If a fortune teller told its customers something crazy that it was your destiny to do that would they do it? Deny it? Tell themselves that the fortune teller is crazy and does not know what they are talking about? Or just go on with there life and forget all about it? Well, it's people's personal choice whether they take on the challenge or not pursuing their destiny. In the Alchemist a Personal Legend is basically the same thing as destiny and the main character faces some challenges whether to accept it or deny it. Likewise, it was part of the hero's journey. Santiago got his call of adventure, in this book a Personal Legend, from a fortune teller he meets. She tells him that his Personal Legend is to go to the Great Pyramids in Egypt to find treasure. When Santiago heard this he was excited! Later he thought “So the boy …show more content…
(Santiago) was disappointed; he decided that he would never again believe in dreams” (Coelho, 17).
This quote clearly states that Santiago goes through rejection; therefore, he went through a state of rejection. Finally, without a doubt Santiago went through part of the hero's journey at least the call to adventure and rejection part so far. Mentors can come in different ways from omins to people. In The Alchemist Santiago has many helpful mentors that help him understand the universal ideas. One of his mentors was an old king named Melchizedek, he helps purswaid Santiago to pursue his Personal Legend. Also, Melchizedek gave Santiago two stones called Urim and Thummim. The stones represent good omens and bad omens. After all, Santiago did not use them very often because he was able to understand the universal ideas of good and bad omens quickly. Another mentor that
helped Santiago cross the threshold was a crystal merchant. He showed Santiago the importance of seeking his Personal Legend because he never got the opportunity to pursue his goal. Also, Santiago learns the meaning of “Maktub” which was an important word to help him understand some of the universal ideas. The crystal merchant states “But in your language it would be something like ‘It is written’” (Coelho, 61). That word opens up Santiago's eyes to help him realize that he should see the world as it is instead of how he wishes or wants the world to be. After Santiago's experience with the glass merchant he went and crossed the threshold which in The Alchemist is going through the desert to find his treasure. Finally, the last major mentor that Santiago had was the wise Alchemist. He taught Santiago how to become one with himself and his heart. Also, he taught him necessary tasks, emotion, and tips to help Santiago achieve his Personal Legend. To Santiago the Alchemist was a teacher to him and helped him to achieve his Personal Legend despite the challenges. Overall, all of Santiago's mentors helped sway him in the right direction to pursue his Personal Legend. Accepting something that could change someone's life for ever is very difficult task. Most people don't accept their destiny and overcome all of the challenges that they will have to face despite for some disappointments along the way. For Santiago, it took a while for him to actually go and cross the threshold. The gateway for Santiago was crossing the desert and he faced several challenges along the way. One major challenge was while he and the Alchemist were traveling through the desert they came across thousands of soldiers in the desert and they took them hostage. The Alchemist made a deal with the leader that Santiago knows how to control the wind (which is a part of Language of the Universe). He said that Santiago needed three days to prepare and at this time Santiago was afraid that he could not overcome this hurdle. Santiago thought that because he did not know how to control the wind. Also, it did not help because if he did not learn how to control the wind he would die. On the third day he had to become one with the wind. “I learned the alchemist’s secrets in my travels. I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the same hand, and we have the same soul. I want to be like you (talking to the wind), and carry the voice of the woman I love.” (Coelho,151). This quote was when the Santiago was talking to the wind and it was him explaining to the wind how they are similar and not that different from each other. Also, the quote sums up everything that he has learned from the alchemist witch was that everything is created by the same thing and everything is connected to each other and related to one another. Additionally, that quote stated that Santiago has found the key to unlocking the Universal Language and he knows how to do all of these extraordinary things that not all people know how to do. For example, later on in the book he learns how to turn lead into gold and he learns how to do that by realizing how the world is connected and related to one another (stated in the quote). Anyways, he did not die because he showed the leader of the tribe that he could control the wind and it saved his life. That was just one major obstacle that he had to accomplish in his hero's journey. Another obstacle Santiago had to overcome was that he trusted people too quickly which lead to him being robbed numerous times. As a result, each time that he got mugged he had to regain money by earning it through working with the crystal merchant and other jobs. This was part of the hero's journey because it was one of a challenge that he had to overcome. Finally, a more personal challenge that he had to conquer was that he had to sell his sheep. This was hard for him because he became very attached to his sheep and they were a big part of his life. Overall, Santiago had to conquer many challenges to complete a hero's journey, no matter how difficult or easy they were.
Olympics Games Rio 2016 is on in full swing and the name Michael Phelps has cropped up several times during the past few days. Just recently he won his 19th Olympic gold medal. But getting there was not easy for him. I read an article recently about his journey so far and could find similarities in his journey to those of Santiago in The Alchemist.
It is through their own experience that the mentor learns vital lessons of not just survival but of greatness. They oftentimes chose to pass these lessons down to the hero in an attempt to make the hero's own journey easier and spare them the hardship the mentor faced on his or her own mission. While they are not always driven by pure benevolence, the mentor does believe they will gain something from helping the hero, be it satisfaction from a good deed, or some form of material payment. The alchemist promises to “guide [Santiago] across
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
In conclusion, Santiago’s journey had different stages that got him closer to achieving his personal legend. Overall the Hero’s Journey of santiago was about him going through challenges and for him to trust in his heart. This can also be compared someone when wanting to accomplish something but then you would think you won’t be able to accomplish it. Clearly, he has been able to complete his journey through stages which had also got him closer to the end every time he has accomplished one of the stages, so the stages are also there so when passing a stage you will be able to keep going without any
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
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
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.
(Coelho 26) For example, Santiago’s first true test was to decide to leave behind his flock of sheep on the rolling hillside and follow his heart for adventure and head to Egypt in search of unknown treasure. Deep within himself, Santiago is questioning life and the meaning of it. But, it is only through a series of trials, adversities, and successes, that he comes to find his “Personal Legend”. (Coelho 26) Throughout the entire process Santiago does not lose sight of his objective, he maintained his focus on reaching the end of his goal. The qualities that Santiago personified of fate, commitment, love, and listening to the omens are what Paulo Coelho is teaching his readers to examine regarding their own “Personal
As stated in How To Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster, “quests consist of five things, a questor, a place to go, a stated reason to go, challenges and trials en route and a real reason to go”. Based on the information from these elements, Santiago, the protagonist from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho had experienced a quest in following his ‘personal legend’.
“ Where your treasure is, there also will be your heart”(159). This is what the alchemist said to the main character. The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, tells a story of a boy named Santiago, who goes on a long journey to discover his personal legend. As Santiago goes on his journey to pursue his personal legend, he is faced with many challenges, as well as left to make difficult decisions that change him forever. As Santiago travels the world, he becomes a hero. In The Alchemist, Santiago shows characteristics, as well as archetypal characteristics that make him a hero. Santiago displays kindness, bravery and wisdom; also he is considered a hero because he displays many characteristics of an archetypal hero. He displays archetypal characteristics such as: receiving supernatural help, proving himself many times and receiving an apotheosis.
Often in works of literature, the main protagonist is force to go through hard task in order to learn a lesson about society or themselves. In the end, the protagonist is often seen as a hero for doing something that would be considered uncommon or untraditional by those in their society. In novels like The Alchemist, published in 1988 by author Paulo Coelho, Santiago is a young shepherd who is oblivious to the fact that he is a hero because he doesn’t seem to have the characteristics of a hero, he isn’t idolize by the community or hasn’t made any drastic changes in his life - he is a shepherd with no aspirations or dreams for change. However, this all changes when Santiago is faced with a recurring dream, he has no choice, but to pursue his
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.
In 1280, King Edward "Longshanks" invades and conquers Scotland following the death of Alexander III of Scotland, who left no heir to the throne. Young William Wallace witnesses Longshanks' treachery, survives the deaths of his father and brother, and is taken abroad on a pilgrimage throughout Europe by his paternal Uncle Argyle, where he is educated. Years later, Longshanks grants his noblemen land and privileges in Scotland, including Prima Nocte. Meanwhile, a grown Wallace returns to Scotland and falls in love with his childhood friend Murron MacClannough, and the two marry in secret. Wallace rescues Murron from being raped by English soldiers, but as she fights off their second attempt, Murron is captured and publicly executed. In retribution,
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.