The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago began a quest across the Sahara Desert in search of a hidden treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. Santiago is obviously our quester: a young boy, determined and enthusiastic about learning everything that he can. His destination is also clear: the Egyptian pyramids. Santiago must travel across the Sahara Desert from Andalusia to Egypt, spanning approximately four thousand miles. The stated reason for traveling to Egypt was to obtain a hidden treasure mentioned in Santiago’s recurrent dream about a child showing him a hidden treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. On the way there, Santiago met and overcame many difficulties. He was swindled by a thief and lost all of his money; involved himself in violent tribal wars; was apprehended by Arab soldiers; received brutal beatings. In the last part of his journey, Santiago learned from his attackers that the treasure was located at his home, where it all began, in Andalusia. The real reason that Santiago

In Santiago’s dreams, he sees that he must travel to the Pyramids of Giza in order to find the treasure that is hidden for him. After meeting with Melchizedek, he realizes that it is his “Personal Legend” to reach the Pyramids and decides to sacrifice everything that he had to accomplish it.

“The Alchemist” is a novel written by Paulo Coelho in 1988. Regarded as Coelho’s best novel, it captures the elixir of life through the view of a sanguine Spanish Shepard. Set in a forsaken church in Spain at night; the young Shepard Santiago tastes the exquisite sensation of a compelling dream. He dreams that a young lad tells him about a hidden treasure near the Egyptian pyramids. After the dream recurs more than once, Santiago decides to consult an old man and an old woman who tell him that his dream is prophetic and that he must abide by its directions. Santiago then decides to pursue his dream and sets off on the venture of a lifetime with a set purpose of finding the fortune hidden near the Egyptian pyramids. In the course of his quest,

In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the protagonist is a young shepherd named Santiago who longs to travel the world. He has a recurring dream about treasure in Egypt and goes on a prolonged journey in search of it. His treasure ends up being right where he begins, but it is evident that his voyage is essential to finding it because he learns crucial lessons about the world along his adventures. People that Santiago meets along his adventure help him and teach him about love and the Soul of the World. They encourage him to follow his Personal Legend and to never give up on it. Spain, the desert, the oasis, and other locations that Santiago must travel through produce complications that he has never dealt with before. Santiago must conquer his fear and overcome obstacles that are thrown at him. Coelho uses plot devices such as characters and settings to enhance the themes of love, fear, and Personal Legend and make The Alchemist a successful novel.

“As soon as you begin to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning.” Barbara Sher’s quote illustrates Paulo Coelho’s attempt in The Alchemist to raise the idea that individuals should pursue their Personal Legend and individual dreams. Coelhio uses a multitude of literary elements such as symbolism and setting as described by Thomas C. Foster in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. In The Alchemist, Coelho uses his characters as symbols to manifest his overall theme to engage in following your personal legend. The way Coelho’s illustrates his theme throughout his work can be interpreted as both realistic and problematic. Throughout Santiago’s journey along with personal experience, the reader can validate Coelho’s

He needed to find the alchemist so he found a camel driver who would take him to the oasis where the alchemist was. While traveling down there he met an english man who was also in search of the alchemist. They reached the oasis and searched for the alchemist for many days until he finally found him. Santiago left with the english man in search of the treasure that he saw in his dreams. Santiago and the alchemist finally found his treasure and Santiago realised that he had been there before. Santiago had finally achieved his personal

As Santiago is walking through the dessert with the Alchemist in search of the pyramids, he has mixed emotions about the journey. He is happy with his life at the moment. He met a wonderful girl, is respected by the people of the oasis, and has a steady income. Walking through the dessert in search for treasure that may not even exist, puts everything that he has gained in jeopardy. He is afraid of losing it all. In order to comfort Santiago, the Alchemist tells him to listen to his heart. He states “People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel they don’t deserve them, or they’ll be unable to achieve them. (Coelho 134)” We often aim to low and set up a mental block for ourselves. People have dreams and goals they

Santiago is a shepherd that goes from place to place selling sheep and getting some in the process. One night he felt that he was made for more when he was laying looking up at the stars, so when he was on his journey he ran into an old alchemist but this alchemist wasn't like any ordinary one he was put in place to help santiago reach his personal legend. Santiago eventually told him that he wanted to go to the pyramids because he believes his “treasure” is there. On his journey he goes threw so many places

In the book The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, he uses the sheep as motivation to find his treasure. When he met the old man, he said that he would give Santiago information about the journey he was about to take on, for one-tenth of his sheep. Santiago was not sure about his deal, but it seemed worth it to him because as soon as he got his treasure he could get more sheep. Everything that Santiago did was so that he could become a better Shepard and be an independent man who could travel freely with his sheep. After he sold his sheep and started working for the merchant, he never lost the thought of his sheep, everything he was doing for the merchant was so he could buy more sheep. He then said, "Maybe it was his treasure to have wound up in

Reading has allowed me to become more communicative and understanding of others’ feelings. In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, there is an emphasis on the personal legend of humans. Essentially, the author is conveying that humans should be what they truly want to be, whether it’s pertaining one’s occupancy or personality. I have learned how important this message since in the book it explains that those who don’t learn this will regret it the rest of their lives. Furthermore, I have developed better communicative skills from this as I have learned more about how humans are and whereby I can empathize more easily. This has not only taught me to take this into consideration in my life, but has also taught me about the vulnerability of human nature.

In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, universal language is on the main themes. It is first known when the boy was leading his sheep, “It was if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep…” (Coelho 2). This theme continues to grow and expand as the boy goes on his journey to find his treasure and follow his destiny.

Throughout his life, Santiago has lived and rested near a sycamore tree. It is right next to an abandoned church. For a living Santiago herds, tends, and guards sheep. Almost every day, he has a dream about a child who tells him that he should travel to the Egyptian pyramids to find hidden riches. Santiago decides to follow his intuition. Along the way, Santiago meets this peculiar man that appears to read minds. He introduced himself to Santiago as the King of Salem. Santiago doesn't believe him. He thinks this is all a hoax. The King of Salem tells him that he should pursue his desires no matter what. Santiago then saw dreams and personal legends from a different outlook. Before Santiago left for his journey, the king gave Santiago two gems.

Santiago, who is a shepherd boy from Andalusia, was sleeping near a sycamore tree in an abandoned church when he had a dream of a child who tells him that he will discover a treasure at the pyramids of Egypt. He told a gypsy about his dream and she told him that it is a prophecy and he should follow it. Then Santiago meets an enigmatic old man named Melchizedek, or the King of Salem. Santiago learns about good and bad omens from him and that it is his responsibility to pursue his Personal Legend. Melchizedek also gives him two stones called Urim and Thummim to interpret and read omens. Afterwards, Santiago sells his herd and buys a ticket to Tangier, in Northern Africa. Not long after he arrives, a thief steals all of his money and he finds a job in a crystal shop where he makes many

In The Alchemist, Santiago, a shepherd boy, is plagued by recurring dreams about a child directing him to the Pyramids of Egypt, stating that treasure is hidden there. After meeting Melchizedeck, the king of Salem, Santiago leaves behind his comfortable life as a shepherd and journeys to the pyramids. He learns read the omens and trust the Soul of the World, believing that the forces of the universe help those who follow their Person Legend. Santiago visits several cities as he travels, and is placed in difficult situations where he is always given a choice to return back home. However, he continues, eventually meeting new people that will influence his thoughts on the world and himself. All of these experiences will

The reason Santiago moving from Spain to North Africa and changing the landscape fit with the story’s running theme of change and transformation is because of how he had to adapt. In Part II of The Alchemist, the change of setting reflected change and transformation because of how the crystal shop merchant headed the words of the boy and changed the setting of his crystal shop to attract more customers. This is similar to how Santiago was pushed by his recurring dream to leave his normal environment in search of treasure in a strange and new one.