Don Quixote 

Gustave Doré created this image of Don Quixote, in which the errant knight and his squire are being rescued from a river by millers wielding their long poles. Note how the figures strain and reach, a motif echoing the Laocoön group from antiquity, where figures are caught in a struggle against fate. The gesture of reaching out, of helping another, is an ancient symbol found in many cultures. Think of images of the Good Samaritan, or even earlier, of Prometheus gifting fire to mankind. The act of rescue here is less heroic, more farcical, yet the underlying archetype remains potent. It speaks to our collective memory of human connection, to the basic impulse to assist, even in the face of absurdity. The subconscious power of this image lies in its ability to tap into these primal emotions. The cyclical progression of the rescue symbol continues to evolve, resurfacing in contemporary narratives and art.