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Situational Irony In The Alchemist

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Ironic Devices: The author uses situational irony which is foreshadowed . Paulo Coelho begins the novel by introducing the situation, “The boy’s name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as where arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had one stood(Coelho 5). This is situationally ironic because further in the story Santiago returns to this broken place only to discover the treasure was beneath him all along. Santiago had the same dream underneath the tree of finding treasure at the Pyramids of Egypt, he travels a long journey and finally arrives. When Santiago diggs for the treasure two men approach him and beat him sharing that they too had a dream of finding treasure in an abandoned building under a sycamore tree. Santiago then fled back to Spain and returned to where it all began only to discover that all along the treasure was beneath the tree. Santiago had the same dream underneath the tree, finding treasure at the Pyramids of Egypt, he travels a long journey and finally arrives. When Santiago diggs for the treasure two men approach him and beat …show more content…

In the novel when Santiago meets with the king of Salem he invites him to his palace and takes him around giving Santiago a task to hold a spoon with oil, Santiago does so and the King asks him if he noticed certain objects in the palace and Santiago didn't focusing on the spoon and oil. Santiago then is asked to do perform the same except this time he focused on everything but the spoon an oil the King of Salem said, "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon"(Coelho 34). This novel is full of wisdom that is constantly shared with Santiago and the reader with an uncomplex understanding making it easier for the reader to understand what the author wants the reader to

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