Critical Lens Essay On The Alchemist

Being Your Better Self
Becoming better benefits a bunch of beings. When you become better, you may not know it, but people around you benefit from you trying to improve. This happens to the main protagonist, Santiago because he strives to become better and everyone and everything’s lives around him improve as well. In the novel, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, Santiago learns, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” To begin, King Melchizedek tries to become better, and in return Santiago becomes better. Next, Santiago has a vision that will help the tribesmen. Finally, Santiago talks to the forces of nature leaving two people smiling.
To begin, King Melchizedek tries to become better, and in return Santiago becomes better. For example, when Santiago was talking to Melchizedek in

For example, after some tribesman captured the Alchemist and Santiago, the Alchemist said Santiago is an alchemist and can easily turn into wind and destroy the camp. Santiago talks to the forces of nature including the desert, the wind, the sun, and the hand that wrote all, which leaves two people smiling. "But there were two people smiling: the alchemist, because he had found his perfect disciple, and the chief, because that disciple had understood the glory of God." (157). When the Alchemist tells the tribesmen that Santiago can turn himself into the wind and destroy the camp, Santiago is left with no choice but to do it. He has no clue whatsoever on how to turn himself into the wind so he calls upon the desert. Then he continues to talk to the different forces of nature. Santiago becomes better because he does not know how to at first but learns how to become the wind. When Santiago becomes the wind, he leaves two people smiling, and those two people are happy. They become better as well. To conclude, striving to become better improves everyone’s lives around