He is a shepherd, tending to his herd in the meadows of Spain, when one day, the boy learns about a great treasure at the pyramids of Egypt. The boy’s name is Santiago. In the novel The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho describes the journey of a shepherd who learns of great treasure and travels across the desert and meets many of the folk along the way, only to find out the treasure was where he began his journey all along, and abandoned church in Spain. Santiago meets the alchemist, an old king Melchizedek, and even himself who mentors him along his journey. Santiago had recurring dreams of treasure, and one day he decided to make those dreams a reality. So, he sells his sheep and while in a city plaza an old king appears and talks to Santiago. Santiago …show more content…
Well, Melchizedek is quite the divine man, and is not like normal people. He’s more God-like and can see other people in certain ways that normal people can’t. He sees that Santiago’s fate is his treasure and he later tells Santiago to follow his dreams. While Melchizedek is a great mentor to Santiago, Santiago mentors himself along his journey as well. He is religious, but he “couldn’t have found God in the seminary” (Coelho 13). Santiago couldn’t find God in a traditional school system, but as he looks at God’s creation, the natural wonders of the world he sees everyday remind him that God is to thank for all of this. Santiago is a good mentor to himself, and Melchizedek is an even better mentor, but the best is yet to come. The alchemist mentored Santiago the most during his journey. One of his best statements was, wherever your heart is, that “is where you’ll find your treasure” (Coelho 133). This means if you can listen to your heart and follow your heart, it will lead you to great treasure. If you combine your mind with your heart, your heart will give you all the answers if you listen close …show more content…
The desert is a barren place with sand dunes and the occasional oasis, and that's it. It makes someone realize how important their life is and teaches them to be grateful for what they have and not be barren like the desert. The alchemist is a very wise man, and he affects Santiago moving forward, teaching Santiago that if you improve in present time “what comes later will also be better.” (Coelho 106). Santiago realizes that if he works hard now and focuses on the better things in life at that moment in time, that all the hard work will pay off and the better things in life will become better than they were. Santiago works hard to find this treasure, and all the hard work pays off when he eventually finds his treasure. The alchemist is a religious man, and Santiago becomes more religious and a follower of God while with the alchemist. He teaches Santiago that God “revealed his secrets easily to all his creatures” (Coelho 90). This means that God has given his people all the answers and his knowledge, but his people have to look for them and most importantly believe that he has given his
Santiago then sets out on yet another journey, to see the alchemist. The alchemist tells Santiago that he was going to point him in the direction of the treasure. Once again Santiago is at crossroads. He replies that he has already found his treasure, namely the money he received from the crystal shop and the chieftain, a camel, and also the woman he loves, Fatima. The alchemist reminds him that none of those were found at the Pyramids, which was his initial
Santiago is a shepherd trying to pursue his personal legend. His personal legend is the recurring dream about the hidden treasure at the foot of the Egyptian pyramids. In his dream he starts playing in a field with his sheep, when a child appeared and began to play with the animals. This was strange to him because sheep are afraid of strangers, but the sheep and children play along just fine. Then a child grabbed his hands and took him to the foot of the Egyptian pyramids. He begins his journey locally trying to find answers from a gypsy and a man named
In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho an Andalusian boy named Santiago leaves Spain to travel to Egypt in order to achieve his Personal Legend. During his journey he meets four people, a Gypsy, a King named Melchizedek, an Englishman and an Alchemist, all of whom help Santiago along his journey towards his Personal Legend. However, only the King and the Alchemist teach Santiago lessons that he can learn from and use along his journey. The King teaches Santiago two lessons, to follow omens and that it is not always about the destination but that it is also about the journey. The Alchemist teaches Santiago to listen to his heart for guidance, what the Language of the World is and what the Soul of the World is. He eventually arrives in Egypt after
The boy, Santiago, was driven to find a lost treasure. He was forced to leave his life as a shepherd and his home. He traveled a across a continent in search of his treasure. Joseph Campbell proposes that most works of literature follow one basic structure called a monomyth or the hero’s journey. In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago is a Joseph Campbell hero, because he follows the path laid out in The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell.
In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, the character Cassius is quoted famously for the line, “Men at some time are masters of their fates: the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” (Act I Scene II). Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist adheres to this reference as one follows the story of a young man pursuing his Personal Legend. We find through this story that Coelho is emphasizing the message Cassius uses to manipulate Brutus, that there is a need for each of us to break away from settling and finally determine our own fates.
"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.
Authors often have books with relatable and dynamic characters. In the book, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, he creates a dynamic and interesting main character. Mary E. Pearson also does this in the book The Adoration of Jenna Fox. The genre of these two books is fiction. The Alchemist is a book about a shepherd named Santiago that goes on a journey to find his personal treasure. The Adoration of Jenna Fox is about a teenager, named Jenna Fox that loses her memory due to an accident. The novel is about how she finds herself once again and her difficult journey through it. Santiago in The Alchemist and Jenna in The adoration of Jenna Fox are brave, determined, strong, and curious throughout the novels, even with all of the struggles they go through.
"The Alchemist" is a novel written by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho in 1988. It tells the story of an Andalusian shepherd known as Santiago and his journey of fulfilling his "dream" which he names his "Personal Legend". Throughout his voyage, he met many different people and was forced under many different circumstances, and we are able to experience his emotional states throughout every part of his journey. He undergoes many revelations, and we could argue he becomes wiser and more aware of the spiritual value which everything in the world possesses. He ends up finding his "Personal Legend", but despite actualizing his "dream", he was a victim to the negative emotions that come with being human, and therefore we could argue that the main conflict in "The Alchemist" is within Santiago himself.
Santiago’s destiny was to find the treasure. In The Alchemist it states, “It's your mission on earth… search for treasure.” The quote proves how treasure symbolizes your Personal Legend because its states your mission in life could be to find treasure. Treasure could also symbolize a journey. If Santiago had never gone to the Pyramids, he would have never known where to find his treasure and he would regret it. In The Alchemist it states, “If I had told you, you wouldn’t have seen the Pyramids. They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” This quote shows how treasure could symbolize a journey because, although the treasure was found back in Spain, Santiago had to go on a long trek with many obstacles just to find. The book itself didn’t focus on the treasure at all, it focused on the journey and the lessons
There are countless heroes throughout literature. Their stories are all timeless and meaningful. The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho, is home to one of these heroes with an incredible quest. Interestingly, it is quite common to see quests and journeys throughout all literature. In the Alchemist, the protagonist, Santiago, goes through many stages of being a hero such as, call to adventure, refusal of the call, supernatural aid, crossing the threshold, and road of trials. Santiago clearly demonstrates all these stages throughout the entire novel.
Have you ever encountered problems while trying to fulfill a goal in your life? In the book The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho, a shepherd boy named Santiago overcomes obstacles to reach his personal legend. Throughout the book Santiago encounters many friends to help him fulfill his destiny. Santiago encounters many problems throughout the story. He overcomes them with the help of his friends and his wife-to-be. These problems shape Santiago into a dignified man of many traits.
There are many obstacles in everyday life, but none as detrimental to ones future as fear. Fear can cause people to not only avoid achieving their goals in life but it also forces them to think about it throughout every day. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist shows that those who wallow in fear will never achieve their personal legend, and those who conquer fear will achieve anything they strive for. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is a commonly analyzed and criticized piece of literature. One of these articles is Rejendra Kumar Dash’s “Alchemy of the Soul: A Comparative Study of Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha and Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist”. Dash’s article is a literary criticism of the different parts of the character’s journey in The Alchemist. He talks about, in his article, how the theme in The Alchemist is found through analyzing the different parts of Santiago’s journey and what those parts mean. Another one of these articles is Lily Hasanah’s “Decision Making in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist”. Hasanah’s article is a literary criticism of the main character in The Alchemist, Santiago. She searches for the theme in The Alchemist through analyzing the decisions, and the outcomes of those decisions, made by Santiago. Paulo Coelho provides access to his theme, for the most part, though the actions and adventures of the main character, Santiago. Although this is the method of delivery he had in mind, Dash and Hasanah view the delivery of his theme differently.
The Alchemist conveyed the up-most truthful meaning of santiago’s personal legend by teaching him the soul of the earth. This stage helped santiago and the Alchemist are talking doing what your personal legend is and also doing exactly what your personal legend desires are when they speak in terms of listening to one’s heart. “Whenever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure. Santiago takes initiative on his dreams and pursue them regardless of love affairs and the hurt that comes along with it. The stage encouraged and also motivated santiago to find his treasure and make a better life for fatima and
The alchemist begins with Santiago, a humble shepherd who is nearly content with his life, but he longs for more. He is a curious and open-minded boy, which leads him on his journey to pursue his Personal Legend. Throughout the story, it shows us how Santiago goes through an entire transformation that demonstrates his inner growth and understanding of his Personal Legend. One key moment in Santiago's character development was his first step in pursuing his personal legend. Towards the beginning of the story Santiago gets approached by Melchizedek, and has a deep conversation about Santiago's personal journey.
On his journey to learn more about the soul of the world, Santiago met the old King of Salem, Melchizedek. He introduces several of the key concepts that we see repeated throughout the novel, The Alchemist. For example, he tells Santiago about Personal Legends, the Soul of the World, and Beginner’s Luck. The King also gives him Urim and Thummin, which represent “yes” and “no” to help guide him on his journey. Melchizedek is the first character to display magical powers that convince Santiago to pursue his dream of finding a treasure. The King once said, “Never stop dreaming, and follow the omens,” (Coelho 64). Two years later, these words helped him continue on his journey to fulfilling his destiny.