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Comparing Hero's Journey, The Odyssey, And The Alchemist

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Hero's Journey Comparison Contrast Essay A little while ago, I was invited to go to New York with my stepmom. When I decided not to go, I really regretted it. I saw all the pictures on Facebook, them at Niagara Falls, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square. Also they saw the Book of Mormon which made me really sad. This whole ordeal was an example of a time I refused a call on the Hero’s journey. Recently our class read or watched three pieces of literature, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Odyssey, and The Alchemist. While looking at these stories I couldn’t help but notice the similarities and differences they all contained. …show more content…

He travels to many different islands after being blown of course and has to face many challenges, such as a giant cyclops or an island that contains these drugs that are addictive and make his crew not want to return home. But on the way home to his son and his wife, the one thing that he carries with him his whole journey is his arrogance and narcissism. A hero is a person who sacrifices their well being for the people around them. Odysseus represents none of this, he really represents the qualities of an anti-hero. Personally I find it hard to root for Odysseus to get home, other than the fact of him having a son at home. He is unfaithful to his wife the during the journey, having affair with multiple women, although he claims that ”‘[…] the gods brought me to the island Ogygia, where Kalypso lives, with ordered hair, a dread goddess, and she received me and loved me excessively and cared for me, and she promised to make me an immortal and all my days to be ageless, but never so could she win over the heart within me. (Homer 254-258) He is basically saying in this quote that he did have an affair with Kalypso, so he was still faithful to Penelope in his heart. I don’t really agree with his reasoning because even though he his heart never said yes, he still did not fight back. This was one of his many affairs …show more content…

This book is about a shepherd boy named Santiago who dreams about treasure off by the pyramids in Egypt and he embarks on a journey there. I think that Santiago is the only actual hero from the three stories. He exhibits some admirable traits such as being open-minded and a very innovative thinker. When Santiago goes on his journey he meets a lot of different people whom are all people who help him, inspire him, and teach him to not follow their mistakes. Some who help are the alchemist and the guide across the desert, some who inspire are Fatima and the King of Salem, One who teaches him what not to do is the crystal merchant. All of these characters did shape how Santiago became a her, because without them he would have not found his real treasure. He definitely differs from our other two characters. Unlike Odysseus he is not a giant narcissist and he does not chase after revenge, like Edmond Dantes. Santiago also learns how to speak the language of the world and consider the effects of his decisions on his life and others. He learns that “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” (Coelho 118). This shows that he learns how to be patient and wait for good things to happen, rather than wrecking havoc. Santiago is also motivated by good, to find his treasure, and along the way he gets all sorts of treasures, like helping to fix the crystal merchant's business and

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