The Adventure of the Alchemist According to the king, one's Personal Legend is what one always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their personal legend is, but only some have the vitality to achieve it. In the book the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the characters explain the importance of following one's dreams. It explains what a Personal Legend is, and how it will affect someone's life. The novel is about a shepherd boy following his Personal Legend, and how three people help him. It presents the topics of persistence, and hardship. In the book, the theme of hardship is represented by Santiago on his long journey in trying to achieve his Personal Legend. Some of the hardships he faced were having his strength tested, being stolen from, being under attack, and being threatened. When …show more content…
Santiago was trying to get to the Pyramids, he was stolen from by a man who said he would help him, “All around him was the market, with people coming and going, shouting and buying, and the aroma of strange foods… but nowhere could he find his new companion. Santiago wanted to believe that his friend had simply become separated by him from accident.
He decided to stay right there and wait for his return… The sun began its departure, as well. The boy watched it through its trajectory for some time, until it was hiding behind the white houses surrounding the plaza. In addition, he couldn't fall back and living by being a shepherd as he had nothing, not even money to return and start everything over” (Coelho 38). Sometimes we can use hardships to prevent future harm, and never be painful. Another theme in Coelho’s novel was persistance. In his long journey he was discovering how to turn himself into the wind. As long as he was trying to turn himself into the wind, he was showing persistence and never gave up. “ Somewhere you are holding the person I love,’ the boy said. ‘So, when I look over your sands, I’m also looking at her. I want to return to her, so I need your help so I can turn myself into the wind,’” (Coelho 144). Furthermore, Santiago showed persistence by asking the desert, the wind, the sun, and then the creator himself for help, just to get to his Personal Legend, and taught them all about
love. Persistence works by never giving up and telling oneself you can accomplish anything. In the end, Santiago found his Personal Legend through hardships and persistence. Santiago, after finding what he wanted, returned to Fatima, in a beautiful ending to the book. The novel gave feelings of happiness in how Santiago never gave up on his dreams, and never stopped following his Personal Legend. Generally, he portrays hope and peace by making his own decisions, finding his path on his own, and realizing his future. People should strive to be like Santiago; brave, courageous, and wise.
In society, there is a thing called a hero’s journey. It is when our destiny is before us, and with the choices we make, depict our course for the rest of our lives. In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Cinderella Man directed by Ron Howard show how the hero’s journey affects Santiago and Jim Braddock lives.
Coelho contrasts tradition with Personal Legend to illustrate the individual nature of the pursuit to discover one’s goals and dreams. Tradition stands as a very powerful force that makes Santiago hesitate his quest to fulfill his Personal Legend. The fear of breaking tradition holds people back from living true to their dreams since, “We always observe the tradition” (Coelho 107). Tradition involves practices of older generations and the following of already trodden paths, in hopes of reaching already achieved goals. Meanwhile, the concept of ...
He first struggles internally when he wants to understand the dream he is having repeatedly. During the call to adventure in the hero’s journey, Santiago heads to an old gypsy in order to understand the dream he has. However, after listening to the interpretation, Santiago decided to “never again believe in dreams” because the gypsy only told him things he had already known (Coelho 17). This internal struggle, which sets the stage for the rest of Santiago’s struggles, had restrained Santiago for some time because he wasn’t able to pursue his personal legend if he didn’t believe in it, However, he later overcomes this struggle and continues on his path to achieving his personal legend. Santiago struggles internally later when he meets with the chief of a camp in the desert who tells him that he wants to see him turn into the wind. The alchemist, a man Santiago met to help him achieve his personal legend, told the chief that Santiago will be able to turn himself into the wind to show his powers, and if he can’t, “[they’ll] humbly offer [them] [their] lives” (Coelho 145). Santiago has never turned himself into the wind, so he has to dig deeply within in order to find the
No one is born without a reason or purpose. While it differs from person to person, there is no greater journey than the quest to fulfill it. From a shepherd searching for the treasure of his dreams, to the son of Indian immigrants who must discover the value in the treasure of accepting in his own identity, following a Personal Legend is a significant part of one’s life. Santiago and Gogol, from the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and the film adaptation The Namesake respectively, encounter obstacles as they embark on the life altering journey to discover and fulfill their destiny. Both protagonists are faced with the challenge of realizing the importance of their Personal Legend and the quest to reach
Santiago had been rewarded with the treasure earned when completing his journey, “In my dream there was a sycamore growing out the ruin of the sacristy… there were precious stones, gold masks adorned with red and white feathers.” (Coelho 170). Santiago was able to accomplish his personal legend, which he had to go through many stages in the journey that got him closer to completing his goal. In this final stage of his journey was a good thing to accomplish, because he’s gone through all of the stages that had been placed there to challenge and see if he actually wants to accomplish it, so he did not give up and gained trust in himself to keep going. This is an important part of the journey because this had taught him to not give up and trust in his heart to accomplish his personal legend, such as when others believe that it is hard to accomplish what they want to complete and do in their life.
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
Santiago is a young boy who fits into the flawed hero archetype. His story tells of his journey to find his Personal Legend and the many new people and experiences he encounters. Santiago is flawed in the way that he does not have enough confidence in himself to complete the task set out in front of him. He is constantly putting himself off track and avoiding what he has to do. In the beginning of his journey, he faces a setback and his money gets stolen. While finding a solution and a job, he gets distracted loses sight of his dreams. A couple months into the job, he thinks, “...Egypt was now just as distant a dream as was Mecca for the merchant…” (Coelho 58) and he glorifies his new plan to “disembark at Tarifa as a winner” (Coelho 58) with his improved flock of sheep. However, he continues his journey two years later, despite his break in confidence. When Santiago reaches the Oasis during his journey across the desert, he gets sidetracked once more by a woman. This woman’s name is Fatima. The second time they meet Santiago speaks without thinking and says, “‘I came to tell you just one thing...I want you to be my wife. I love you.’” (Coelho 98). This alone demonstrates his rash actions of an inexperienced hero who causes his dreams to be postponed. However, Santiago is also a successful hero despite his flaws. He still continues his journey, no matter what, and eventually reaches his goal. Even through
Santiago guides his flock throughout the fields of Andalusia. He finds an old abandoned church and churchyard where he and his flock can spend the night. He sleeps on the stone floor using his book as a pillow. He anticipates his approach the Andalusian village where, one year prior, he met a merchant's daughter. Santiago and his flock approach the town. He has been herding this flock for two years. He often reflects about what he has learned from his sheep and what they have learned from him. He observes that the sheep depend fully on him to lead them to food and water. Not having to forage food for themselves, they have forgotten their instincts.
"If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear ideals of how other people should lead their lives, but none about their own.” That is one of many deep quotes that makes the reader truly think about life in The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho. The book is about a young boy named Santiago, who loves travel and adventure, but he does not have the money to do so. He was raised to be a priest, but decides that he would rather be a shepherd, so that he can travel. Santiago’s father gives him two spanish coins, and tells him that he will learn one day that no place is as beautiful as the one he lives in. It seems like Santiago’s father believes in him, but not the way Santiago wants him to.
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...
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.
Basic Buddhism states that everyone should live a moral life and everyone has something to live for. This theory is a part of the buddhist path, this gives the idea that everyone should respect life and follow what they were made to do(Basic Buddhism). In the Alchemist this is also known as a “Personal Legend’. A Personal legend is a spiritual guide to your purpose in life. Comparably, in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago sells all of his belongings to earn enough money to travel across the desert in search of his personal legend. Santiago has dreams that cause him to go on an adventure across the desert in order to complete his legend in hopes to live a moral life(8). Both The Alchemist and the buddhist believe that everyone has an ambition in life. To life a happy and fulfilled life, one must finish out their intentions in
A personal legend is the idea that our lives are predestined by the gods and we have a legend we all must follow to live a fulfilling life, Except you don’t. The novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho uses personal legends as a plot device, the main character’s drive to keep going is that he will reach his personal legend and fulfill his life. The problem is that to fulfill your life you do not need to achieve your personal legend. You do not even need a personal legend. Fulfillment is relative from person to person, but one condition remains, happiness. If you want a fulfilling life you don’t need to follow your dreams, you just need to be happy with your stake in life.
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
Throughout a person’s life, there is a force that drives that individual into achieving his or her Personal Legend. This term may seem daunting, but in fact, it is not as horrifying as it seems. A Personal Legend is just a goal, or a dream, or better yet, a road that a person takes to achieve something that is near and dear to them. Personal Legends can vary from becoming a doctor, to finding a someone’s own identity; ranging from a multitude of different ideas, a Personal Legend is meant to be unique. People should meet other individuals, and take their own choices in order to make their Personal Legends successful and unique. In Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist, Santiago seeks out his Personal Legend, meeting characters like the alchemist, and maturing through the choices he makes. With the 2014 film, The Hundred Foot Journey, Hassan Kadam takes creative culinary risks while being taught life-lessons from his family to help understand who he is,