Santiago is a young boy who yearns for adventure and purpose in his life.from a young age he knows he wants to see the world and becomes a shepherd to experience new places. Santiago still struggles to find meaning and purpose throughout his many years of travel though. It's not until he goes on the journey to follow his personal legend that he truly develops as a character. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, challenges readers to acknowledge their self-worth and realize they are strongest when they love themselves. In Part one Santiago could be described as weak character.
Santiago, Melchizedek, the Englishman, and the Alchemist himself play a very big role in the novel, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. Santiago begins to have a reoccurring dream about going after his personal legend and going to the pyramids to find treasure. He goes to a gypsy to help interpret his dream more in depth. As she convinces him to follow his personal legend he meets an old man by the name of Melchizedek who is the king of Salem and pushes him to go after his dream and also gives him two stones that help him read omens. After he begins his journey to find his personal legend he gets robbed and works for a crystal merchant for a year.
With his instruction, Santiago survives his travels in the desert, even while faced with war and threats of death. 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
Santiago has met with various obstacles along his journey and through these challenges he has made companions the Alchemist being one of them. Santiago was accompanied by the Alchemist along his journey and here is where he learnt the most lessons about his goal, language of the universe, and his heart. The meeting of this “goddess" helps the hero on their journey to overcome certain obstacles and points the hero in the right direction and in Santiago’s case the Alchemist even taught him how to become wind. Santiago also meets with the Oracle of the caravan to which Santiago explains his visions to and in meeting this “goddess" the hero continues to peruse their
The most significant obstacle to Santiago's growth is love because his love for Fatima truly almost kept him from pursuing his person legend. Santiago's journey almost ended because of his great love for his soul mate. Santiago stated this which led us to believe how great his love is: "I also have Fatima. She is treasure greater than anything else I have won" (Coelho, 119). Fatima is the ultimate treasure in Santiago's eyes and he does not want to depart from something he values so greatly.
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.
However, the actions of Santiago may be similar to the ones of epic heroes, Santiago proves to be his own kind of hero. Overall, in The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago is not an epic hero because he has doubts when he is fishing, he physically struggles to keep the fish on the line, and he does not fight in a good versus evil battle. Santiago is not an epic hero because he chooses to go after one big fish instead of a thousand little fish. The old man states that “my choice was to go there to find him beyond all people” (Hemingway 13). Santiago’s life long dream was to capture this large fish, but he had no idea that this fight against the marlin would nearly kill him.
Santiago is a poor old man who has endured many ordeals, whose best days are abaft him, whose wife has died, and who never had children. He is stouthearted, confident, genial, determined, and optimistic, not letting anything in life rattle him. But Santiago suffers terribly throughout The Geriatric Man and the Sea. In the aperture pages of the book, he has gone 84 days without catching a fish and has become the laughingstock of his minute village. He has had streaks of lamentable fortuity in the past, and he is hopeful that the next day will bring him better fortuity.
While at the Oasis of Al-Fayoum, the elder chieftain of the oasis tells Santiago the story of Joseph of Egypt. Joseph was enslaved for being a dreamer, but he persevered and managed to become an important counselor to the Pharaoh of Egypt. This Personal Legend could have suited Santiago because of his connection to the Soul of the World. The Soul of the World is a spiritual unity that binds all forms of nature together. Santiago knew he wanted to follow his dreams; it was helpful when he learned that “When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it” because he knew he was now destined to complete his goal, and not somebody else’s (Coelho 64).
Why are these things treasure to him Throughout the world there have been varied defentitions of a personal treausere. In the novel the alchemist by paulo coelho santiago the protaganist searches for his treasure in riches.since the begening of the novel santiago wanted to travel and expiernce what the world had to offer However santiago would find his tresure in following his fate,relationships, and in his home. .Santiago starts his journey in andalusia spain as a lowly sheep herder wanting to experience the world.. Santiago had dreamed of going to egypt and seeing the pyramids . However he didn’t feel as if he should abandon his profession and follow his dreams. He met a man named melchzdek who spoke of omens and following your personal legond and fate.