Analysis of Paulo Coehlo's “the Alchemist” and Ernest Hemmingway's “the Old Man and the Sea” Based on Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall's “Spiritual Capital: Wealth We Can Live by”

The third and fourth obstacle Santiago faces is his fear of defeat and realizing his dream. For example, “They made him continue digging, but he found nothing. As the sun rose, the men began to beat the boy. He was bruised and bleeding, his clothes torn to shreds, and he felt death was near.” The obstacle he defeated was the fear of defeat people will meet on the journey to fulfilling our destiny. People have to be patient in difficult times and know that the universe is conspiring in our favor, even if some do not know. Santiago had patience and allowed the men to beat him. Because of his patience they eventually left him alone

Santiago comments that the marlin is “wonderful,” “strange,” “strong,” “wise,” and “that his fight has no panic in it.”(48-49) Based on his description of the marlin, Santiago loves and respects him as a worthy opponent and brother, “Now we are joined together and have been since noon.”(50) Santiago is not only literally linked to the marlin, but also figuratively because the outcome of this battle will determine both their fates.

The crystal merchant had few customers, but once the crystal was cleaned, a larger crowd was attracted to his storefront. Santiago would receive a much needed meal, as well as a job offer. Freshly cleaned crystal attracted many customers, which caused the crystal merchant to offer Santiago a full-time position, with pay. Like an alchemist, Santiago went from being in poverty, to being successful. Santiago also turned a negative into a positive for the crystal merchant. The crystal merchant’s shop did not appear inviting to potential customers, but Santiago rectified it, which in turn, caused the shop to receive more customers and generate a greater profit. Santiago is a metaphorical alchemist. He turns the worst into the best, just as an alchemist turns base metals into gold.

In Santiago’s journey to achieving his Personal Legend, he faces multiple situations where he has to choose one over the other.

The forces of the universe have crucified both Santiago and the marlin.  We see this when Santiago carries his mast cross-like to his shack and the author's description of his exhausted repose "face down on the newspapers with his arms out straight and the palms up" (Hemingway  122).  Yet, through this struggle, through this pride that made him go far out beyond all people, Santiago learns the meaning of life in a meaningless universe is humility and love.  We see this expressed most clearly in his mentor-like relationship with Manolin.  Human solidarity and interdependence may not make a man any more capable of beating the forces of the universe, but they are sustaining as much as the courage and dignity with which Santiago faces life "the boy keeps me alive, he thought.  I must not deceive myself too much" (Hemingway  106).  Before coming to shore, Santiago recognizes he has gained humility and he is loved.  He is appreciative the other fishers will worry about him.  They bring him food and newspapers to

     Santiago needed money and food, so he asked a man who owned a crystal shop, if he could clean all his crystal pieces for some food and money. The man liked the Santiago’s work, so gave him some food, and told him he could work for him if he wanted to. Santiago took the job, and ended up working

First, good came after bad. For example, while Santiago is at Tarifa after he is robbed, he meets a crystal merchant who allows him to clean his shop, which results in him getting a job there. “‘When they had eaten, the merchant turned to` the boy and said, ‘I’d like you to work in my shop. Two customers came in today while you were working, and that’s a good omen’” (49). Good comes to Santiago after he goes through the bad. He is robbed, and then he gets offered a job that will pay him, so he has a chance to regain the money he just lost. Finally, since he still tries to become better, he gets a job which will help him gain money for the journey. To conclude, Santiago learns that even if something bad happens, if you still strive to become better, you will be awarded.

A larger part of this book is written in the perspective of two characters named Steve and Maria. Maria is Steve’s spiritual mentor who is hired to help Steve, a manager in a very successful company, get in touch with who he is and what drives him spiritually to make the decisions he does in his career. In between their conversations there are very deep quotes and rhetoric that provoke thought to stimulate the readers to change their way of thinking. While Steve is very successful he is not fulfilled with his life, he has a void and Maria is attempting to transform what motivates him to be his soul and

Another, aspect, spirituality is not as much a prearranged system, it is a quest and a prolongation of one’s development.

Throughout the book “The Alchemist”, Santiago faces many trials on his journey to Egypt to find the treasure. He is able to follow all the steps of the Hero’s Journey, starting with the call to adventure and finishing with the status quo. Santiago may have started his journey in Spain and made his way to Egypt but key points through this book include the status quo, threshold, and the abyss.

A novel that’s rich in life lessons, the secular aromas that you take in challenging its rational purpose. “Antonio. Always have the strength to

For example, the main character Jurgis is a hard working man with the determined philosophy of “I will just work harder.” Every time something begins to go wrong he comes back with that same philosophy and begins his toil in the Stockyards again. However, no matter how hard Jurgis worked, he and his family were still always stuck in the same dreadfulness. “This was in truth not living; it was scarcely even existing, and they felt that it was too little for the price they paid. They were willing to work all the time; and when people did their best, ought they not to be able to keep alive?” The family eventually lost the battle to keep a roof over their head and food in their stomachs. It wasn’t because of a lack of trying but the because of the corrupt labor system and big business principles. “Here was Durham 's, for instance, owned by a man who was trying to make as much money out of it as he could, and did not care in the least how he did it; and underneath him, ranged in ranks and grades like an army… each one driving the man next below him and trying to squeeze out of him as much work as possible. And all the men of the same rank were pitted against each other…every man lived in terror of losing his job, if another made a better record than he.” So, as previously mentioned, their work ethic meant nothing in the end. No matter how hard they worked, they were continuously victims. “Jurgis could see all the truth now- could see himself, through the whole

Following this, on one side of the debate, some critics believe that the primary theme of The Old Man and The Sea is pride. Admittedly, there are many scenes where pride is shown. Nevertheless, it’s critical to understand that pride was one of the many reasons why Santiago persevered so much. For example, Litcharts.com claims that, “After he kills the first shark, Santiago, who knows he killed the marlin "for pride," and wonders if the sin of pride was responsible for the shark attack because pride caused him to go out into the ocean beyond the usual boundaries that fishermen observe (Litcharts 1).” Although the quote expressed many examples of the theme pride, it shows perseverance even further. When the quote claimed that pride

     In my opinion, Santiago represents the ideas of honor and pride. Pride can motivate a man to greatness and that is exactly what happens in this book. His sense of pride would not let him be defeated by the villagers and certainly not out on the boat while wrangling with the marlin for so long. He also upholds honor, which is especially apparent when he is fighting the marlin and doesn’t see it as just a fish but he views it as a worthy opponent. He also fends off the sharks trying to attack his prize catch because he has respect for it. Santiago is a very exceptional man and he stands for all things good.

Santiago plays a huge role in the theme is developed throughout the story. This is mostly due to how much the reader sees how Santiago changes as the novel progresses and as he gets closer to completing his Personal Legend. In the beginning of the story it is revealed that Santiago decided to abandon becoming a priest in favor of traveling, which can be interpreted as the earliest sign of change and transformation from the main character before his real journey begins. "I found these one day in the fields. I wanted them to be a part of your inheritance. But use them to buy your flock. Take to the fields, and someday you'll learn that our countryside is the best, and our women the most beautiful" (Coelho 18). Digging into the story more only leads to more examples of how Santiago changes. One major example that