Introduction The Alchemist is a novel by Brazillian author Paulo Coelho which throws light on how a person 's will power ,dreams and sacrifises leads him to his dreams or his chosen paradise. If a person desires something how the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream ,this can be seen through the story of Santiago ,a shepherd who believes his reccuring dream to be prophetic. The story revolves around a boy who in search of treasure finds the true meaning of life and discovers the reason behind his existence ,he explores the secrets that lie behind the human mind and finds a new meaning of the world ,how he understands the language of the world and adds new chapter to his life. the alchemist is a story that makes people realize the power of omens and forces to believe in oneself,this story states that no one else can help you except you ,this book has been a ray of hope for those who were in chaos,who failed to find the meaning of happiness. This book teaches alot ,maybe it 's another omen for a good …show more content…
It is the longest and most intimate of all relationships we will ever have but the problem is self doubt that happens because we constantly neglect ourselves ,Self-doubt brings fear, such as the fear of failure, of the dark, of being out of control, of not being good enough., and the one we take most for granted. Yet it 's extraordinary how often we feel as if we 're living inside a stranger. That’s the fear that everyone has ,a fear of being rejected ,fear of being broken ,that’s how the story connects and that’s what we find common between ourselves and Santiago ,at one point he gave up ,he doubted himself ,isn’t it what we do every time we fail but he didn’t give up ,he wanted to test his boundaries. That’s what life wants to teach us. The book -The Alchemist makes you think twice about are you giving you dreams your everything or are you loyal towards yourself, and the question lies
1. In the prologue, the alchemist reads a version if the story of the death of Narcissus that has a somewhat different ending from the traditional telling, one that emphasizes the grief of the lake into which Narcissus will no longer be looking at his reflection. In beginning the book with this story, what themes and relationships is Coelho telling us to watch for throughout Santiago’s story? Do you think there may be an element of “narcissism” in the pursuit of one’s personal legend?
After miles of trekking across the desert for many weeks, Santiago eventually meets the Alchemist. They continue their journey through the desert until one day when three soldiers capture them. The alchemist makes a deal with the soldiers; if Santiago can turn himself into the wind in three days, they will be set free, forcing Santiago to face two more challenges. First, he must quickly learn the Language of the World. To do so, he thoroughly examines himself and the world around him.
Do you think santiagos obstacles will truly lead him to success in the end, or will it set him up for failure? Throught the book The Alchemist Santiago runs into many obstocules seeking treasure, but in the end Santiago realized he only needed to do one thing all along. The obstacles Santiago runs into teach him many lessons and get him to his succes in the end. In the beginning of the book the alchemist Santiago was very torn on going to Egypt or continuing being a shepherd but Santiago took the risk and went to Egypt and ran into his very first obstacle, an obstacle that felt almost impossible to overcome.
“The boy’s name was Santiago” (Coelho 3) was the first and last sentence to ever mention the protagonist’s name in The Alchemist. In this novel by Paulo Coelho, the reader follows the journey of an Andalusian shepherd named Santiago, to find his Personal Legend. Along the way of his journey he encounters several people that help him in his search of his Personal Legend. These people include a Gypsy woman that interprets his dream, a mysterious old man that calls himself “The King of Salem”, and a 200 year old alchemist. After reading Part One of The Alchemist, the reader can conclude that the motif of it is that you must lose something in order to move forward in life through the author’s use of quotes.
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.
In the novel “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho there is a young shepherd named Santiago who is in search for his personal legend. Santiago’s personal legend is to find the treasure at the pyramids. Throughout his journey, there are a lot of emotions especially the emotion fear. Santiago encountered a lot of challenges like crossing the desert, being in a war and turning himself into the wind. He learned the different levels of fear; fearing fear, being in fear, and overcoming fear.
The idea of "alchemy" in The Alchemist works as a metaphor comparing the changes people undergo as they pursue their "Personal Legends" to the change in which normal metals become gold. In the Englishman's words, alchemists, those who practice alchemy, dedicated their lives to purifying metals in hopes of turning them into gold. He states that in the process, "they discovered that the purification of the metals had led to a purification of themselves" (Coelho). In the same way other metals can transform into gold, people transform as they seek their "Personal Legends". In achieving their destinies, the Alchemist explains that people gain newfound knowledge on their journey, and they are "severely tested" (Coelho) on the lessons they have learned
Santiago then tells the alchemist: “My heart is a traitor. It doesn’t want me to go on.” The alchemist replied with a smart answer and said “That makes sense. Naturally, it’s afraid that, in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you’ve won.” A fear of uncertainty is what Santiago is feeling and he worries he’ll lose everything he’s accomplished so far.
When the alchemist presented Santiago with the choice to stay at the oasis, or leave and achieve his personal legend, Santiago struggled to find the correct answer. The alchemist let Santiago know that if he stayed in the oasis, for the first year his marriage would be great and so would his marriage. Over time Santiago and Fatima would drift apart, and he would loose his job. But on the other hand, if he decided to voyage into the desert in seek of finding his personal legend he worried that he might loose Fatima. He thought, "...
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.
The Alchemist: External Conflict- Santiago encounters many struggles while trying to find his treasure, one being getting all his money stolen and another being taken hostage by the Arab soldiers. Internal Conflict- Santiago struggles with whether to pursue his personal legend and find his treasure or to give up. Another thing Santiago struggled with is finding his inner connection with nature to turn himself into wind within three days. Finding Nemo:
Sometimes, we come across significant events in our lives that challenge our morals, making us forget our intended goal. In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago values the present and what it is that it can hold. He often says he likes to live a transient lifestyle and left a past life to live out his dream. In the beginning, Santiago often listens to his sheep, herding them and living in the moment.
During the whole story Santiago is trying to find his personal legend, he is trying to find his purpose in life. Therefore in the Alchemist, the most important thing is personal legend. Everything is based off Santiago’s personal legend, if he wouldn’t of became a shepherd the book wouldn’t be all about him following his personal legend and trying to figure out what his was. Santiago has to figure out a bunch of new things that lend his to his personal
In the Islamic faith they believe that there is no one greater than Allah. This idea has greatly impacted Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist. The main character, Santiago, goes all over Northern Africa in search of his personal legend, or his life goal. On his journey, Santiago must face many challenges and get in touch with the soul of the world; everything is connected. Santiago runs into many Islamic traditions and people and these things help him along his way.
The Author and His Times: “When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you” is the saying the author of the novel The Alchemist has lived by. Paulo Coelho, his childhood to coming of age an be best compared to the fantasy of magical world of his character whom he brought to life, the shepherd, Santiago. Forty-one and desperate, Coelho was coming to realization that his novel The Alchemist wasn’t working, with his original publisher decided to cut him loose and cancelled their contract. And sure enough, the one and only thing that kept him from moving forward was all of him, heart and soul. “I was living my own metaphor.