“The Alchemist” is a novel, originally written in Portuguese, by author Paulo Coelho which follows the story of a shepherd named Santiago as he travels along a journey of self-discovery that takes him from Andalusia to the pyramids of Egypt, all starting from the reoccurrence of a dream .The style of writing indicates a fable like quality and ideas involving religious beliefs as well as spirituality are constant throughout the novel. This review is intended to explore the major themes and ideas of the story as well as the style of writing and contradictions as presented by the author. This section contains a summary of “The Alchemist”. The story begins with Santiago, a shepherd boy, arriving at an abandoned church while roaming the fields …show more content…
Constantly throughout the book he claims that every person has his own destiny but few try to reach theirs. In order to attain one’s destiny one must listen to their heart and learn to read “omens” present all around them which could signify being connected to the flow of life and seizing an opportunity that presents itself even if it is a bit of a gamble. Also if a person chooses despite all hardships to keep working towards their objective the universe will conspire to help them, however they will also be tested and quite harshly perhaps, along the way. Although the main character sticks to his resolve to the end, Coelho does show characters who have not done so and emphasized on the rareness of people who do in fact pursue their dream till the very end. Coelho has emphasized on many points that to attain one’s destiny one mustn’t give up on it no matter the hardship or circumstance faced and presented the idea that playing it safe is often more threatening than taking a risk. The idea is very relatable to many readers as the world moves in accordance with practicality ,people chose to follow a path that seems safe and secure even if it isn’t in accordance with their desires ,the number of people that take risks and “follow their dreams” has become increasingly smaller due to fear of failure . However despite our choices many a man has stayed awake pondering on the question “what if I had ….” So a story of someone who did follow through to his dreams appeals to a wide range of
One theme the story leaves us is that always chase your dreams no matter how hard it is and if you fail just stand up and try again.
It’s about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way… the dreams will come to you.” To me, this statement means something. After reading this book, I can say I agree with this statement. I believe that working hard toward your dreams, then achieving them, will lead your life in the right way.
The knowledge and universal understanding derivative from a journey can leave the traveller positively enlightened. In Coelho’s story, Santiago is faced with recurring dreams which lead him to ‘’traverse the unknown’’ in search of a treasure buried in Egypt, the metaphor for universal connection, and in doing so, comes to the unrelenting realisation of spiritual transcendence. After arriving at the assumed geographical location of the treasure ‘’several figures approached him’’. They demand the boy keep searching for this treasure as they are poor refugees and in need of money, but as Santiago does, he finds nothing. Then, after relentless digging through the night ‘’as the sun rose, the men began to beat the boy’’ , finally relenting with the truth, Santiago reveals his dreams to the travellers. In doing so, Santiago finds out that these men had also been faced with recurring dreams measured around the place where the boy had undergone his own, both relative to hidden treasure. However the leader was ‘’not so stupid as to cross an entire desert just because of a recurrent dream’’. It is with this fact, tha...
Throughout the book the author implies that through persevering through adversity, following omens, and overcoming one's fears, everyone has a chance to achieve their dreams.
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
All of these stories show what happens if you control your own goals and achieve them. Poor Angus hasn't found his yet but eventually he probably will. The point is that when you set goals and never give up almost nothing will stand in your way. People will disagree with you or doubt you but the closer they get to you the more they control your life. Think of it as if two really tall people were standing on each of your shoulders facing you. They act as blinders and the only thing you can see is stuff in front of you they put you towards a path that they want. But the more they back up and stay away from you, if you don't let them get to you, you start to see all around you. The world offers many paths to take. It is up to you to take whatever path you want. You control your life, you set your own goals. No one else and that's the best part about life, you control you. Don’t let other people alter your
Coelho begins by identifying the main characters as they become timely components to unraveling the plot. The first line of the book, after all is, “The boys name was Santiago” (Coelho 3). We come to find that Santiago dreamt of traveling so he gave up his pursue of becoming a priest and instead, became a sheepherder (8). Santiago is already presented as a motivated character that makes efforts to accomplish his dreams. He exists as a dynamic character, rather than static as The Alchemist later on is portrayed. The Alchemist is cha...
"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.
Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is a story about a young shepherd who goes on a journey to the Great pyramids in Egypt in search of treasure to fulfil his personal legend. The boy meets people along the way who either help or hinder his ability to achieve his dreams. Through the contrasting views of The Crystal Merchant and the Englishman Santiago learns that many people pursue their personal legends only in their minds and that they all influenced Santiago’s personal legend; as a result of the characters’ outlook on life, Coelho conveys that everyone pursues their dreams either in life, or in their imagination, or through books.
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” (Coelho 23), these are the words an old king spoke to Santiago. This phrase constantly runs through Santiago’s mind while on his search for his treasure. Santiago, the novel’s protagonist, begins as a quiet sheep herder who has a recurring dream about being transported to the pyramids in Egypt by a child. Once Santiago met the old king, he decides to pursue his dream, find his treasure, and realize his destiny. Throughout The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago embodies curiosity, determination, and a naive nature through events that occur while on his search for his treasure.
The idea of a Personal Legend can mean different things to different individuals based on the life they have lived. For some, their legend may be to save a life, become a doctor, or even achieve happiness. It takes some people a longer time to find and achieve this legend, but I have been blessed to have realized my Personal Legend at a young age. My Personal Legend is to lead those who are lost to Christ and project God’s love with my helpfulness, advice-giving, and overall generosity as a person. The Alchemist somewhat reminded me of God’s power as my creator.
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.
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.
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 is a very unique novel written by Paulo Coelho, a rather unique person. Among other things, this singularity may be attributed to a distinctive spirituality, which is an important facet of The Alchemist and Coelho’s life. The aspects of spirituality in The Alchemist are important to analyze because they comprise a major factor of this worldwide best-selling novel. Moreover, some of the values contained in this work contradict with the values of Coelho’s Catholic faith. Coelho also expressed some rather controversial interpretations of his faith outside of The Alchemist.