Allegory In The Alchemist

An allegory is a piece of writing that uses characters or objects to symbolize a particular

An allegory is a story in which characters, events, and settings symbolize abstract or moral

Have you ever encountered problems while trying to fulfill a goal in your life? In the book The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho, a shepherd boy named Santiago overcomes obstacles to reach his personal legend. Throughout the book Santiago encounters many friends to help him fulfill his destiny. Santiago encounters many problems throughout the story. He overcomes them with the help of his friends and his wife-to-be. These problems shape Santiago into a dignified man of many traits.

“… Dreams are the language of God. When he speaks our language, I can interpret what he has said. But if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can understand,” wrote Paulo Coelho. Omens are events that hold great prophetic power, and in the case of Santiago, can change one’s life. Fatima, Santiago’s sheep, and Urim and Thummim are symbols that project the story of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho forward by shaping a theme of “some risks are worth taking”.

Santiago made a reasonable sum of money working for the crystal merchant, and decided it was time to abandon his job to continue his search for his treasure. Along the way, he was halted by a tribal war in the desert and forced to stay in an oasis. During his visit he met a young woman named Fatima. After only a few interactions, Santiago decides he wants to marry this woman, “‘I came to tell you just one thing,’ the boy said. ‘I want you to be my wife. I love you’(Coelho, 95). What once was negative became positive. Santiago’s journey had been paused multiple times, and he was stuck in an oasis instead of venturing to the

14) Earlier in the story, the alchemist told Santiago "when you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed." At the end of the story, how does this simple lesson change Santiago’s life? How does it lead him back to the treasure he was looking for?

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.

Along the way to the Pyramid, Santiago meets Fatima and instantly falls in love with her. He spends days with her and confesses his love by saying “ I want you to be my wife” (95). Entranced by Fatima’s beauty, Santiago conveys his willingness to adjust his plan and settle with his love in a small oasis in the Sahara. He says “I want to stay at the oasis… I’ve found Fatima, and, as far as I’m concerned, she’s worth more than treasure” (118). Despite Santiago’s unconditional love and its ability to change his mindset, Coelho implies that love acts as a distraction that interferes one’s journey and that one must sacrifice such fascinations to become entirely fulfilled in the future. For instance, the alchemist suggests Santiago that he “must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny. If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love” (120). Moreover, Santiago learns to accept the idea that the omens will help him reunite with Fatima after he finds the treasure if she is “a part of his dream” (97). Accordingly, Santiago sacrifices his time his love in order to stay on the path for his Personal

The women he uses are the gypsy woman, his mother, and his soul mate, Fatima. The first woman he comes across is his own mother. His mother is much like his father, who wants him to just to grow up and become a priest. Regardless of that however, she is very supportive and wishes him the best when Santiago tells his parents he wants to be a shepherd. The next woman he encounters is the gypsy woman. Santiago went to visit a gypsy to see if she had could figure out anything about the dream he kept on having. She tells him that he should follow these dreams to the pyramids, but once he finds this treasure, he must give her one tenth of it. ‘“And this is my interpretation: you must go to the Pyramids in Egypt. I have never heard of them, but, if it was a child who showed them to you, they exist. There you will find a treasure that will make you a rich man’” (Coelho 14). The final woman he meets is his soul mate, Fatima. When he first meets Fatima he falls straight in love with her. He had wanted to stay behind and leave his Personal Legend, but it was Fatima and the Alchemist who had told him not to abandon it. Fatima told him to come back for her

To begin his long journey, Santiago meets a wise old king name King Melchizedek. He is in a local market when the king walks up and asks Santiago what he is reading. The king continues to say that the book he is reading is important but irritating because it describes the characters inability to choose their own Personal Legend. When Santiago asks where this mysterious stranger is from, King Melchizedek replies with “I am from many places, but I was born in Salem as I am the king there” (Coelho 64). Accepting his statement as true, Santiago continues the conversation allowing them to eventually talk about his dream of the Pyramids. The king wants to help Santiago, but for a price of six sheep. Before leaving with Santiago’s sheep he shares, “’The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon’” (Coelho 32). His message to Santiago reminds him that by following his dream he will witness beautiful sights and people, but that he should always remember the purpose of his travels. Leaving it at that, the king pointed Santiago in the direction to follow his dream.

An allegory is a poem or narrative that is made up of symbolic meaning. On the other hand symbolism is a literary device that is used to portray something without directly saying or showing it. Usually fables are considered to be in the allegory category because they combine many symbols together to portray a message to the audience. An allegory tells a story, whereas symbolism does not. Allegory is also most commonly used to portray characters and give them more depth, whereas symbolism is most commonly found being used on different objects or things. Lastly, an allegory is a more restricted literary device because it usually has a specific meaning or

Soon after, Santiago is forced to work for a crystal merchant in the hopes of replacing his lost money and continuing on his quest. He works for the merchant for eleven months and during this time, continues to think less and less of his Personal Legend. He becomes skilled in this practice and begins to work towards instead, replacing his flock of sheep and returning to his past lifestyle. During this time, Santiago perceived reaching the pyramids as an impossible feat claiming “Egypt was now just a distant dream for him” and that, like a mirage, it would always be just out of his reach (56). In this way, Coelho shows that Santiago’s morale is lessening. The more that he stays at the crystal shop, the more he sees his treasure as a mirage instead of a physical object.

The only life Santiago knew was being a shepherd, but one day he made a decision that he wanted to know more. He wanted to get out of Spain and see the rest of the world, and from there the rest of the story develops. The same goes for all of us, in that the rest of our stories are based on the decisions we make today – we decide to be better, we decide to be happy, we decide to be successful. It all starts with that decision.

The Theme of “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho is, always follow your dreams and listen to your heart. At the start of the novel Santiago does not know what he should do when he is confronted by his dream. But by the end of the novel Santiago completely trusts his heart to guide him though life. Santiago’s story shows him learning and living out the theme of the novel.

One of those desires was love. Through his experiences he learned that one of the universal languages was love. When he met Fatima, he was ready to give up his search for his Personal Legend and stay with Fatima in the desert, but through the persuasion of the Alchemist, he left her. He learned the true meaning of love and after setting it aside to realize his dreams he could return to it. “Instead, it brought the scent of a perfume he knew well, and the touch of a kiss – a kiss that came from far away, slowly, slowly, until it rested on his lips” (167). The concept of the wind has changed for him, from the start of the journey he believed that the levanter came from Africa that brought the threat of Moorish invasions. However, he has learned that the wind was free and that it carried many messages, such as the love from Fatima. And now that he has completed his journey he can go in search of Fatima. The strong desire that he had put off to realize his Personal Legend can now be called to attention. This is another reason why the ending of the book fits well, because it ends with love. Many stories use love as a strong motive for their characters. In The Alchemist, Santiago had to forget that desire to achieve his Personal Legend, but has made it a goal to return to the oasis to live with Fatima after his journey was over. He has made many realizations about love. “’Yes, that’s what love is. It’s what makes the game become the falcon, the falcon become man, and man, in his turn, the desert. It’s what turns lead into gold, and makes the gold return to the earth’” (145). He learned that the spiritual unification of everything is connected to this idea of love. The fact that everything is trying to purify themselves in order to reach their Personal Legend, and that they help others realize