It is clear that the narrator is not familiar with the entirety of Don Quixote's story because of his inability to recall crucial facts. Immediately, the reader is forced to question the validity of the story due to the lack of knowledge the author seems to posses. The use of an undependable narrator causes one to realize that there is no absolute truth to this story or, on a much larger scale, to any story. Thus, Cervantes encourages the reader to determine what is real and unreal based on his interpretations. This element of ambiguity used by Cervantes reflects the uncertainty created by the Protestants during Cervantes lifetime. During the 16th century, the Protestants were questioning claims made by the Catholic Church that had been taken as truth for many years
             Miguel Cervantes makes the narrator an untrustworthy character by having him forget essential facts that appear to be extremely relevant to the story of Don Quixote. In the opening phrases of the book, the narrator fails to remember both the name of the protagonist and the name of his hometown. From the beginning, the reader is already unclear as to who this man from La Mancha truly is. Due to the discrepancies among authors, Don Quixote's real name may be either, "Quixada or Quesada," (31) but the truth is never told. Cervantes takes certain measures to ensure that the reader is continuously questioning the authority of the narrator. In the middle of a battle between Don Quixote and a Basque knight, Cervantes brings the story to a complete halt. The story is interrupted in order state that the main author of this story is an Arab named Cide Hamete Benegeli. Consequently, this makes one question the legitimacy of the story in two ways. Firstly, the narrator characterizes all Arabs as liars. He even clarifies exactly how he might have twisted the story, "...men of that nation being ready liars, though as they are so much our enemies he...