The Alchemist

A study done late July, 2016, by “Trade Schools, Colleges and Universities,” an online career resource website, took a survey of 2,000 adults to see if the job they had stood up to the job they wanted as a child. Of those 2,000 people only about 22% were able to fulfill their childhood dreams. Reading fiction is where dreams are created and eyes are opened to a whole new world of possibilities.

In the book, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, a boy by the name of Santiago goes on a quest to seek out his personal legend, He changes his mind many times with different obstacles that challenge his courage and his faith to his dream. Ordinary people have these obstacles too but don’t try to overcome them because they were told at a certain age that

Religion is a major part of society that is told through fiction and nonfiction to be a powerful force that should be expressed in the greatest way possible. (As in following your dreams).Fiction shows people that you can find love, and that love is

In a book by Samuel Richardson many themes went against social norms, the book it itself didn't conform to social norms and reshaped society to show power in hard work and not social class. On Page Eleven in the Alchemist, Santiago’s father tells him, “Amongst us, the only ones who travel are the shepherds.” Santiago replies, “Well then I'll be a shepherd!”In these quotes Santiago’s father is trying to persuade him to stay at his home town, because his father proclaims that his town has the prettiest women, and that Santiago will regret his decision of leaving. Santiago breaks the social norms of staying in his hometown to follow his dreams and seek out his personal legend. Many people have had their parents not respect the decisions they make to follow their dreams. This may be because of the very fact that their parents told them the same thing. When Santiago tells his father that he'll be a shepherd, he is breaking social norms like most people have to do to live out their dreams.Throughout the entire text Santiago has almost always been accompanied by a book. When he shows the king of Salem his book, when he exchanges his book when he enters the city that had the merchant's daughter, and when he was on his trip to the oasis, he has had a book with him. Santiago himself