One can overcome adversity with the right motivation. In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a shepherd boy by the name of Santiago embarks on an expedition to reach his personal legend. He travels to Egypt after having a recurring dream about treasure in the pyramids. On his journey from Andalusia to Egypt he attains much wisdom from people he meets along the way. Throughout his journey Santiago is met with many struggles and obstacles, but overall he develops into a well rounded person. In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho uses the story of Santiago to illustrate that adversity stands as a necessity in one’s growth and transformation. Coelho talks about how if an individual is persistent about reaching their “treasure”, they will not only …show more content…
We can see an example of this in the first chapter when Santiago is about to depart for Egypt. Santiago faces the fear of whether or not he is making a mistake in not becoming a priest like his father wanted. His father would tell him that “Those who pursue dreams are never satisfied”. (Coelho 11) This fear helps drive him towards his goal because he realizes that there is more fear in not knowing what he might achieve than not achieving what he is expected to. That if he did not push past his fear of the unknown outcome, he would not have found himself and the first step in his transformation as a person. This is the first example of how persistence through adversity is necessary for growth and transformation, because Santiago learns that this hardship helped drive him towards his personal …show more content…
While traveling through the Sahara Desert, Santiago is captured by a warring tribe and is threatened with death. In order to escape Santiago uses his wits and ingenuity by using a hawk to communicate with the Alchemist, who had been traveling with him. The Alchemist agrees to help Santiago and devises a plan to distract the guards for Santiago’s escape. Through this Santiago learns mental toughness, which is an important aspect in helping him finish his journey. This proves that it is a necessity to have adversity in one's life to promote growth and transformation in one's character. A study done at the University of Buffalo showed that individuals who have a higher overall lifetime adversity gained more mental toughness and resilience. (Seery, Mark D., et al) One must be mentally strong in order to overcome struggles and obstacles, and having experience with these adversities has a big impact on this. Another example of mental strength that Paul Coelho shows in The Alchemist is through Santiago's lover, Fatima. Santiago meets Fatima on his journey and does not want to leave her. He believes Fatima is “Worth more than treasure” and willing to give everything up for her. (Coelho 61) He is afraid of hurting the love of his life, however he knows that he must pursue his personal legend. He is able to overcome this fear with help from the Alchemist, who
He is a stronger and smarter man because of what happened to him. Santiago hit a lot of adversity at the beginning of his journey and it prepared him for the worst of his journey. “Now he understood why the owner of the bar had been so upset: he was trying to tell him not to trust that man.” (Coelho 43). He lost it all and he was prepared for anything for the rest of his journey.
He even matures through his adventure. Santiago said “he didn't want to become a priest. That he wanted to travel.” ,Some people may view this book as Santiago chasing treasure but his real dream is traveling. In the end Santiago achieves his dream because of hard work and never giving up.
The Importance of Perseverance At many times in people’s lives, they consider giving up. This is also true for Santiago, the protagonist in Paulo Coelho's fantasy novel The Alchemist. Santiago is on a journey to find a hidden treasure he saw in a dream. Along this journey he continues to contemplate whether he should just give up, or continue his adventure.
“Attaining your dreams or goals requires either suffering of sacrifice and sometimes, both.” This statement is a reflection on the idea that success in life is not easily attained and achieving that success takes lots of blood, sweat, and tears. This shows up many different times in the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. One of the first times we see this struggle is when the main character, Santiago, hits a low point in his journey when “He was no longer a shepherd, and he had nothing, not even the money to return and start everything over” (Coelho 39). Santiago in this moment sees the suffering and sacrifice he has already gone through on his way to achieving his dreams.
The theme of the story, is someone achieving their own destiny. In other words, your own personal dreams. Santiago had a lot of obstacles in his path to his dreams. Just goes to show it’s not always easy to get where you want to be. When Santiago was with the old man, he had told him “When you are young you believe that all your dreams are possible, or will come true,” “but as time passes by a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them for them realize and achieve their destiny.”
This causes Santiago to dig deeper into the meaning of his literal dream and seek out the Alchemist, a person who can turn lead into gold and heal illnesses, as well. Once in association with the Alchemist, Santiago seeks guidance on how he will be able to fulfill his Personal Legend, with fear that he will suffer greatly travelling the rest of the Sahara desert. The Alchemist instructs him: “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s with God and with eternity” (152). Santiago is comforted by these words and feels as though he can achieve his
Through these allegories, Coelho reinforces the importance of perseverance, faith, and the belief in oneself in the pursuit of one's personal legend. In conclusion, Paulo Coelho effectively conveys the central idea of The Alchemist through the use of fable-like storytelling, figurative language, metaphors, and allegory. Through the story of Santiago's journey, Coelho encourages readers to pursue their personal legends with passion and purpose, and to trust in the journey even when faced with adversity. The Alchemist is a powerful and inspiring book that continues to resonate with readers around the
Many people may not know much in the way of their identity. The challenges can help people learn about themselves through the actions they take and what they can achieve in the face of adversity. Learning about your identity is represented quite well by Santiago in Paulo Coelho’s fantasy novel The Alchemist. The the start of the story Santiago is lost with no goal in life and has little knowledge of what it outside of the plains and towns of Spain. Then Santiago is faced with massive amounts of adversity in the form of a threat of death he learn about his identity and learns that he can face and overcome the challenge.
The Alchemist Literary Analysis How does one become successful in life? We all have a goal that we want to achieve but some of us never do. It’s probably because we aren’t ready to take the next step. Paulo Coelho’s book The Alchemist tells a story of success and explains the rules of life to be successful. He lets us view how 2 characters in the story, Santiago and the Englishman are on a journey to reach their goals.
This is illuminated when the Alchemist says, “‘There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure’” (141). This particular moment shows that even though Santiago has both the ability and the knowledge to achieve his dream, it is impossible to attain it if he fears even attempting to reach it. Consequently, this fear acts as his enemy and a barrier that stands in the way of the meaningful and happy life he is destined to accomplish. Furthermore, another one of his fears is the fear of losing what he believes he has already earned. ” He reminded himself that he had been a shepherd and that he could be a shepherd again.
Santiago has an epiphany when he realizes that if you never change and take risks you will never move forward. He wants to find his “personal legend,” or true desire, and to obtain this he needs to change his own nature. He must be willing to give up whatever is necessary to achieve this goal, including freedom. On Santiago’s journey he becomes employed by a crystal merchant that never achieved his personal legend. The merchant resisted change and never accomplished his dreams.
In his book The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho narrates the tale of a shepherd named Santiago who embarks on a quest to live out his own unique legend. Santiago gains insightful knowledge on pursuing his dreams and overcoming challenges throughout the course of the novel. The novel is a beloved classic that has struck a chord with readers all over the world because of its universal themes of self-discovery and tenacity. Readers identify with Santiago's journey in The Alchemist because it perfectly captures the core of the human experience. The book serves as a reminder that each of us has a special purpose in life that is just waiting to be realized, but it requires risk-taking and overcoming hardship.
Seven Dapp Ms. Shaw Honors English 9 Block 3 14 August 2023 Transformation of Santiago In literature, a character often changes from the beginning to the middle and the end of a novel. Santiago undergoes many changes in the novel, The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho. At the beginning of Santiago’s personal journey, he is naive and unenlightened. By the end of the novel, he becomes more spiritually enlightened and mature. Santiago transforms when he realizes that everyone should pursue what they find meaningful in life, and pursuing what he finds meaningful brings him joy and influences those around him positively.
The Influence of Literature Literature is a form of artistic expression that enables students to express their individuality. This is achieved through reading different forms of literature, to strive for our dreams and uncover our personal legends. In Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”, the theme of personal legends serve as a way to understand your life long fulfillment. While I read the book I manifested the hidden meanings and interpreted the book as if it were my own life journey. Just as the protagonist in the book, I can see omens in my life that act like a guide.
Throughout The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho creates many themes primarily exhibited through Santiago's journey and the words of the Alchemist. One of the biggest themes that is evident throughout the entirety of the novel is the idea that there is always something more to live for in life. Towards the introductory phase of the story, the reader understands that Santiago is happy with his life and can ask for nothing more. However, his mentality of satisfaction is quickly lost as Santiago is informed that he must fulfill his personal legend by venturing to the Great Pyramids and finding expensive treasure. Throughout his journey, Santiago faces many hardships such as getting scammed and even deals with points where he considers death and giving up