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Symbols In The Alchemist

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Throughout everyone’s life, there comes a time when they will have a dream. No matter how big or small everyone has or had a dream. This novel teaches the reader to follow their dreams or personal legends. The author gives the thought to let their heart take them on a journey. There will be people who want to help others meet their dream while others who only hope to see others fail. This novel has multiple hidden meanings all throughout for the reader to find and interpret. Santiago taught others that dreams will never come easy for no one. Throughout the novel, there are multiple symbols that represent something important. Some symbols include: alchemy, the hawks, the sheep and the pyramids. To begin with, a big symbol portrayed throughout …show more content…

The author uses animals to give the impression of the unspoken language. In addition to important symbols, the hawks symbolize the language of the world. This was when Santiago began to realize his gift. The hawks also symbolize aggression “one of the hawks made a flashing dive through the sky attacking the other” (Coelho 100). This was the first time Santiago had a vision, through the hawks he saw the army coming to attack the oasis. He was not sure if he really wanted to have this ability. Because of his gift he was able to save the tribesmen from their fate, he was able to save the oasis. Similarly, the sheep symbolize the reason Santiago was able to go on his personal legend. The selling of the sheep is what helped Santiago pay for his trip to Africa. The sheep also represent his normal life back in Spain. “But the sheep had taught him something even more important: that there was a language in the world that everyone understood” (Coelho 62). His sheep taught him the language without words. This was important for him because throughout the novel, this ability helped him understand the unspoken language of the world. Being back in Spain with the sheep represented a sense of comfort, it was what he knew. Santiago knew that he could always turn back around and forget the idea of a treasure and return to his sheep back home. “If God leads the sheep so well, he will also lead a man, he thought, …show more content…

The pyramids were old they had a lot of meaning and promise for Santiago. “The boy stood up shakily, and looked once more at the pyramids…because now he knew where his treasure was” (Coelho 163). Additionally, this quote not only shows the end but how much he went through to get to the pyramids. Santiago reacted in a way of relief when he reached the pyramids because he knew how far he came. Santiago took a trip all the way to the pyramids to find out what his dream was. “When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed” (Coelho 134). This quote explains that even though there is great treasures no one will believe until they know personally. Furthermore, Santiago realized what his great treasure was, he was an

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