In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the notion of the past and present played a great part introducing and developing a theme. A character in both novels long to relive their pasts but at the same time are okay with keeping things as they are. One of The Alchemist’s themes is about achieving one’s Personal Legend; and one of A Catcher in the Rye’s themes about the pain of growing up. These characters and their stance on the past and present were catalysts for introducing these themes.
The narrator and protagonist of The Alchemist, Santiago, meets a crystal merchant after being robbed of all his money he earned from selling his sheep in Tangier. Muslims are required to feed hungry people because the Koran says so. Santiago isn’t Muslim though so he had not known until after he cleaned a bunch of the merchant’s crystal goblets. It was a win, win and soon after, Santiago began to work for the merchant.
During his time working there, the merchant showed Santiago another reason why it is so important for one to pursue their Personal Legend (if you do not understand already, personal legends are basically destinies). By this point in the novel, Santiago’s Personal Legend has already been revealed: to go to Egypt’s pyramids where he will find a great treasure. Up until this point, Santiago already understands that achieving your Personal Legends is a pretty dope idea. I mean who does not want treasure right? The crystal merchant is shown as a prime example of someone who failed to pursue his own Personal Legend. Being a very religious man, he believed his Personal Legend was to follow the five obligations of Muslim law. The fifth obligation is for every Muslim to visit the holy city of Mecca, a...
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... and nothing much happens, but that does not mean that nothing changes.
Both of the themes of these two books are similar because they were brought to light because of the past. Pain does come with growing up but we will get past it, and you should follow your dreams because if you do not you will regret it. The two characters bring these themes to light in ways that are unique from each other, almost opposites. The crystal merchant failed to realize the importance of pursuing his Personal Legend until it was already too late but Holden began to come to terms with adulthood and overcame the fear and pain that he felt throughout the novel. For The Catcher in the Rye the past is left in the past but in The Alchemist the past will always be in the back of the crystal merchant’s mind.
Works Cited
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
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Do you ever wish you could return to the early time of your existence where the innocence and purity of childhood enveloped you on a day-to-day basis? These were the times when committing wrong doings were not only met with meager consequences, but also expected of you by the parental guardians or guides in your life. In "The Catcher in the Rye" , written by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, expresses his yearning for this feeling continuously throughout this detailed depiction of a struggling young man who craves nothing more than to make the dream he has given his entire being to, into a reality he can physically experience. A simpler way to help readers understand his complex idea is to compare his dream to the dreams of the fabled "Fountain of Youth" that countless stories are written about. Instead of the physical attributes that staying young would give an individual, the mental ideals of innocence and purity are the cause of Holden's tireless pursuit and inability to interact and function in every facet of society. The tragedies and socially awkward life that Salinger's character endures would be extremely damaging to most any human being's, already precariously balanced, mental health. The symptoms of popular health disorders such as bipolar disorder, anti-social disorder, and anxiety disorders are expressed prominently by Holden Caulfield throughout the entire novel.
Catcher in the Rye is one of the most famous books in American literature. Written by J. D. Salinger, it captures the epitome of adolescence through Salinger’s infamous anti-hero, Holden Caulfield. Holden Caulfield learns about himself and his negative tendencies, and realizes that if he does not do something to change his perspective, he may end up like his acquaintance James Castle whom he met at Elkton Hills. Holden tries to find help to mend his outlook on life through Mr. Antolini so he does not end up like James, who did not want to face the problems he created for himself. This is proven by the similarities between James Castle and Holden, Mr. Antolini’s willingness to try and help Holden, and Holden’s future being forecasted by James.
There will always be a moment where we all change, but most of us would prefer to hold on to remaining an adolescent. "Catcher in the Rye" written by J.D. Salinger, is a story about a high-school student, Holden, who looks for a reason to change and move on from his depressing page of life. The novel depicts the adventures of Holden as he processes a change. Through Holden's resistance to change, Salinger expresses that people sometimes crave for the past which impacts us negatively, but we would be better off if we learn to move on and find something special.
Experiencing a tragedy at a young age causes many problems as that individual grows up. The most common effects are changes in usual behavior, episodes of crying or sadness, and suicidal thoughts. In The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, and The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, the death of a close sibling causes two characters to act out and experience these effects.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Fahrenheit 451 share two main characters that are seemingly lost in the unknown. Both Chief Bromden and Guy Montag are protagonist in the respective novels. These two characters both have a false sense of reality; however, this is the only reality they know. Bromden and Montag have little sense of what the world they live in has to offer. However things start to change for both of these men when they start to receive guidance from their counterparts, Randle McMurphy and Clarisse McClellan. Both of these characters become the catalyst for the freedom and liberation that Bromden and Montag come to find.
In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, a sixteen year old boy named Holden Caulfield gets expelled from his school and runs away before his parents find out. He goes to his home town, New York, and encounters many people. Throughout the novel, Caulfield is still coping with the death of his brother Allie. His attitude slowly decreases and various signs of a mental disorder are exhibited through his actions and his thoughts. Some people believe that he does not have a mental disorder, he is just grieving; however, he has clear symptoms that he is suffering from depression and anti-social disorder. These disorders are shown when Caulfield takes everything in a negative way, talks about being depressed, thinks that everyone is “phony”, and talks about his deceased brother.
Santiago begins working for the crystal merchant and receives a good commission for selling each piece. He wants to make more money in order to buy some sheep and realizes that it will take him a year at the rate he is going. He offers to build a display case to place outside and attract more customers. The crystal merchant does not like things to change, and he resists Santiago's attempt to change things. After some reflection and discussion, he gives Santiago his approval to build the display case.
The book I read is called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The Alchemist is about a boy from Spain, whose name is Santiago and is a shepherd. The book tells how he gets around countries, and how he deals with his problems and how he solves them. It shows how he follows his dreams, and who helps him along the way.
The overall theme portrayed in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, is the loss of innocence. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, values his innocence and fears of who he will become once he matures and conforms with the rest of society as an adult.
...p between Gene and Finny. On the other hand, J.D. Salinger’s theme in The Catcher in the Rye was developing through adolescence with depression and confusion in your life. Through the point of view of Holden’s place, his attitude and experience he went through discerned that stress was a big issue to him and struggling through depression as a teen and achieving maturity from it is something the most of us could relate to. Overall, both of the themes in the novels have something to do with social events in our lives and both of the themes became interesting appeals.
Upon arriving they said they would stay at the oasis until it was safe to cross the desert. A camel driver tells Santiago that, “There are rumors of tribal wars” (The Alchemist 80). When entering the oasis they had to hand over their arms and stay in tents with locals and fellow travelers. During his short time at the oasis Santiago experiences love at first sight with a girl named Fatima. As the war drags on Santiago tells Fatima about his personal legend and she encourages him to continue on to Egypt. Although she has been waiting for him her entire life she still insisted that he achieve his personal legend. She said if they are meant to be together they will meet again one day. Then Santiago left the oasis with the Alchemist towards the pyramids. Through this he realizes that each challenge he faces on the way to his destination forms part of God's
This year summer assignment required students to read and analyze The Bell Jar written by Sylvia Plath, and The Catcher in the Rye written by J. D. Salinger. From there we are introduced to two characters, Esther and Holden. Both share multiple traits but are respectively still differ from each other. Because of their similarities, Holden and Esther go through similar struggles in life, therefore giving the books common themes. The three major themes that are covered throughout the novels are the search for identity, the American Dream, and the melting pot.
Working for the merchant is not very pleasant. The man is grouchy and always complains, but he is fair to Santiago. Santiago wants to build a cabinet to display crystal for customers who pass by to see. The merchant is insecure about change. Santiago learns that change is necessary for success and if one never changes, one never moves forward. The second thing that he learns is not to put off something one intends to do. The merchant tells how he is a devout Muslim but he has never made the pilgrimage to Mecca, because he was always afraid to trust his shop with anyone. Santiago also comes to realize that he has to listen to and identify the clues and omens around him. The Crystal Merchant impacts Santiagos journey and life because he learns many things. He learns how to deal with crystals, the language without words, omens, learned the Arabic language and he learned to take chances even thought the odds are against his favor. This character impacts my life because he also teaches me that omens are all around us and also to take chances when your the lowest and the odds are not in your
In the beginning of the Alchemist, Santiago is in Spain looking across the strait to Africa, and the wind blows from Africa. And he says: “The levanter increased in intensity. Here I am, between my flock and my treasure, the boy thought” (pg 30). The diction implies the opposition of security by Santiago deciding not to stay with the sheep who represent those who do not wish to achieve their Personal Legend and chooses to realize his Personal Legend. The levanter increasing also created a frantic tone as the decision approached, and his heart made the decision for him in the moment resulting in the realization of his personal legend and his true happiness. The only way for someone to achieve happiness in one’s life, one must complete their