The boy, Santiago, was driven to find a lost treasure. He was forced to leave his life as a shepherd and his home. He traveled a across a continent in search of his treasure. Joseph Campbell proposes that most works of literature follow one basic structure called a monomyth or the hero’s journey. In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago is a Joseph Campbell hero, because he follows the path laid out in The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell.
The hero’s journey begins with a call. The hero must be called into action otherwise there would be no story. Santiago was called into action by himself. "I had the same dream twice... a child said to me 'if you come here, you will find a hidden treasure'". Santiago already had
…show more content…
These trials are distinguished from the effects of them. Ultimately two trials will give our hero something, be it aid, knowledge, or an object, that will be vital to their success at completing the final trial. The Alchemist is no different. Santiago faces many hardships and hurdles in his quest for treasure, but only a couple are necessary. “The following night, the boy appeared at the alchemist’s tent with a horse. The alchemist was ready, and he mounted his own steed and placed the falcon on his left shoulder. He said to the boy, ‘Show me where there is life out in the desert. Only those who can see such signs of life are able to find treasure.’ They began to ride out over the sands, with the moon lighting their way. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find life in the desert, the boy thought. I don’t know the desert that well yet. He wanted to say so to the alchemist, but he was afraid of the man. They reached the rocky place where the boy had seen the hawks in the sky, but now there was only silence and the wind. ‘I don’t know how to find life in the desert,’ the boy said. ‘I know that there is life here, but I don’t know where to look.’ ‘ Life attracts life,’ the alchemist answered. And then the boy …show more content…
This final test will be the biggest our hero faces and will require the culmination of all the knowledge gained throughout their adventure, termed the Supreme Ordeal. In the case of The Alchemist, the Supreme Ordeal is when Santiago is forced to somehow turn himself into the wind. “‘What is an alchemist?’ he asked, finally. ‘It’s a man who understands nature and the world. If he wanted to, he could destroy this camp with just the force of the wind.’ The men laughed. They were used to the ravages of war, and knew that the wind could not deliver them a fatal blow. Yet each felt his heart beat a bit faster. They were men of the desert, and they were fearful of sorcerers. ‘I want to see him do it,’ said the chief. ‘He needs three days,’ answered the alchemist. ‘He is going to transform himself into the wind, just to demonstrate his powers. If he can’t do so, we humbly offer you our lives, for the honor of your tribe.’ ‘You can’t offer me something that is already mine,’ the chief said, arrogantly. But he granted the travelers three days.” To accomplish this feat, Santiago needs to pull together all of his knowledge on the inner workings of the Soul of the World, part of which had been gained through his first two trials, otherwise he would forfeit his life. Even though Santiago set out with the goal of finding a forgotten treasure, that
In society, there is a thing called a hero’s journey. It is when our destiny is before us, and with the choices we make, depict our course for the rest of our lives. In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Cinderella Man directed by Ron Howard show how the hero’s journey affects Santiago and Jim Braddock lives.
In The Alchemist Paulo Coelho presents a character, Santiago, torn between following tradition and his Personal Legend. Santiago tries to live true to his Personal Legend, which is a path pursued by those who strive to fulfill their purpose in life. Yet throughout the novel tradition, a motif, presents itself as a roadblock holding Santiago back from reaching his dreams. Coelho juxtaposes tradition against Personal Legend to illustrate its purely individual nature and the necessity of the acceptance of change to reach one’s dreams and goals.
... location, serving as neutral ground. This leads to a road of complications arising, since both Santiago and the alchemist must go through great lengths to avoid becoming intertwined with the war at hand.
Coelho begins by identifying the main characters as they become timely components to unraveling the plot. The first line of the book, after all is, “The boys name was Santiago” (Coelho 3). We come to find that Santiago dreamt of traveling so he gave up his pursue of becoming a priest and instead, became a sheepherder (8). Santiago is already presented as a motivated character that makes efforts to accomplish his dreams. He exists as a dynamic character, rather than static as The Alchemist later on is portrayed. The Alchemist is cha...
"The Alchemist" is a novel written by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho in 1988. It tells the story of an Andalusian shepherd known as Santiago and his journey of fulfilling his "dream" which he names his "Personal Legend". Throughout his voyage, he met many different people and was forced under many different circumstances, and we are able to experience his emotional states throughout every part of his journey. He undergoes many revelations, and we could argue he becomes wiser and more aware of the spiritual value which everything in the world possesses. He ends up finding his "Personal Legend", but despite actualizing his "dream", he was a victim to the negative emotions that come with being human, and therefore we could argue that the main conflict in "The Alchemist" is within Santiago himself.
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” (Coelho 23), these are the words an old king spoke to Santiago. This phrase constantly runs through Santiago’s mind while on his search for his treasure. Santiago, the novel’s protagonist, begins as a quiet sheep herder who has a recurring dream about being transported to the pyramids in Egypt by a child. Once Santiago met the old king, he decides to pursue his dream, find his treasure, and realize his destiny. Throughout The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago embodies curiosity, determination, and a naive nature through events that occur while on his search for his treasure.
...In conclusion, we can say that after applying Joseph Campbell's theory of The Monomyth on The Alchemist; it is noticeable that despite The Alchemist being a postmodernism wok of literature, the author Coelho used all major patterns of the hero's journey of ancient myth in his novel and this developed Santiago's journey from an ordinary one into an archetypal one.
His bravery is shown when he must turn himself into the wind to save his life. "The simum blew that day as it had never blown before. For generations thereafter, the Arabs recounted the legend of a boy who had turned himself into the wind, almost destroying a military camp, in defiance of the most powerful chief in the desert," (Coelho 157). Santiago knows he can’t perform this task, but decides to listen to the alchemist and not give into his fears. Santiago’s determination is shown in the novel when he decides to continue on his journey through the desert. "He suddenly felt tremendously happy. He could always go back to being a shepherd. He could always become a crystal salesman again. Maybe the world had other hidden treasures, but he had a dream, and he had met with a king. That doesn't happen to just anyone," (67). Santiago knows he will have to travel through an entire desert and face many unforeseen issues to get his treasure, but thought it would be worth it to follow his dreams. Throughout the book The Alchemist, Santiago is a brave and determined
Have you ever encountered problems while trying to fulfill a goal in your life? In the book The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho, a shepherd boy named Santiago overcomes obstacles to reach his personal legend. Throughout the book Santiago encounters many friends to help him fulfill his destiny. Santiago encounters many problems throughout the story. He overcomes them with the help of his friends and his wife-to-be. These problems shape Santiago into a dignified man of many traits.
In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho an Andalusian boy named Santiago leaves Spain to travel to Egypt in order to achieve his Personal Legend. During his journey he meets four people, a Gypsy, a King named Melchizedek, an Englishman and an Alchemist, all of whom help Santiago along his journey towards his Personal Legend. However, only the King and the Alchemist teach Santiago lessons that he can learn from and use along his journey. The King teaches Santiago two lessons, to follow omens and that it is not always about the destination but that it is also about the journey. The Alchemist teaches Santiago to listen to his heart for guidance, what the Language of the World is and what the Soul of the World is. He eventually arrives in Egypt after
Curious, courageous, young, adventurous: these are all words to describe Santiago, the protagonist in the novel The Alchemist. In this novel, Paulo Coelho develops Santiago’s character as a young boy who goes on an adventure to find his life’s purpose. Through the hero’s journey, Paulo Coelho insists that both internal and external struggles often cannot stop people from achieving their goals, ultimately encouraging people to fulfill self discovery and understand who they truly are.
When wanting to accomplish something in life, there will be a decision that will affect the outcome of leading to the right path. It will either help in achieving the goal that was made or take it further away from being able to accomplish it. In the novel “The Alchemist” written by Paulo Coelho, is about a young boy named Santiago. He is a shepherd wanting to travel with his sheep all around in doing so he goes through the experience called "The Hero’s Journey”. The Hero’s Journey are stages taken to accomplish your Personal Legend which is a goal you want to get accomplish in life. He also goes through stages in the journey that help him overcome any challenges he faces. They also bring him closer to the end of completing
As stated in How To Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster, “quests consist of five things, a questor, a place to go, a stated reason to go, challenges and trials en route and a real reason to go”. Based on the information from these elements, Santiago, the protagonist from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho had experienced a quest in following his ‘personal legend’.
“ Where your treasure is, there also will be your heart”(159). This is what the alchemist said to the main character. The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, tells a story of a boy named Santiago, who goes on a long journey to discover his personal legend. As Santiago goes on his journey to pursue his personal legend, he is faced with many challenges, as well as left to make difficult decisions that change him forever. As Santiago travels the world, he becomes a hero. In The Alchemist, Santiago shows characteristics, as well as archetypal characteristics that make him a hero. Santiago displays kindness, bravery and wisdom; also he is considered a hero because he displays many characteristics of an archetypal hero. He displays archetypal characteristics such as: receiving supernatural help, proving himself many times and receiving an apotheosis.
The Theme of “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho is, always follow your dreams and listen to your heart. At the start of the novel Santiago does not know what he should do when he is confronted by his dream. But by the end of the novel Santiago completely trusts his heart to guide him though life. Santiago’s story shows him learning and living out the theme of the novel.