The Alchemist Literary Analysis How does one become successful in life? We all have a goal that we want to achieve but some of us never do. It’s probably because we aren’t ready to take the next step. Paulo Coelho’s book The Alchemist tells a story of success and explains the rules of life to be successful. He lets us view how 2 characters in the story, Santiago and the Englishman are on a journey to reach their goals. They learn on the way to prepare themselves for it but they are learning in completely different ways. Coelho makes an example of how these differences affect their journey greatly. The Englishman longs to meet the Alchemist so he reads books to find a way to do so. Santiago just wants to find his treasure and he examines the …show more content…
By showing us this, Coelho wants his audience to understand there are many different ways of learning and if we have the knowledge then we should use that to move forward on our journey of life but if we don’t then we will not reach our full potential and it will prevent us from reaching our goal. Coelho begins to show us the Englishman’s personality at the beginning of their journey through the desert, he uses the desert as a way to represent life so their journey is in fact actually going through life itself. The leader of the caravan asks everyone to pray to a God they believe in and “The boy swore to Jesus Christ” but “The Englishman said nothing”(74). The boy (Santiago) is willing to listen to others to help him on the journey but the Englishman is not. Coelho describes their minimal interaction during the start of the …show more content…
He uses the differences between the Englishman and the boy (Santiago) to show that there are two types of learners in the world. There are people that do the one thing they think will help them be successful towards their goals and the people that actually learn from what is around them and use it to push forward to reach their goals. At some point the boy actually meets the Alchemist instead of the Englishman because he is more open about the world. He barely knew anything about the Alchemist or how to meet him but he was so willing to learn from his environment that he became more worthy of meeting him. Coelho wants to show his audience that having a goal will put you on your path but if you don’t actually do something out of your knowledge you will not get to where you want to be. The Englishman read so many books and was very educated on anything that had to do with the Alchemist but in the end he did not even start his
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?
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.” First, the king teaches Santiago an important lesson. Next, the Englishman tells about a fear he once had. Last, Santiago learns another important
In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho uses the story of Santiago to illustrate that adversity stands as a necessity in one’s growth and transformation. Coelho talks about how if an individual is persistent about reaching their “treasure”, they will not only
Along Santiago's travels, he begins to find out that everyone must follow their Personal Legend in their own way. This teaching is shown by the Englishman, who is following his Personal Legend through complex books of alchemy. Santiago discovers that even though this might not be
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.
Since the beginning of the novel, it was Santiago's belief that the attainment of material gain or money would be immediately followed by happiness. Therefore, he maintained the belief that his goal in life was to become wealthy and gain social prestige. However, after his interaction with the wise old man, he learned that his life was so much more than just how much money he had or how well known he was. This idea of strife for personal superiority is thoroughly examined by Archana Kumari in her article Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist- An Exploration of Individual Physiological Dimension.
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.
For instance, he compares Santiago's journey to that of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, which symbolizes the transformative power of pursuing one's personal legend. Through this metaphor, Coelho conveys the idea that the pursuit of one's personal legend is not only a journey of self-discovery but also a process of transformation. Finally, Coelho's use of allegory is perhaps the most effective way in which he conveys the central idea of The Alchemist. The book is full of allegories, such as the alchemist himself, who represents the wise mentor who guides Santiago on his journey, and the desert, which represents the trials and tribulations that Santiago must overcome in order to achieve his personal legend.
The hero’s journey. Santiago and Beatrice’s story are similar in the way that they both follow the hero's journey. In the start of the book The Alchemist, Santiago is just going on about his normal life, caring for his sheep. (Coelho 1-5). Up until this point, Beatrice has been living her basic life she always has.
The Alchemist, a fable about following your dream, Paulo Coelho in his selected work The Alchemist, works on the concept of self-exploration. The Alchemist is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho which throws light on how a person will power, determination, positive attitude, sacrifices lead to his destination or his dream. The Alchemist was first published in 1988; this novel was a great achievement for Paulo Coelho. Originally it was write in Portugess, than it got translated into 72 languages and become one of the bestselling books in history and make Guinness world record for most translated book over 72 languages by a living author. Paulo Coelho was born in Brazil and has become one of the most widely read and loved authors in the world.
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.
Santiago’s life lesson in The Alchemist Throughout the novel it is proven that one has to lose something precious in order to gain something priceless. This central idea is shown many times throughout The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho with the literary element characterization. Throughout the book, Santiago has to accept and embrace change. He faces problems where it would be easiest for him to walk away, however he makes the decision to work through them.
In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo, the author uses multiple literary techniques to present the lessons behind the plot. The author uses symbolism, allegories, point of view, and foreshadowing. The author goes to extreme depths to show the character's journey of self-discovery and progression toward a life of knowledge. The plot is that people grow and obtain knowledge.
The quote, "The alchemists spent years in their laboratories, watching the fire that purified metals" (Coelho, 83-84) emphasises the transformative power of magic. The alchemists' practice of purifying metals through fire serves as a metaphor for how the pursuit of magic leads to inner purification and enlightenment in the novel. Magic has an intimate connection with self-discovery throughout the narrative. Santiago begins his quest to fulfil his destiny, encountering various characters with magical abilities. These individuals serve as guides, helping Santiago connect to the spiritual realm and comprehend how everything is interconnected.
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.