In the novel The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, Santiago looks to find a treasure in the unknown world, he must go to the pyramids in Egypt where his treasure is at. He begins his journey with the help of a gypsy who confirms him there’s a treasure, he then is helped to surpass the obstacles he faces in his journey by the old king Melchizedek, the crystal merchant, an englishman he meets on his path, and the alchemist who guides him to the pyramids. Throughout his journey Santiago learns many valuable things that will help him get to his treasure. Santiago’s call to adventure is to go to Egypt to find the treasure that the kid in his dream told him about. Santiago had in which a kid spoke to him and told him to the pyramids in Egypt, where he …show more content…
Santiago believes he must stay with her because he would probably never see her again if he continues, but the alchemist has told him love should not stop him. “You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend.” (pg 120) Now that he has found Fatima he believes that’s his treasure but the alchemist tells his real treasure is in the pyramids. The alchemist and Fatima both know Santiago must continue his journey. Fatima has said to him that if they’re meant to be he will be back for her after finding his …show more content…
Santiago had a transformation, at first he had no interest but then as he went on through his journey he began to find a significance on why to continue. He had a fear , he feared change but he went on and discovered that it was a positive change he’s going through. He now wants to find the treasure in the pyramids. In his rebirth he found motivation to continue on journey and accomplish his dream. Santiago’s return is when he comes back to the church to find the real treasure. After he went to the pyramids he was beaten by some robbers who mentioned that they were told there was a treasure under the church where Santiago used to sleep but they didn’t believe in it so they never went on to find the treasure. Santiago is accepted , he transforms throughout his journey, he becomes better and learns the language of the world. He learns the value of the things that the world has offered for him to see. Santiago is finally a person with the knowledge of the
The knowledge and universal understanding derivative from a journey can leave the traveller positively enlightened. In Coelho’s story, Santiago is faced with recurring dreams which lead him to ‘’traverse the unknown’’ in search of a treasure buried in Egypt, the metaphor for universal connection, and in doing so, comes to the unrelenting realisation of spiritual transcendence. After arriving at the assumed geographical location of the treasure ‘’several figures approached him’’. They demand the boy keep searching for this treasure as they are poor refugees and in need of money, but as Santiago does, he finds nothing. Then, after relentless digging through the night ‘’as the sun rose, the men began to beat the boy’’ , finally relenting with the truth, Santiago reveals his dreams to the travellers. In doing so, Santiago finds out that these men had also been faced with recurring dreams measured around the place where the boy had undergone his own, both relative to hidden treasure. However the leader was ‘’not so stupid as to cross an entire desert just because of a recurrent dream’’. It is with this fact, tha...
In the novel, The Alchemist, Santiago is an archetypal hero who embarks on the most common forms of a hero’s journey. From when he received his calling from his dream, the gypsy woman, and the king, his denial and refusing of the call with his thoughts of assurance of a stable livelihood, his acceptance and beginning of adventure, his help throughout the ways with the aid of the mystical alchemist, to finally the trials that he faces from the start to the conclusion. Therefore, so Santiago is what now, and always has been considered to be the all-known hero.
(Coelho 26) For example, Santiago’s first true test was to decide to leave behind his flock of sheep on the rolling hillside and follow his heart for adventure and head to Egypt in search of unknown treasure. Deep within himself, Santiago is questioning life and the meaning of it. But, it is only through a series of trials, adversities, and successes, that he comes to find his “Personal Legend”. (Coelho 26) Throughout the entire process Santiago does not lose sight of his objective, he maintained his focus on reaching the end of his goal. The qualities that Santiago personified of fate, commitment, love, and listening to the omens are what Paulo Coelho is teaching his readers to examine regarding their own “Personal
The first two obstacles that Santiago faces are that his father tells him he can not do something that he wants to do and that he wants to pursue his personal legend, but he does not want to hurt those that he loves. For example, Santiago’s father said, “The people who come here have a lot of money to spend, so they can afford to travel. Amongst us the only ones who can travel are shepherds.” Everyone is told by their parents and friends that everything we want to do is impossible. Since Santiago did not have money to spend to travel his only choice was then to become a shepherd to fulfill his desire. T...
Santiago, the main character of the story, was a “Shepherd” that tended to his sheep and traveled selling wool to merchants. A “Shepherd” is a leader, that protects the people that follow and love them. Santiago had to protect his sheep as well as Fatima and himself. He set his path and acquired many supporters along the way to reach his personal legend. Throughout the story, Santiago is traveling through to “desert,” to find his treasure. The desert is a symbol for “no personal growth” because the desert is barren and lifeless. This relates to The Alchemist because while he is in the desert, Santiago doesn't encounter or learn much. It is when he reaches the Oasis, the Army Camp, and the Pyramids when he realizes what he has to do next in order to achieve his personal Legend. Later on in the novel, Santiago must “transform into wind” in order to impress the leader of the Army camp to survive. Wind represents a “need for change,” and Santiago needed to change both physically, in order to survive, and mentally, to reach his treasure and fulfill his Personal Legend. Santiago also had to find his “treasure” by following his personal legend to the pyramids to discover true happiness. Treasure represents, wish-fulfillment and a more full meaning. Once Santiago discovers his treasure he becomes unquestionably happy and feels more full. He achieved his Personal Legend and became both happy and
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
When santiago was tested to turn into wind, he began to reach into the sandstorm and communicate with all the naturistic attributes.This represented his death. Santiago getting robbed for his gold & finding a solution to where his treasure was represented his rebirth in my opinion. “Tents being blown from their ties to the earth and animals were free from their tethers. The boy stood up shakily and looked once more at the pyramids. They seemed to laugh at him and he laughed back, his heart blasting with joy. This stage in santiago’s life represented resilience in its finest form, causing santiago to glide across this stage so profoundly. Santiago’s victory was a long time that was in deserving of coming. He deserved his treasure for believing in
After Santiago has had his dream interpreted, he sets out on a journey with the guidance of many people such as a king and a new friend. Firstly, Santiago meets a king who tells him that he can help him find his treasure if he gives him a tenth of his sheep. Santiago then sold all but one tenth of his sheep, which left him with a lot of money and a treasure he sought (Coelho 31). Now that he has no sheep left, he has nothing left to go back to, and has to start his journey. During the crossing of the first threshold stage, Santiago has to decide to take a step in which he gives everything up to pursue his personal legend. Now that Santiago has a lot of money, he is able to make the voyage to his treasure, but first he must get guidance. A boy he meets in a bar serves as a guide who holds his money for him, until when Santiago is not looking, the boy runs off with all of his money (Coelho 41). Santiago now has no money left and no sheep left. During the belly of the whale stage, Santiago faces a very impactful hindrance in which he is left with nothing but hope for finding. Lastly, Santiago faces many external struggles while on his journey across the desert towards the treasure in his dream. After traveling with a caravan during the hot days and very cold nights, Santiago learns that it is unsafe because there are tribal wars
Santiago then sets out on yet another journey, to see the alchemist. The alchemist tells Santiago that he was going to point him in the direction of the treasure. Once again Santiago is at crossroads. He replies that he has already found his treasure, namely the money he received from the crystal shop and the chieftain, a camel, and also the woman he loves, Fatima. The alchemist reminds him that none of those were found at the Pyramids, which was his initial
"They come in search of new things, but when they leave they are basically the same people they were when they arrived. They climb the mountain to see the castle, and they wind up thinking that the past was better than what we have now. They have blond hair, or dark skin, but basically they're the same as the people who live right here." Santiago’s father is saying that no matter how much Santiago travels, or how much of the world he sees he will come back the same person. Santiago’s father is an important person in his life. Without his father believing in him Santiago might not believe in himself either. Santiago seems to know what he wants in life, but with his father practically telling him it is wrong he might not succeed. Santiago needs others believing in him or he will not have the motivation to succeed in finding the treasure. Not only does Santiago need others believing in him, but he needs to believe in himself as
Following dreams can be very difficult, there can be bumps in the road, but there are also times when a step is taken closer to achieving the dream. Santiago pursues his Personal Legend of finding treasure at the Great Pyramids in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. Coelho writes about Santiago achieving his dream in hopes to show that following dreams, although it can be difficult, is necessary in life or else a life of regret awaits those who give up. The novel’s structure expresses his ideas and easily conveys to the reader what he wants them to take from his novel.
“ 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.
...s massive treasure from his dreams. Lastly, he found Fatima, which is apotheosis all on it’s own. Santiago even states, “ I also have Fatima. She is a treasure greater than anything else I have won”(115).
The conflict in the novel that most intrigued me was between Santiago and himself. Throughout the novel he almost gave up hope of ever finding his treasure. When he was robbed in the market place...
When Santiago met the King, a butterfly flew in between them and he remembered that his grandfather had once said that butterflies, crickets and other things were good omens. Another omen Santiago encountered was when he was at the oasis and he saw two hawks fighting. This omen revealed the violence that was approaching the oasis. Towards the end of his journey, Santiago encounters a scarab beetle when he arrived at the pyramids. He then remembers that in Egypt scarab beetles are a symbol of God. This omen shows him where to dig for his treasure. Finally Santiago’s stones that the king gave him acted as omens because the black one, Thummim symbolized “No” and the