Alchemy and Evolution

811 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character development introduction

Themes
Alchemy and Evolution

As the book's title indicates, alchemy is the main theme. Alchemy is change. On a literal level, alchemy describes the transformation of base metal into precious gold. The process of alchemy is a force of nature, and it is not an easy transformation. Natural power turns base metal into gold, but in order to do so it takes a very long geologic time and exerts a tremendous amount of pressure and heat.

The alchemist is a person with rare, mysterious knowledge, who knows how to speed up that natural process and use special tools to create gold from lead. From the beginning of this story, Santiago is clearly interested in evolving and experiencing change. He learned language and religion through studying at the seminar, but he is dissatisfied with the learning that happens through books. He chooses to become a shepherd because he wants to travel.

After Santiago's mysterious dream, he decides to travel to the pyramids in order to pursue his destiny. All along the journey he is faced with challenges, danger and difficulties, but he continues to learn, change and grow. This fable tells the story of his encounters as he attempts to follows his dream and undergoes his own personal process of transformation or alchemy.

Santiago eventually discovers his destiny, but it is only as a result of taking the risks and doing the work required of him. The transformation of lead into gold is a metaphor for the inner growth and refinement that Santiago becomes engaged in. He is changed and alchemized over the length of his journey. The Sahara desert and the brutal, conflicting tribal members represent the pressure and heat that are a necessary part of his transformation.

By the end of the story, Santiago has been compl...

... middle of paper ...

... their instincts. They depend entirely on the shepherd to lead them to food and water, whereas Santiago is motivated to think for himself as he proceeds on his journey. The sheep will get their food and water as long as a shepherd guides them. Santiago will get his treasure and discover his destiny, as long as he continues to develop his ability to think and find out for himself.

While Santiago is working in the crystal merchant's shop, Santiago's journey appears to end for a year. He thinks that when he earns enough money he will return to Spain. At the end of that year, however, he has undergone a certain amount of personal growth. At the last minute, he decides not to go back but to continue on his way toward reaching his dream. Perhaps his conviction to reach for his destiny is strengthened by witnessing the crystal merchant's reluctance to follow his own dream.

Show More
Related

  • Stages of an Archetypal Journey in The Alchemist

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, The Alchemist, Santiago is an archetypal hero who embarks on the most common forms of a hero’s journey. From when he received his calling from his dream, the gypsy woman, and the king, his denial and refusing of the call with his thoughts of assurance of a stable livelihood, his acceptance and beginning of adventure, his help throughout the ways with the aid of the mystical alchemist, to finally the trials that he faces from the start to the conclusion. Therefore, so Santiago is what now, and always has been considered to be the all-known hero.

    Read More

  • Santiago The Alchemist

    692 Words  | 2 Pages

    Santiago’s journey is influenced by the Crystal Merchant because the Merchant not only gives Santiago the skills, knowledge and money to keep going, but also inspires Santiago to continue on with his journey. The Crystal Merchant supplies Santiago with

    Read More

  • The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Santiago begins working for the crystal merchant and receives a good commission for selling each piece. He wants to make more money in order to buy some sheep and realizes that it will take him a year at the rate he is going. He offers to build a display case to place outside and attract more customers. The crystal merchant does not like things to change, and he resists Santiago's attempt to change things. After some reflection and discussion, he gives Santiago his approval to build the display case.

    Read More

  • Overcoming Problems in The Alchemist

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first two obstacles that Santiago faces are that his father tells him he can not do something that he wants to do and that he wants to pursue his personal legend, but he does not want to hurt those that he loves. For example, Santiago’s father said, “The people who come here have a lot of money to spend, so they can afford to travel. Amongst us the only ones who can travel are shepherds.” Everyone is told by their parents and friends that everything we want to do is impossible. Since Santiago did not have money to spend to travel his only choice was then to become a shepherd to fulfill his desire. T...

    Read More

  • The Journey Through Adversity In The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

    1221 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the beginning of the book, Santiago travels to visit a Gypsy who is said to be able interpret his recurring dream. As a child he had always heard stories about Gypsies capturing children, taking them to their camps and making them their slaves. These stories translated into one of his largest fears for Santiago as a child and that fear returned when he visited the Gypsy, “As a child, the boy had always been frightened to death that he would be captured by Gypsies, and this childhood fear returned when the old woman took his hand” (17). The Gypsy eventually tells Santiago that there is treasure located at the Egyptian Pyramids. Without being able to overcome his fears of Gypsies, Santiago may have never went on a journey to Egypt in order to achieve his personal legend. Another example in the book that shows Santiago overcoming his fears is while Santiago and the Alchemist are travelling towards the Pyramids. They are suddenly captured by a desert tribe at war, who mistakes them for spies. In order to save his life Santiago has to turn himself into the wind. Coelho states, “But the boy was too frightened to listen to words of wisdom. He had no idea how he was going to transform himself into the wind” (83). Two days later Santiago is standing in front of the tribal chieftains trying to turn himself into the wind. He is able to stay calm while his life is on the line and

    Read More

  • Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist: Synthesis Essay

    1287 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho continuously shows how Santiago conquers fear and is greatly rewarded for it. In order to get his treasure and achieve his personal legend he must first travel through the well-known dangers of the desert. It is an extremely expensive trip that many do...

    Read More

  • Theme Of Sacrifice In The Alchemist

    1796 Words  | 4 Pages

    Will Santiago go after his dream? In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago has had the same dream twice. He takes it upon himself to discover what this dream means and where the treasure in the dream is located. The people and challenges he faces along the way all present him with a sacrifice. When trying to achieve his goal, Santiago sacrifices his sheep, Fatima temporarily, gold, and time.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Santiago In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    When santiago was tested to turn into wind, he began to reach into the sandstorm and communicate with all the naturistic attributes.This represented his death. Santiago getting robbed for his gold & finding a solution to where his treasure was represented his rebirth in my opinion. “Tents being blown from their ties to the earth and animals were free from their tethers. The boy stood up shakily and looked once more at the pyramids. They seemed to laugh at him and he laughed back, his heart blasting with joy. This stage in santiago’s life represented resilience in its finest form, causing santiago to glide across this stage so profoundly. Santiago’s victory was a long time that was in deserving of coming. He deserved his treasure for believing in

    Read More

  • The Hero's Journey In The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    After Santiago has had his dream interpreted, he sets out on a journey with the guidance of many people such as a king and a new friend. Firstly, Santiago meets a king who tells him that he can help him find his treasure if he gives him a tenth of his sheep. Santiago then sold all but one tenth of his sheep, which left him with a lot of money and a treasure he sought (Coelho 31). Now that he has no sheep left, he has nothing left to go back to, and has to start his journey. During the crossing of the first threshold stage, Santiago has to decide to take a step in which he gives everything up to pursue his personal legend. Now that Santiago has a lot of money, he is able to make the voyage to his treasure, but first he must get guidance. A boy he meets in a bar serves as a guide who holds his money for him, until when Santiago is not looking, the boy runs off with all of his money (Coelho 41). Santiago now has no money left and no sheep left. During the belly of the whale stage, Santiago faces a very impactful hindrance in which he is left with nothing but hope for finding. Lastly, Santiago faces many external struggles while on his journey across the desert towards the treasure in his dream. After traveling with a caravan during the hot days and very cold nights, Santiago learns that it is unsafe because there are tribal wars

    Read More

  • The Alchemist Quotes

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    "They come in search of new things, but when they leave they are basically the same people they were when they arrived. They climb the mountain to see the castle, and they wind up thinking that the past was better than what we have now. They have blond hair, or dark skin, but basically they're the same as the people who live right here." Santiago’s father is saying that no matter how much Santiago travels, or how much of the world he sees he will come back the same person. Santiago’s father is an important person in his life. Without his father believing in him Santiago might not believe in himself either. Santiago seems to know what he wants in life, but with his father practically telling him it is wrong he might not succeed. Santiago needs others believing in him or he will not have the motivation to succeed in finding the treasure. Not only does Santiago need others believing in him, but he needs to believe in himself as

    Read More

  • Identity In The Works Of An Alchemist

    501 Words  | 2 Pages

    He notices the book was so strange because it talked about the mercury, salt, dragon, and king. However, there was one idea that all things are the manifestation of one thing only. It also contains the most important text in the literature of an alchemy contained only a few lines, and had been recorded on the surfaces of an emerald. The book that attracts Santiago interest was the stories about the famous alchemists that dedicated their entry lives to purifying metals. The alchemist believed if a metal were heated for many years, it would free and became individual properties. Since the languages with which all things communicated, the soul of the world allowed them to understand anything on earth. They called that discovery the master work. The boy learned that the master works consist with two parts, which is the liquid portion knows as the Elixir of Life, which use to cure an illness and kept the alchemist from getting older. While the others is solid parts is called the Philosopher’s stone. It was an important thing to turn any metal into gold. Santiago became more excited to learn in alchemy when he heard about gold. Unfortunately he became lost, when he wanted to learns how to achieve the master

    Read More

  • Heroism In The Alchemist

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    Santiago had it hard while he was growing up, his parents wanted him to be a preacher but he knew he was destined to be more as he could not implement his lively and traveling nature in a sacristy of a church. His way to the treasure which was bound to be his happy ever after was harder to get to as he had to give up many things. He had to promise The Gypsy Woman a tenth of his treasure he did not even have yet, give up a tenth of his flock of sheep to The King Of Salem for the knowledge he had already but was provided in a more explanatory way, getting robbed, leaving behind loved ones, working harder for something he had lost but, arguably the hardest part was to be patient, hardworking and strong which he had to implement time after time and that is what made the achievement of the treasure worth it for Santiago.

    Read More

  • What Does The Gold Symbolize In The Alchemist

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the book it states, “They were content with just food and water, and, in exchange, they generously gave of their wool, their company, and—once in a while—their meat.” This quote proves that the sheep didn’t really pay attention to their surroundings. In addition, although they didn’t really do anything, the sheep played a big part in the story. In Santiago’s dream, a boy plays with his sheep, catching his attention. If the sheep had never been in the dream, Santiago would’ve never given any thought to the dream. The sheep also symbolize a teacher because they taught him two things. One, to follow his dreams and to not not appreciate his destiny. The second thing is they taught him a universal language. In The Alchemist it states, “But the sheep had taught him something even more important: that there was a language in the world that everyone understood, a language the boy had used throughout the time that he was trying to improve things at the shop. It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired.” This quote proves that the sheep symbolizes a teacher because it states how the sheep taught Santiago a universal

    Read More

  • All Other Fears Are Expected By Society In The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    “We are born with he fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. All other fears are imposed by society”, is a quote from the author of The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho. The Alchemist is an epic journey about a man named Santiago, who sets out to find treasure as well as his Personal Legend. Santiago has to overcome multiple obstacle that stop him from living his Personal Legend throughout the novel. Society influences Santiago, the crystal merchant, Santiago’s father and the baker by societal expectations, fear of failure and the desire for success.

    Read More

  • The Theme of “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho

    513 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Theme of “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho is, always follow your dreams and listen to your heart. At the start of the novel Santiago does not know what he should do when he is confronted by his dream. But by the end of the novel Santiago completely trusts his heart to guide him though life. Santiago’s story shows him learning and living out the theme of the novel.

    Read More

More about Alchemy and Evolution

Open Document