The novel “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho is a story about a young shepherd named Santiago, who had to take a hero’s journey to realize his personal legend. First he was called to adventure when he had the same recurring dream. This call to adventure brought him to meet many new people that were either helpful or a set back. An old king was the first mentor that gave him knowledge and the courage to follow his dream. The young shepherd crosses the the threshold when he sells his sheep and goes to africa. He faced many trials and temptations through this hero's journey. There was also a point in which he was thinking of giving it all up a returning home. He overcame this and transformed into a better person. In the end he finally realises his …show more content…
personal legend and returns home. Santiago’s call to adventure is his recurring dream of the pyramids in Egypt. At this point in the story santiago is thinking about what his dream could mean and he is wondering why it is recurring. Santiago thought to himself “It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” (pg.13) He thinks his dream could mean something and he wants to find out by asking a gypsy that interprets dreams. The gypsy then tells him of a treasure near the pyramids that he has to find. Santiago gets his call to adventure but it is not until he meets the gypsy helper and the old king mentor that he understands that he should consider going to the pyramids and accomplish his personal legend. Crossing the threshold is nearly the most important part of achieving a personal legend, because it is when someone crosses from their known world to the unknown world. Santiago’s “crossing the threshold” was when he sold his sheep to go to Africa and leave his know world of being a shepherd and embark on his journey to egypt and the unknown. He thought that “The sheep will get used to my not being there”(pg.28) before he gave some and sold the others to have money for the trip. When he spoke to the old king, he convinced santiago to pursue his personal legend. In return he gave him six of his sheep and sold the rest. To santiago crossing the threshold were the actions he took by selling his sheep and going to Africa so that he may take the first step into the unknown. Throughout the story Santiago had helpers and mentors, some more influential than others, some more helpful than the others.
One influential mentor to Santiago was the old king who encouraged him to go on his journey and gave him knowledge. “When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it” (pg.62) this was the knowledge the old king gave him before his journey. Santiago is convinced by the king to pursue his personal legend, because the king gives him knowledge about the way he should view his dreams. To Santiago the old king’s wise word had a great impact on his decisions and influenced the actions he made throughout the rest of his journey. Santiago faces many challenges that set him back, but he must over come them to reach his personal legend. For Santiago leaving Fatima and the oasis was a challenge, and staying was a temptation. He overcame this challenge and temptation when his second mentor, the alchemist, said to him “ she knows that men have to go away in order to return… Now she expects that you will find what it is you're looking for”. At first the thought of leaving Fatima was something Santiago did not want, because he feared he would never see her again if he left. The alchemist changed his mind
completely. When a character hit rock bottom to the point where they might give up all their efforts but then out of a miracle they keep on going is their “death and rebirth”. Santiago’s “death and rebirth” is when he connected the desert, wind, sun, and then spoke to God using the soul of the world. “The boy reached through the soul of the world, and saw that it was a part of the soul of God” (pg152) Santiago then knew he could perform miracles. He had to make the wind blow hard enough to blow the base camp and he only had two days to do so or they would be killed. Santiago finally listened to his heart and he understood the soul of the world. After the rebirth, a hero goes through a transformation which makes the hero much stronger and the heron now knows his personal legend. Before his death he was ignorant about the language of the world, but after his rebirth he was changed into a better person. By acknowledging God he was transformed.Santiago realised when “the boy fell to his knees and wept. He thanked God for making him believe in his personal legend…” (pg.160). Santiago learned everything he needed to know on his way to realising his personal legend, because he experienced everything he could have dreamed of. At this point Santiago has it all figured out, but no project is complete until the main objective is accomplished. After a hero realises their personal legend and receive their gift of God they return home and they are either accepted or rejected by society. He then knew that his treasure is back home, when the robber told him about his recurring dream that he never pursued. When he returned he was accepted by society. The robber told him “two years ago, right here on this spot, i had a recurring dream, too. I dreamed that I should travel to the fields of spain and look for a ruined church where shepherds and their sheep slept” (pg.163). By this stage Santiago has it all under control. He understands the soul of the world, has the treasure, and knows that the women he loves awaits him in the desert. In his return Santiago found his treasure and achieves his personal legend. In conclusion what the reader should learn or understand from Santiago's Journey is that if anyone is to get a call to adventure they should take it and achieve their own personal legends. The point the author wants to get across is that through the ups and downs everyone can still achieve something if they keep going. In the end The universe really does conspire to get you to your dreams, and all you need to do is take risks and keep moving forward.
Santiago replies that he was meant to save the oasis. The man then tests Santiago’s courage and tell him that if Santiago manages to stay alive till sunset the next day, then he should come find him. Santiago asks him where he could be found and the man points towards the south. Santiago realizes that the man in the alchemist. The next morning, although the oasis is attacked, all but one of the intruders were killed, thanks to Santiago’s predictions and prompt action. In payment, Santiago receives fifty gold pieces and is asked to be the counselor for the oasis.
Upon arriving they said they would stay at the oasis until it was safe to cross the desert. A camel driver tells Santiago that, “There are rumors of tribal wars” (The Alchemist 80). When entering the oasis they had to hand over their arms and stay in tents with locals and fellow travelers. During his short time at the oasis Santiago experiences love at first sight with a girl named Fatima. As the war drags on Santiago tells Fatima about his personal legend and she encourages him to continue on to Egypt. Although she has been waiting for him her entire life she still insisted that he achieve his personal legend. She said if they are meant to be together they will meet again one day. Then Santiago left the oasis with the Alchemist towards the pyramids. Through this he realizes that each challenge he faces on the way to his destination forms part of God's
Curious, courageous, young, adventurous: these are all words to describe Santiago, the protagonist in the novel The Alchemist. In this novel, Paulo Coelho develops Santiago’s character as a young boy who goes on an adventure to find his life’s purpose. Through the hero’s journey, Paulo Coelho insists that both internal and external struggles often cannot stop people from achieving their goals, ultimately encouraging people to fulfill self discovery and understand who they truly are.
When wanting to accomplish something in life, there will be a decision that will affect the outcome of leading to the right path. It will either help in achieving the goal that was made or take it further away from being able to accomplish it. In the novel “The Alchemist” written by Paulo Coelho, is about a young boy named Santiago. He is a shepherd wanting to travel with his sheep all around in doing so he goes through the experience called "The Hero’s Journey”. The Hero’s Journey are stages taken to accomplish your Personal Legend which is a goal you want to get accomplish in life. He also goes through stages in the journey that help him overcome any challenges he faces. They also bring him closer to the end of completing
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
"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.
Santiago is a heroic figure because he was always kind to others. He was always helping someone with something. For example: when Santiago was working at the Crystal shop, he helped the Crystal Merchant, improve his business. When Santiago was leaving the Crystal Shop, the merchant stated “You brought a new feeling into my Crystal Shop”(61). The Crystal Merchant is talking about how much Santiago has changed his business. Santiago has helped the merchant’s business by making a display case to put outside the store, cleaning all the crystal and adding new things, such as the tea. Santiago also helped an Englishman by helping him find the Alchemist. The Englishman wanted to speak to an alchemist. The Englishman stated “I need you to help me find out where the alchemist lives”(90). Because the Englishman requested for help, Santiago helped him. It took over half a day to find the alchemist, but fi...
He doesn’t speak the language or know how the people in Africa act; he just knows that his treasure is in Egypt. His innocence and lack of awareness causes him to trust a young Arab boy, who ends up stealing all the money Santiago had, “The boy wanted to believe that his friend had simply become separated from him by accident.” (41) As a result, this causes Santiago to feel helpless and incapable of continuing his personal legend. He sees no point in continuing his journey and decides that he wants to go back to being a shepherd in Spain. However, Santiago remembers the Old King of Salem and his advice on following one's journey. He decides that he wants to continue in order to complete his Journey and not end up like the Baker, who awaits for a chance to accomplish his own journey. For this reason, Santiago is a hero because when tough obstacles come his way, he continues in hopes of finishing his journey and returning back home to his ordinary life and to the Merchant’s
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.
However, Santiago did Change due to his beliefs, and how he is able to love a person. Since these things change in this character, Santiago was able to go on his journey because he believed the king. Also, because of his new perception of love, he was able to talk to the desert, wind, the sun, and the ‘hand that wrote it all’, and eventually turn himself into the wind so he wouldn’t die from the tribal ruler. He needed to love because he needed to get back to Fatima. These traits were made because of the journey from Spain to the pyramids. This happened in the realistic fiction book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Like Maxwell Maltz once said “The 'self-image' is the key to human personality and human behavior. Change the self image and you change the personality and the
The Alchemist a book about a boy named Santiago and is written by Paulo Coelho. The story follows Santiago as he attempts to succeed in fulfilling his personal legend. One very important factor in Santiago's journey is his dreams, and how his dreams influence the choices he has made. He learns many things along the quest to find his treasure, but it is indubitable that the most important thing he learns is to stay faithful to his own dreams.
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 Three Spanish Coins: As mentioned in the scrapbook they represent to Santiago more than material wealth, they convey to him that though his parents were against his decision of leaving priesthood for the act of mere traveling, his father somewhat understood his dreams. Had it not been for the three spanish coins he may have never possibly began his adventures as a shepard and may have never had the idea of pursuing his legend. But those are simply possibilities and the larger picture lies at the basis that he had received the approval of his father before he had decide to leave everything for a new life. On another note the coins may have been a prediction to what was to come for Santiago, just as his dad found the coins Santiago was destined to find Spanish coins in the treasure too.