Adversity In The Alchemist

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.

“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” This quote is the epitome of, Santiago, the boy, In the novel “The Alchemist”. The boy comes across several points where it would be easier to stop his journey and forget his dream, but instead he keeps pushing through till he succeeds, with the help of the omens. The recurring theme of omens in the novel, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho helps Santiago persevere throughout the novel, by guiding him in the right direction.

The definition of fate is, the development of events beyond a persons control, regarded as determined by supernatural power. Fate is something that is embedded in every human being. Not only does it shaped what we go through daily, but it gives us the final mold of what our life will turn out to be like. We often look to others and to ourselves to search for what pieces can help lead us to our fate. In the book the alchemist Santiago is constantly trying to find his directions to fate. He searches by himself and through many other people. As Santiago tries to figure out his fate, we're destiny, he goes through a lot of hardships including getting robbed. But he knows that in the end he will reach his fate and didn't need a little help getting

A myriad of common themes exist in literature, employed by authors for an infinite number of effects: among these are the basic human experiences such as life, death, joy, and adversity. As defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, adversity is “a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune.” A subject commonly explicated upon, adversity is present in literature’s earliest works, all the way through modern compositions. The role of adversity in literature can vary: if a character triumphs over or falls to adversity can paint the work in a positive or negative light, and be the difference between a tragedy and a triumph.

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.

Adversity can take us by surprise, but everyone at some point in life experiences it. The way our personal identity can be shaped is through our phases of adversity. The experiences of dealing with difficulties can shape the way we view life and the actions that will show our persona. When we persevere adversity and obstacles it shows our reputation and our true type of identity. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare, illustrates the way Hamlet, as well as other characters, deal with adversity through the types of motives they are seeking.

The Alchemist is a famous book written by Paulo Coelho. It’s about a shepherd named Santiago who travels from his homeland Spain to the Pyramids in Egypt. He does this to find a treasure he was told about. Along his hard journey, he meets some people along the way like a gypsy woman and a king in disguise who all direct him towards his quest. He doesn’t let the obstacles stop him toward his goal and eventually he finds his treasure. He found love with a woman in the desert, a treasure chest buried under an old tree in an old abandoned church where he first was, and a lesson learned about how the world and the people surrounding him have affected him in his life. I think the main theme of this story is self-discovery and how it can affect one’s life in the real world.

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.

“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant” (Horace). The idea that hard times elicit the development of certain aspects of a character, whether good or bad, is prevalent in literature, particularly The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Horace’s assertion is true in regard to the two texts in that they both contain characters who develop maturity and mercy, a new self-awareness, and cunning duplicity.

He gains a new sense of confidence and identity due to the adversity he

Adversity can take us by surprise, but everyone at some point in life experiences it. The way our personal identity can be shaped is through our phases of adversity. The experiences of dealing with difficulties can shape the way we view life and the actions that will show our persona. When we persevere adversity and obstacles it shows our reputation and our true type of identity. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare, illustrates the way Hamlet, as well as other characters, deal with adversity through the types of motives they are seeking.

Santiago felt very pressured but he didn’t fear to die this time because he knew that the universe was going to help him. Santiago overcame the fear of dying and turned himself into the

A personal legend is not just the result found at the end of Santiago's life. It’s more than simply reaching final destination. Santiago personal legend is achieved when he completes what he is doing. “It’s true that everything has it’s personal legend ,but one day that personal legend will be realized ,so each thing has to transform itself into something better ,and to acquire a new personal legend, until someday, the soul of the world becomes one only thing.”

Omens come in many different forms, shapes and sizes. They can be living or inanimate objects. If you’re not looking close enough, you might not be able to see them or chose to believe they are actually there. In Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist, Santiago discovers many omens on his personal legend journey such as the King of Salem, Stones and the Crystal Merchant. All of these people and objects helped guide Santiago through his journey to get to the pyramids.

Santiago faced adversity due to his age and his social and economic circumstances. The novel describes him as “thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles at the back of his neck. The brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks. The blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords.