In the excerpt from the story The Alchemist, and alchemist tells a young boy to listen to what his heart tells him, even if it is treasonous. The boy at first hesitates on taking his advice, he began asking the alchemist questions, such as "You mean I should listen, even if it's treasonous?" and "Why don't people's hearts tell them to continue to follow their dreams?". However, the boy eventually takes the alchemist's advice, which helps him through his suffering over a woman that he had passion for that he met in the desert. What the alchemist really meant by "Listen to your heart" is that you should really follow what the voice that is deep down inside tells you to do. The alchemist implies this by telling the boy "...you'll know its dreams
Initially, the purpose of this quote is to show that when a person realizes something they long for, their soul awakes from past or current events in the universe. The Alchemist showed a very wide range of point of views about life, and for that reason I recommend this book 100% as a guide for the soul and pursuing ones dreams rather than a book for a
He feels a fire in his heart that fills him with the want for knowledge. The more he wants to find the knowledge, the more he feels a fire in him. The knowledge he wants to find is the truth. He has these dreams that show him what might happen and what he might see. He sees what the truth could be.
Being Your Better Self Becoming better benefits a bunch of beings. When you become better, you may not know it, but people around you benefit from you trying to improve. This happens to the main protagonist, Santiago because he strives to become better and everyone and everything’s lives around him improve as well. In the novel, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, Santiago learns, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” To begin, King Melchizedek tries to become better, and in return Santiago becomes better.
1. In the prologue, the alchemist reads a version if the story of the death of Narcissus that has a somewhat different ending from the traditional telling, one that emphasizes the grief of the lake into which Narcissus will no longer be looking at his reflection. In beginning the book with this story, what themes and relationships is Coelho telling us to watch for throughout Santiago’s story? Do you think there may be an element of “narcissism” in the pursuit of one’s personal legend?
Do you think santiagos obstacles will truly lead him to success in the end, or will it set him up for failure? Throught the book The Alchemist Santiago runs into many obstocules seeking treasure, but in the end Santiago realized he only needed to do one thing all along. The obstacles Santiago runs into teach him many lessons and get him to his succes in the end. In the beginning of the book the alchemist Santiago was very torn on going to Egypt or continuing being a shepherd but Santiago took the risk and went to Egypt and ran into his very first obstacle, an obstacle that felt almost impossible to overcome.
The Alchemist says that Santiago will “spend the rest of [his] days knowing that [he] didn’t pursue [his] Personal legend, and that now it’s too late” (120). In this line, the Alchemist encourages Santiago to continue to pursue his Personal Legend, instead of giving it up for what he has now. This also informs Santiago that time is limited. If he chooses to abandon his Personal Legend, he will spend the rest of his days like the crystal merchant, pondering what it would be like to fulfill his Personal Legend. The Alchemist explains that the process of pursuing his Personal Legend is more important than any dream that he wants to fulfill.
Paulo Coehlo’s, The Alchemist, explores the Hero’s Journey through the story of a shepherd, Santiago. Throughout the novel, Santiago becomes more aware of his potential as he pursues his Personal Legend. He faces temptations and obstacles as he develops as a character. The hero crosses the threshold when they leave their old reality in search for a new one. Santiago crosses the threshold by selling his sheep and taking a boat to Africa.
In “The Alchemist”, Santiago, the main character has a dream of finding treasure at the Egyptian pyramids and finds it non coincidental that this dream has occurred twice. In that time period it would mean that his dream was an omen or a sign to make journey to go and find the mysterious treasure. According to scholar Maria Louw, “Dream omens embody peoples’ fears about, hopes for, how their lives may develop” (Louw 1). Santiago was encouraged by a gypsy who interpreted dreams and understood
Omens come in many different forms, shapes and sizes. They can be living or inanimate objects. If you’re not looking close enough, you might not be able to see them or chose to believe they are actually there. In Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist, Santiago discovers many omens on his personal legend journey such as the King of Salem, Stones and the Crystal Merchant.
During Santiago's journey in The Alchemist, he is told where his treasure is and encouraged to go find it. Many people are telling him to follow his dreams and find his treasure by saying things like, “...people are capable at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of” (Coelho 23). Coelho is saying that people can, at any time, follow their dreams. This is presented through Santiago’s discoveries. The epic hero is just an ordinary boy, which shows that anyone is capable of following their dreams at any time through the lessons a regular person is being taught.
This is illuminated when the Alchemist says, “‘There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure’” (141). This particular moment shows that even though Santiago has both the ability and the knowledge to achieve his dream, it is impossible to attain it if he fears even attempting to reach it. Consequently, this fear acts as his enemy and a barrier that stands in the way of the meaningful and happy life he is destined to accomplish. Furthermore, another one of his fears is the fear of losing what he believes he has already earned. ” He reminded himself that he had been a shepherd and that he could be a shepherd again.
In the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the boy tells the sun that every person is destined to find their Personal Legend and that love is what helps to nourish the Soul of the World and it helps us to strive to be better than who we are. Without either of these, the world would be very static. In the book The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel’s Personal Legend is to learn how to read. Before she came to live with the Hubermans, she could not read very well.
In life a single event can dramatically change a person forever but how they survive is what matters the most. In Night by Elie Wiesel and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, two character named Elie and Santiago are placed in life altering situations where they have to figure out how to persevere. Night is a dramatic book that recounts the reprehensible treatment that Elie had to live though during the Holocaust. Elie has to endure deplorable conditions in a Nazi concentration camp and learn to survive. He has to choose to separate himself from his experiences and still have hope. In contrast, The Alchemist is a hopeful book where Santiago goes on a journey and discovers new ideas and hidden treasures.
All individuals have the power to define their own fate if they pursue their dreams, persevere, and have self-confidence. In The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, the protagonist, Santiago, is a humble shepherd boy. His parents urged him to study to enter priesthood but he had always longed to travel (10). He makes the decision to stop studying in seminary and instead becomes a shepherd.
Some people’s ignorance of dreams can be harmful for themselves just like knife is for butter. Santiago’s dream of a treasure in Egypt, for instance, reveals to him his Personal Legend and sets the entire plot of the Alchemist into motion. For Santiago finding treasure wasn’t easy. He had to sacrifice his shepherdess (as he sold his sheep) and work for year at Crystal Merchant’s shop to gain money to travel because he was robbed. Crystal Merchant did not believe in his dream of going to Mecca.