In his book The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho narrates the tale of a shepherd named Santiago who embarks on a quest to live out his own unique legend. Santiago gains insightful knowledge on pursuing his dreams and overcoming challenges throughout the course of the novel. The novel is a beloved classic that has struck a chord with readers all over the world because of its universal themes of self-discovery and tenacity. Readers identify with Santiago's journey in The Alchemist because it perfectly captures the core of the human experience. The book serves as a reminder that each of us has a special purpose in life that is just waiting to be realized, but it requires risk-taking and overcoming hardship. Millions of readers have been motivated to pursue their own unique legends by Coelho's poetic and thought-provoking writing, which also conveys a powerful message about the importance of …show more content…
The voyage of Santiago starts when he frequently dreams about a treasure buried in the Egyptian pyramids. Santiago sets off on a trip to realize this ambition in spite of the dangers and difficulties that lie ahead. As he travels, Santiago learns that, “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it" (Coelho 64). This quotation illustrates the moral of the story, which is that if one is committed to pursue their goals, the universe will work in their favor. The concept of personal transformation is also one of The Alchemist's themes. Santiago has many challenges and disappointments on his journey, but he also picks up valuable lessons. Santiago develops into a more self-aware and enlightened person as a result of his experiences. He realizes that, "the secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times" (Coelho 89). This quotation highlights the theme of the book, which is that patience and resilience are the keys to achieving personal
Sosan Musleh Mrs. Witty Latin American Literature 10 May 2023 The Fearful Mind Emotions may have a significant impact on one's ability to achieve their goals. As Santiago propels to reach the treasure, he finds it difficult to overcome his challenges. For example, fear was a primary obstacle that impacted the protagonist as his journey unfolds. When facing challenges and contemplating failure, fear may have a significant influence on oneself. In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, Santiago has a relationship with physiological components as his journey progresses, and overcomes his challenges with fear.
For example, after Santiago travels back to Andalusia and digs inside the abandoned church, he finds a chest full of treasure. He thinks about how he was able to reach his treasure and achieve his Personal Legend; “It's true; life really is generous to those who pursue their Personal Legend, the boy thought" (170). Santiago decided to follow his dream and never gave up, even when he was robbed in Tangier. As a result, he met many people, including Fatima, the love of his life, and learned many important lessons from them. Finally, he found his treasure.
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
Santiago in The Alchemist experienced many major events throughout his journey, creating his personal development and transformation. Three of the most significant events in this journey include Santiago’s decision to become a shepherd when he meets the king of Salem, and when he discovers the treasure he sought. The first major event in Santiago’s journey is his decision to become a shepherd rather than becoming a priest. He knew the life of being a priest was not for him, for he wants to explore the world and its wonders.
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.
Entry 1: The Pursuit of a Personal Legend Santiago, a young shepherd spent his life herding his sheep across field of Spain. When Santiago wakes up from his recurring dream of a treasure in Egypt, he seeks for mentors like Melchizedek, who helps him realize that the dream is his Personal Legend. A Personal Legend is something that one has always wanted to accomplish and one’s purpose in life. Melchizedek tells Santiago “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” (22).
Paulo Coehlo’s, The Alchemist, explores the Hero’s Journey through the story of a shepherd, Santiago. Throughout the novel, Santiago becomes more aware of his potential as he pursues his Personal Legend. He faces temptations and obstacles as he develops as a character. The hero crosses the threshold when they leave their old reality in search for a new one. Santiago crosses the threshold by selling his sheep and taking a boat to Africa.
“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 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.
This is illuminated when the Alchemist says, “‘There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure’” (141). This particular moment shows that even though Santiago has both the ability and the knowledge to achieve his dream, it is impossible to attain it if he fears even attempting to reach it. Consequently, this fear acts as his enemy and a barrier that stands in the way of the meaningful and happy life he is destined to accomplish. Furthermore, another one of his fears is the fear of losing what he believes he has already earned. ” He reminded himself that he had been a shepherd and that he could be a shepherd again.
How did Santiago’s experiences change him as a person throughout the novel? If you’ve ever read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, you are probably familiar with the protagonist of the story, Santiago. But some may have been left questioning how his experiences actually relate to his character development. As the protagonist of The Alchemist progressed throughout the story, he encountered many omens while also positively influencing others like when he helps the crystal merchant after being robbed, which gives him a job and helps the merchant with his business.
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
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.
At the start of summer, my parents bought a copy of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. I never knew how much this book would change me. That’s unsurprising since, Paulo Coelho themed this book after wisdom. The book has many wise teachings and quotes that influenced how I behaved during the summer and in these first few days of high school. About midway into summer, I went on a 3 hour road trip to Las Vegas for two consecutive basketball tournaments.
In the Alchemist Santiago learns about the Soul of the World and that, like Brahman, flows through and is everything. Reincarnation and karma are key ideas of the Upanishads, and The Alchemist centers on Santiago’s journey to his Personal