Allegories In The Alchemist

Allegory is when a writer extends symbolism to every part of a story to communicate a secondary meaning that parallels the literal meaning. A common example of allegory is “The Tortoise and the Hare.” On its surface, this is a story about a tortoise that, unexpectedly, beats a hare in a footrace, but the underlying message is that those who devote their attention to cultivating a skill surpass those who are born with natural talents. Allegory has been used for a variety purposes, but among the most common is pointing out and critiquing the flaws of society. Any metaphor that is extended throughout an entire story to communicate a meaning that is separate from the literal is allegory.

Morton W. Bloomfield described allegory by stating that it allows for the significance of a work to go beyond its meaning. “The significance of that meaning is what may be called allegory.”(Bloomfield, 1972) Desolation’s meaning spans much more than its definition in The Devils Highway, A True Story. It can on different meanings, it is not limited to the definition. Desolation and Cosmos define Desolation stating, “Desolation does not stand in isolation, but as a complex pattern.” (Geyer, 1999) The allegory of Desolation is ones demise in the desert on the Devils Highway.

I agree with allegory presupposes that there is distinction between appearances and reality because people never trying to know reality. Most people have their two sides, one side to show and another side who they are in reality. Sometime people get conclusion by seeing people outer look without knowing who is he or she. Sometimes people do not want to accept the truth because truth is always bitter. In the “The Allegory of the Cave” it explain that how prisoners thought about outside world. If they know the truth about outside world, they will never able to believe it because they are staying inside cave and just able to see their shadow.

While there is always a literal meaning within an allegory,

An allegory is a form of metaphor using one thing to represent another. Allegories are usually used to depict an historical event in a way that may be easier to understand by someone who didn't witness the even. The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tann and Animal Farm by George Orwell are allegories of historic events.

The themes in The Alchemist form it into a successful novel. This requires the reader to interpret the purpose and meaning of the book. The three main themes in the book are Personal Legend, Soul of the World, and fear. Personal Legend's are the idea that if one wants something so bad “that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission Earth” (Coelho 24). If someone decides to live out their Personal Legend then everything in the universe will conspire with them, so they can achieve it. This is called the Soul of the World. In order to achieve one’s dream then they have to understand the Soul of the World. A person can pierce the Soul of the World by following and listening to the heart which is the foundation of someone’s Personal Legend. “If you know about love, you must know about the Soul of

An allegory is a story or poem which can be interpreted to a meaning that transcends the visible context, such as the conch shell representing peace and order.

When writing The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis argued that he was not writing an allegory but a supposal instead. Lewis claims that he tried to hypothesize what it would be like for Jesus to live in another world. In the Chronicles of Narnia, I believe that C.S. Lewis wrote an allegory. By definition an allegory typically reveals a hidden meaning behind something, which in this case would be the message behind the characters and their actions within Narnia. This can be supported throughout the series in which Lewis makes small but noticeable innuendos to religious beliefs. One book that can be compared to this series to support the claim that Lewis wrote an allegory would be the Bible. The second book, which could support this claim of allegorical writing, would be Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Lewis also shares some similar viewpoints with Augustine. In Myth became Fact, by C.S. Lewis we are given another view point as to why he believes people think he writes in allegories rather than supposals.

Looking Beyond the Surface Allegories are found in all types of literature. By definition, an allegory is the indirect representation that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. Authors want their readers to find the deeper meaning of particular item mentioned in their novel. In A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, symbolism is constantly used. The Bastille is used to illustrate tyranny, the aristocracy’s unjust power, and the nobility’s loss of power.

There are lots of things that can be learned through the knowledge of one’s background, beliefs, experiences, and ideology. The learning of the author allows the readers to interpret the book differently and to help understand why certain types of literary devices were used. In the novel, The Alchemist, it was important to know the background of the author, Paulo Coelho, before actually reading the book since it influences how a reader interprets the story. In the introduction, Coelho wrote about the four obstacles that persistent when following one's personal legend (vi). This part in the introduction helps the reader interpret parts of the story that would not have been easily interpreted without knowledge of the author's mindset. One example of the introduction

According to Shmoop, an allegory is a story with two levels of meaning, you have the surface level the characters, and plot, then there's the symbolic level where the characters represent an abstract idea. For example, a winged woman is often used as an allegorical representation of victory. There are many examples in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. " The Rime of the Ancient Mariner symbolizes the struggle of humans facing the ideas of sin and atonement. While writing this poem, Coleridge spent four months of ongoing writing trying to say that supernatural situations are real.

An allegory is a way to express generalizations about human existence using a story. In this case a portrait of a cave is used by Plato to demonstrate how humanity is trapped here and unable to move. They do not see and therefore have no knowledge of the sun or light (which I think is really symbolizing truth or true knowledge). All they know of their existence is the fire and puppet shadows that they see on the walls of the cave. I think the purpose of this allegory is to cause the reader to ponder these questions: Can people gain knowledge if they have never seen the light? Are we humans, those who have come out of the light and into darkness, or have we come out of the darkness into light (causing us to be dazzled, overwhelmed, and unable

In Book VII, Socrates and Glaucon are discussing the Allegory of the Cave. An allegory is “a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms.” This is simply a story or image with a hidden meaning. It says one thing, on the other hand, means something different. The allegory of the cave is an analogy of the human condition or perception. The idea of the cave is one must escape darkness and seek light and become enlightened, open-minded or knowledgeable.

The Alchemist is a story written by Paulo Coelho, about a boy named Santiago, who takes a journey from Spain to Africa. He was trying to find a hidden treasure, that showed up in a recurrent dream. In his journey, Santiago does not only find gold and money, but he finds many other treasures along the way. This book helps us realize, that you should never lose hope. There are many times in this story where santiago runs into minor and major obstacles along his journey. That doesn't stop him, Santiago never gives up and that helps him achieve his personal legend

In the Allegory the prisoners represent the general population in society, the cave represented lack of education and the released prisoner represents the philosopher. The philosopher, represented by the prisoner, has escaped the lack of education is now capable of grasping Form of Good allowing him to see all other forms. Having obtained understanding of the Form of the Good, the philosopher, just as the prisoner who had seen the light is best fit to lead the prisoners out of the cave, the philosopher is best fit to rule the city-state.