything around him.
After two years, a religious figure cures Thomas, restoring his sanity. Now known as Bachelor Rueda, he finds himself forgotten and decides to return to Flanders as a soldier, where he eventually dies.
Analysis of the Characters
Thomas:
At the beginning of the book, Thomas is an eight-year-old boy who dreams of studying and achieving renown. He is assumed to be poor, given his clothing. He is witty, clever, and eager to learn. His madness reveals a critical and sarcastic nature, but he is also adaptable.
The Two Students:
These gentlemen agree to educate Thomas in exchange for his service. They live with him for eight years.
Captain Valdivia:
A friend of Thomas, he accompanies him on his journey from Malaga to Salamanca and later to Italy. When Thomas, now Bachelor Rueda, faces hardship in Salamanca, he rejoins Valdivia in Flanders.
The Lady:
She falls in love with Thomas but is rejected. Seeking revenge, she uses a potion to induce madness in him.
Religious Figure:
After two years, this individual restores Thomas’s sanity.
Common People:
They frequently appear in the story, interacting with and questioning Thomas.
The Prince:
Present at court during the height of Thomas’s madness.
The Moor:
Creates the potion that poisons Thomas.
Personal Criticism
I enjoyed this book, although I found it somewhat fanciful. It is full of lessons and well-expressed. The vocabulary is more accessible than some other novels.
I found it a bit challenging to read, perhaps because I am not accustomed to reading so many novels in a short period. After three other books, this one felt a bit overwhelming.