What is the name of the main character? What does he do for a living and for how long? What is the name of the region he is in at the beginning of the novel? -Santiago is the main character in The Alchemist. He has been working as a shepherd for the past two years. He is in the Andalusia region of Spain at the beginning of the novel. Why do you think he made the choice to leave the seminary after learning to read and write? -He chose to leave the seminary because after learning to read and write
“The Alchemist” is a novel written by Paulo Coelho in 1988. Regarded as Coelho’s best novel, it captures the elixir of life through the view of a sanguine Spanish Shepard. Set in a forsaken church in Spain at night; the young Shepard Santiago tastes the exquisite sensation of a compelling dream. He dreams that a young lad tells him about a hidden treasure nigh the Egyptian pyramids. After the dream relapses more than once, Santiago opts to confer an old man and an old woman who tell him that his
It has been said, “The world is the only visible aspect of God” (142). This quote along with many others from all faiths imply that no matter what you call it, there is only one God, Allah, Lord, Maker, or Hand that wrote it all. The novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho follows a young, Spanish, shepherd boy, Santiago. Also known to the audience as the Boy, Santiago decides to abandon his life as a shepherd to go in search of his Personal Legend, or ultimate dream. In the Boy's case his Personal Legend
it is only you who can understand,” wrote Paulo Coelho. Omens are events that hold great prophetic power, and in the case of Santiago, can change one’s life. Fatima, Santiago’s sheep, and Urim and Thummim are symbols that project the story of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho forward by shaping a theme of “some risks are worth taking”. In the first half of the novel, the sheep represent what was keeping Santiago in his position as a shepherd. The sheep are familiar to him and he had to sell them to be
dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning.” Barbara Sher’s quote illustrates Paulo Coelho’s attempt in The Alchemist to raise the idea that individuals should pursue their Personal Legend and individual dreams. Coelhio uses a multitude of literary elements such as symbolism and setting as described by Thomas C. Foster in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. In The Alchemist, Coelho uses his characters as symbols to manifest his overall theme to engage in following your personal legend.
A Personal Legend is the idea of one’s spiritual purpose. It is the path that one is destined to take in order to achieve a fulfilling life. The novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho focuses on the journey of a young shepherd boy in search for buried treasure. Along the way, he meets many who guide him towards his quest and aid him in his personal transformation. This journey leads Santiago to expanding his knowledge of the world and opens him up to new opportunities. Author, Paulo Coelho, proposes
Everyone has a dream but it’s the way you attempt to follow your dreams that really counts and the effort you put into making them come true. In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the main character Santiago takes on a long journey in order to follow his reoccurring dreams of finding treasure in Egypt. These dreams reveal Santiago’s Personal Legend. Symbolism, geography, and ironies help to develop the plot. Paulo Coelho raises and supports the idea that all individuals should pursue their Personal Legends
The Choices That Form You The most unexpected people will teach the greatest things, so listen. This theme is carried out through The Alchemist, a plot-driven narrative, by Paulo Coelho, as well as The Kite Runner, a plot-driven allegory, written by Khaled Hosseini. The journey of The Alchemist is written as the principal character, Santiago, is beginning to flourish and comprehend that “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it”, as well as partaking a breathtaking
The Alchemist versus The Little Prince The Alchemist and The Little Prince are two books written by two different authors. The first book’s author is Paulo Coelho and the second book’s is Antoine de Saint-Exupery, both of them being written in the twentieth century in two different corners of the world. The first book, The Alchemist is about a young shepherd named Santiago who decides to go on a trip to the Piramids in Egypt in order to find his treasure
“Freedom began on the day the first sheep wandered away from the herd.” Marty Rubin once said. Nowhere is this idea more clearly shown than in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The Alchemist reveals that for one to complete their pursuit of happiness, sometimes they have to march to the beat of their own drum. Coelho uses foreshadow, symbolism, and foil to further the thematic topic of nonconformity. Modern readers can take away a sense of recusancy. Through this story, they can learn that being themselves