Opening chapter/first few pages: The book begins with a prologue that says that an alchemist has picked up a book about Narcissus, saying that he knelt by a lake everyday until one day he died. The goddess of the forest then appeared and asked the lake why it was crying. The lake responded that when Narcissus knelt down instead of seeing Narcissus’s beauty, the lake could only see his own beauty. The beginning of the book introduces Santiago, a young shepherd, who finds himself in an abandoned church with his flock of sheep. The author illustrates Santiago’s sleeping quarters which consists of a book as a pillow and a jacket which he uses as a blanket. Santiago is shown to have a recurring dream but he always wakes up before the dream can …show more content…
The readers will know a little bit about the alchemist before the story actually begins. They will also see that there can be more to the story about the Narcissus. The effect that the opening pages of Chapter 1 create a mysterious mood that has readers pondering about Santiago’s current position. The pages can illustrate that Santiago is poor yet satisfied with his lifestyle and that he can only sleep in buildings that he finds vacant. Readers can also conclude of his infatuation of traveling as he is never in the same place. The mysterious aura that follows Santiago also makes the readers want to know more how the story plays out with this lonely shepherd boy. The author probably started the book with the short story about Narcissus because he wanted to give a preview of the message in the book, that you shouldn’t be so narrow minded as Narcissus just fell down into the lake and never noticed that it was using him to look at the reflection of itself in his eyes. Throughout the story the main character learned to notice omens and to do that he must be open minded. So the purpose of starting off with the story about Narcissus is to let people keep that idea in mind, while the purpose of the part with Santiago is to set up the setting of the whole
Daniella Karras English I, F Block The Alchemist: Journal #1 Out of 67 intriguing novels that were given as choices, The Alchemist was an easy pick. As I read the back cover of my last few book choices, I came across The Alchemist, and a quote that said: “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.” Although this quote didn’t do the book justice, it gave me a glimpse of the journey that awaited between my hands.
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?
Paulo Coelho, the author of The Alchemist tells the story of Santiago a Shepard whose life changes once he finds out about a treasure from his frequent dreams and meets a strange man who helps him to start his personal legend. On Santiago’s journey he starts to see the hidden meanings behind daily life creating the thesis that through seeing and understanding symbols behind the world people can learn about their own personal legend and live life to the fullest. Santiago’s life starts out all about his sheep, he chose to be a shepherd, so he could travel and meet new people. Santiago’s job is to take care of the sheep, but the sheep have more meaning in the story. The sheep represent how he is comfortable in his life and how he is questioning his frequent dream, to sacrifice his comfortable life to find this treasure or to continue without taking the risk.
By continuing he finds his true inner strength. In the story, the author shows the importance of perseverance, and how to face the many obstacles that people are presented in their lives to complete their goal. In Coelho's novel, Santiago faces many difficult challenges, but because of his courage and perseverance, he is able to face them head on. While in the town of Tarifa, Santiago meets
1) Isaac Hourwich’s purpose in writing this book is to oppose the claims of the Immigration Commission as there are also many stereotypes of Immigrants created by Native born Americans and also challenge the findings of the Immigration Commission. Hourwich uses his economic aspects to explain that Immigrants do not cause the labor market to decline, decreases wages, and increase unemployment in the United States. Most of the native-born Americans fear that as the rate of Immigration increases, it might hurt the American wage-earners. Therefore, there is an assumption that most American workers made was that “undesirable” Immigrants should be out of the country and keep the American workers busy. (82)
Santiago's temptation is when he has the choice whether or not to stay with Fatima and abandon his Personal Legend. After leaving Fatima he has a difficult time coping with the separation, even if Fatima is a woman of the desert, who knows he will return. The Alchemist offers him a sole piece of advice, “love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend.” (120) Santiago’s heart is aching for the loving arms of Fatima. He realizes that he needs to focus on what he needs, pursuing his Personal Legend and not what he desires to be with Fatima.
You just have to read the omens that he left for you” (29). The King, is actually an omen himself. He was put in Santiago’s path so he could start to realize what omens are. If the King had never told Santiago about omens, he would have remained where he is comfortable as a sheep herder. The King of Salem also reminds Santiago that everyone should pursue their personal legends.
Decision-making through the theory of Existentialism Existentialism is a philosophy which means finding self or finding meaning of life. It is theory which talks about freedom. Paulo Coelho in the novel The Alchemist talks about Santiago’s dilemmas and how he takes decision.
In the book the Alchemist (by Paulo Coelho) Santiago learns many things along the way to achieving his personal legend. He gained skills and experience in things across the board, from how to clean crystals, to the 5 obligations of Muslims, to the basics of alchemy. Santiago learns from the wise, and educated, but also learns the meaning of a true friendship. Overall it is true that reaching one 's personal legend is life 's greatest treasure, but often the journey is just as valuable.
Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. As this anonymous quote elucidates, fear acts as a barrier that essentially traps us in our comfort zone, limiting our experiences and holds one back from achieving his or her potential. In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the protagonist must overcome his own fear through obstacles that he comes across as fear diverts one from their purpose. To begin with, Santiago displays his fears throughout the book, and these fears are what hinders him from achieving his Personal Legend. Santiago displays an immense terror of failure.
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.
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
Before finding his treasure, he must be courageous and clever to survive the desert and the danger that he encounters. This courage enables him to reach the treasure and fulfill his Personal Legend. The determination Santiago exhibits is what allows him to earn his fortune and decide his
In Part one Santiago could be described as weak character. He is easily manipulated and persuaded by others such as the gypsy and the tour guide he met at the bar when he first arrived in Africa. His hunger for money blinds him from seeing his
He thought it’s waste of time and money. Later in the novel, the man who beats Santiago does not believe his own dream, but when he describes his dream to Santiago, Santiago recognizes it as an omen telling him where to find the treasure (Coelho 167). Thus, it’s the person loss as he ignored dream. The importance of actual, sleeping dreams parallels the importance of personal, symbolic dreams as embodied by Personal Legends. Thus, dreams require backbreaking work and determination to sacrifice anything to make it come true.