How To Write An Essay On The Alchemist

1. What do you think Santiago will do with his life after he travels back to Egypt for Fatima?

Not before long, Santiago meets a crystal merchant. Trying to run away from his Personal Legend once again, he gets a job at the

     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

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.

First, the crystal merchant explains to Santiago about his dream of going to Mecca. When Santiago asks if the crystal merchant

As one would make it through The Alchemist or The Stranger they would start to notice a clear separation of what each of these books portray. On one side you have The Alchemist which represents more of a positive outlook on life and following your dreams. On the other you have The Stranger which depicts more of a negative connotation on life. Although these two accounts seem far from each other, they present themes throughout the text that show up in both novels. A theme commonly noticed in both books is “love” and its effects on each books main character. Another is “the meaning of life”, which explains why we are here on this earth. The last is the idea of “destiny/fate”, which

Angel by Aerosmith connects to when Santiago meets Fatima on page 95. Santiago and the Englishman have been asking people all around the oasis if they know where the tent of the Alchemist is without any answers. Before giving up Santiago asks one last person and that is a young women at a well. As soon as Santiago lays his eyes on her he is deeply in love with her. The girl introduces herself as Fatima and says that the Alchemist lives in the South part of Al-Fayoum.

The Alchemist is a journey of exploration and self-discovery as we follow the main character, Santiago, a young shepherd who lives in Spain, on a journey to fulfill his personal legend. The novel shows us wisdoms and gentle reminders of how to change our lives from what they may be today into the life we have always dreamed of.

Santiago finds his treasure at the place where he first dreamt of. The ending, then, can be interpreted as Santiago needs to go in a difficult situation and time to gain the knowledge or wisdom.

I decided to choose the real one because I thought it showed how Santiago gained knowledge, and had a great experience. I thought the other ending was good too, but I felt that it would confuse people on how the crystal merchant and Fatima got there. If you were wondering, they came together on a trip, and Fatima stayed at the pyramids waiting for Santiago. The crystal merchant and Fatima planned the whole thing. I thought that the real ending was straight forward, and even though Santiago ending up going back to Spain, it shows how he wanted to follow his Personal Legend. I felt that my alternate ending was very good too, but I could only pick

Everyone that is, except for Manolin. Santiago is Manolin’s idol and he sticks by him through thick and through thin. I loved how the book ended with Santiago being respected by everyone for catching the biggest marlin anyone had ever seen but still keeping to himself and spending time with the boy. This shows that the old man remembers who stood by his side when times were rough and not just when the village accepted him and that is an attest to the type of person he is.

This discourages him to the point where he almost lost hope and no longer wanted to pursue his trip to Egypt. For example, on page 16, Coelho writes, “so the boy was disappointed, he decided that he would never again believe in his dreams. He remembered that he had a number of things to take care of.” Second, Santiago meets his true love, Fatima, and fears that if he continues his journey to the pyramids, he can no longer be with her. For example, Santiago explains to the alchemist, “I want to stay at the oasis.

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?

The most interesting thing I found about the novel was the way Paulo build up Santiago’s hopes and then destroyed them. Paulo not only did this several times but he also chose to do it right after Santiago thought he had learned a lesson about life. Most books I have read don’t build up and destroy the main characters hopes so perniciously.

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