Santiago The Alchemist Personal Legend

What makes a hero be a hero? A hero has to have certain characteristics, such as; bravery, wisdom, etc. No matter what characteristics are pointed out, every story has a hero, or an archetypal hero. From a short stories to really long novels, you will have some type of hero. In the novel The Alchemist, the main character Santiago is a hero. The book is about how everyone should live their dreams and never give up on them. It follows a young man named Santiago who is following his own dream, or his own “Personal Legend”. It follows him and his struggles to achieve said Personal Legend. Santiago is a hero because he is wise, kind, and brave; He is also a hero because he displays characteristics of an archetypal hero..

Beginning with his voyage, he receives a Call to Adventure that is the “call” the hero receives in order to begin his or her journey. Santiago receives it while sleeping during a normal, peaceful day in his homeland, Andalucia. In his case, he undergoes an extraneous dream in which a child transports him to the eminent Egypt. Trying to analyze the dream, he remembers: “the child took me by both hands and transported me to the Egyptian pyramids”(13). Determined to seek for information, he consults a Gypsy that advises him to find it with the condition of receiving ten percent when he returns. After reflecting on the possibilities of its

What do you care about? In this instance, to care means to feel interest or attach some importance to something. To narrow that down, in the art community to care is to have passion for something. There may be a reason behind such passion or a piece may just be beautiful and so it resonates with people. As a person, I care about a wide variety of things. However, as an artist, I care about a smaller portion of the art world. Painting, drawing, and sculptures are all fascinating, but not really my cup of tea. I love graphic design. I love how it is so ingrained into regular life. Whether it be a label on a chip bag or an advertisement display in a store, someone had to design it.

Santiago,the boy who was born in a priest’s family and was put up to become a priest.But ever since he had been a child,he had wanted to know the world ,and this was much more important than knowing about God and learning about mans’ sins.He summed up courage and told his father that he want travel all over the world and learn.He is a humble shepherd whose desires are few–he wants to be free to roam with his sheep, to have some wine in his wineskin and a book in his bag. Fate intervenes, however, in the form of the recurring dream of a great treasure hidden thousands of miles away at the base of the Egyptian Pyramids. When Santiago meets melchizedek, a strange wise man who claims he is a king from a far-off land, he decides to seek his treasure. The next day, Santiago sells his sheep and embarks to Africa to pursue his dream.

The Alchemist has many inspiring and relatable quotes that readers can understand and learn from. One of my favorites is when Santiago thinks to himself, “The closer one gets to realizing his Personal Legend, the more that Personal Legend becomes his true reason for being” (72). This quote means that when you commit yourself to achieving some goal or completing some task, the more enthusiastic you will become. That one thing will be what gives you joy in life. Once you put in the effort, you will live a happy life and you will have realized why you are here on Earth. While I haven’t necessarily fully realized my personal legend in my own life, I can relate this idea to my personal experiences. I have been playing and writing music for a pretty

The fourth lesson Santiago learned is that dreams can come into two forms, sleeping and through aspirations. While he was sleeping he dreamed that a small child showed him a treasure near the bottom of the Pyramid. This dream led Santiago to pursue his destiny. He also learned that dreams are linked through aspirations. For instance Santiago’s dream of the treasure provides him of a goal; then Santiago left and went to go and find that goal. Then in the end good things occurred in that Santiago found out his Personal Legends. Throughout life dreams can and will come true. First if someone dreams or thinks about it then it is probable that whatever that particular dream is will come true. In order for that dream to come true there should be

My main focus of this story is the boy, whose name is Santiago. Santiago is the main character of the book, The Alchemist. He is the protagonist of this story and faces many challenges. This child was born in a small town in Andalusia, who attended the seminary, but now he travels around the world.

The novel is about Santiago a young Spanish shepherd who is from Andalusia and longs to travel the world. One night santiago dreams of a treasure buried near the pyramids of Egypt, which, he decides to find. On his journey Santiago meets many obstacles and trials, he often feels unsure whether he should continue to complete his personal legend or not. Along his journey santiago faces many different people who become teachers to him, giving him many important life lessons. In the end Santiago realises that his treasure is not buried near the pyramids but is buried right back where his journey began, under the tree where he had the dream. He digs under the tree and finds a beautiful chest full of gold and gems. He only has one journey left

This type of behavior is evident in Santiago when he rejects his parent’s wish of specializing in religion as a priest, and states that he wants to become a shepherd to travel across the hills of Andalusia and become familiar with the language of the world. When Santiago’s father tries to persuade Santiago that travelling does not change a person, Santiago replies, “But I’d like to see the castles in the towns where they live,” … “Well, I’d like to see their lands, and see how they live” (Coleho-9). As a shepherd, Santiago had a reoccurring dream of hidden treasure in the Egyptian Pyramids which was approved by the dream interpreter, and later confirmed by Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who Santiago met in Tarifa. Melchizedek spoke to Santiago about a person’s Personal Legend, or every person’s long term goal or desire they wanted to accomplish in their lifetime. Now gaining a sense of adventure and obligation, Santiago disbanded this sixty sheep and travelled across the Strait of Gibraltar and marched across the Sahara Desert in alternations of horse and camel to achieve what he believed the world and the nature wanted him to achieve. During Santiago’s crusade to the Pyramids of Giza, he is introduced to a life changing branch of studies known as alchemy. Introduced by the Englishman travelling to Al-Fayoum, and later properly taught by the Alchemist, Santiago learns that the world and the nature bound within it is unified together through the Soul of the World, how to read omens present in nature, and how to interact and converse with the extremely vital factors and elements of nature. When held hostage by some Moorish chieftains and given a daunting task to take down the Moorish military camp by transforming into the wind, Santiago

Altruism and prosocial behavior are linked with helping others. This can be seen in all aspects of life. For instance, young children helping each other when they fall, adolescents helping each other with schoolwork, and adults helping one another at work. To develop further, prosocial behavior and altruism can first be highly illustrated in children. Children are taught to help one another and this behavior grows with the child to their adulthood; therefore, people are taught to act in a caring manner towards those who need help.

Santiago was the true meaning of courage,he was able to know the rights and wrongs that he went through and he still stood up for what he believed in. Hemingway wrote “But a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” Santiago never gave up even with the challenges the marlin put him through or the bate the he was able to catch at times but the sharks stole from him. Santiago just keeps trying without one complaint and never gave up so easily. Santiago was never beaten by the marlin he will just accept the loss that he just had but will go back out to sea and try again until he gets what he wants.

In The Alchemist, dreams represent not only an passage into someones desires, but also a form of communication with the Soul of the World. Santiago’s dream of a treasure in Egypt reveals to him his own Personal Legend which keeps the plot moving. One of Santiago's dreams read “ Maybe the church, with the sycamore growing from within, had been haunted. It caused him to have the same dream for a second time, and it was causing him to feel anger toward his faithful companions.(Page 10)” All signs point to Egypt in Santiago's dream. Santiago thinks the church is sending him a message. At the end we learn that the treasure is buried at the church meaning his dream was right. The tribal chieftain takes Santiago’s dream of the hawks very seriously,

The novel follows the life of Santiago and how his reoccurring dream under a Sycamore tree changes his life forever. During this dream he is told by a young boy to seek the treasure that lays at the foot of the pyramids. He is persuaded to go by the local Gypsy woman. He meets a man who also gives him the same advice and goes on his journey. On his life long journey there are many stops that last for a few years. He later meets the 200-year-old Alchemist which teaches him about his personal Legend. In the end after some more struggles he gets robbed

In other words, Santiago, may have wanted to give up, but it was his courage to go on with doing the task that he knew he had to complete, even if in the end he failed. He went on with courage, dignity and grace. It's kind of a metaphor for life, you can be destroyed by what happens to you, like if you have cancer, but it will never defeat you if you don't let it. You can be destroyed simply by hearing bad news, but it's up to you to turn that around so the bad news doesn't win in the end.Santiago goes fishing day after day even though he is on a "losing streak," as we might say today. He hasn't caught a fish for a very long time. He survives only because the boy brings him bits of food. But he doesn't quit. He continues to fish everyday

Because of the main events that happened to me, I’ve learned a lot and had some great experiences. They were very fun and life changing. Some of the main events that impacted my life are when I went to Minnesota, Disneyland, and when I went on a cruise.