Similarities Between The Alchemist And Odysseus

Actor Christopher Reeve once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” That quote is especially true when one thinks about Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo, Santiago from The Alchemist, and Odysseus from The Odyssey. Edmond, Santiago, and Odysseus each sustained their share of challenges and temptations, and were able to fight through them to attain their dreams and goals.
Santiago, from the book The Alchemist, encountered many problems on the journey to achieve his dream of going to the pyramids. His most important challenge was harnessing the wind, that being the only way he and the alchemist could escape tribesmen in the desert. He didn’t think he could do it, then realized that “he, a boy, could perform miracles,” and he had to believe in what he had learned from the people he encountered on his journey, one being the crystal merchant. Santiago’s time with the crystal merchant was a challenge because he desired to go to the pyramids as soon as he could, but he needed money. It was hard for him to stay there for a year. Still, he had “...learned things from crystal,” making the time with the merchant very valuable. Santiago’s abyss was the attack on the camp at the oasis. He was able to warn the chieftains, but was doubted by others,

Santiago and Edmond had to go through their fair share of challenges and temptations, however Odysseus’ were far more significant and was more of a hero. It took him about ten years of hardships to get home, only to find another challenge waiting for him. He never gave up and kept fighting through, with hopes he would one day see his wife again. Odysseus is the epitome of Christopher Reeve’s quote, as he truly is “an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming