The Alchemist is a short book about a shepherd from Spain, named Santiago, who goes on a journey across the desert to fulfil his "Personal Legend" and find the treasure he envisioned in his dreams. The book is hailed as powerful and inspiring, as it conveys a message of following your dreams. Early in the book, Santiago says, "It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." This simple theme was woven throughout the entirety of the book and helped to pull together the overlying message of the story. Paul Coelho develops a theme of following your dreams, yet allowing fate to take its course, through allegory, imagery, and conflict.
Allegory is an extremely important aspect in tying this book together. Coelho uses this literary devices in many instances in the book by using a character, object, or circumstance as a symbol for a much deeper idea. Coelho gave his writing style variety by using allegory in both small and big ways. For instance, in the very beginning of the book, Santiago travels to talk to "the wisest of the wise men". The wise man tells Santiago to carry a spoon full of oil without spilling it, and look through his house full of treasures, paintings, and marvels of the world. The first time, Santiago was focused so intently on keeping the oil on the spoon, that he didn't notice any of the paintings or treasures. After he was told to look at the walls, he forgot all about the oil and let it all spill to the ground. When he returned, the wise man told him, "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon." (Page 32) I feel Coelho described this scene for the sake of conveying a specific message. The oil on the spoon was there to represent something much more important, which I personally think is up to the reader to decide. Coelho used allegory in this section because he used a simple object like oil on a spoon to evoke something much deeper within the reader's mind. Coelho also utilized this literary device in other very small, yet significant, ways throughout the story. At one point in the book, Santiago sat at a bar in Africa. He attempted to overcome the language barrier and order wine, but to his disappointment, he ended up with tea. He was upset that the tea was bitter, but then he thought about the journey that he was just beginning-- "'If God leads the sheep so well, he will also lead a man', he thought, and that made him feel better. The tea seemed less bitter." (Page 35). As I read this, I recognized that the tea symbolized something else. To me, the cup of tea was a symbol for Santiago's life, his journey, or struggles. When Coelho wrote, "The tea seemed less bitter", I read it as him saying, "His life didn't seem so bad." In my opinion, the largest form of allegory in The Alchemist was the character, the Alchemist himself. When The Alchemist and Santiago were travelling through the desert, Santiago ended up doing things that he never imagined himself being able to do. He left the love of his life to find his treasure, he turned himself into wind, and he escaped murder and war. Towards the last few pages of the book, Santiago talks to the Alchemist who says, "That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too." (Page 150). I feel that this summarizes the significance of the Alchemist and Santiago's journey. It showed that the Alchemist was a allegorical character, in that he provided a sense of security for Santiago and allowed him to do things he would never have done otherwise. The use of allegory connects back to the overall theme of the book because it deepens every character, object, and incident that Coelho writes about and strengthens the meaning.
Imagery is another important aspect of Coehlo's writing in The Alchemist. He uses imagery to give the reader a better understanding of the scene he is describing. This is a book that follows a shepherd's travels, so the scene changes multiple times throughout the course of the story. I think imagery is very important in allowing the reader to gain a sense of what is happening and form a picture in their mind. For instance, at one point in the book, Santiago is working at a crystal shop in Africa. He is talking to the shopkeeper who tells him about his dreams of travelling to Mecca one day--"You dream about your sheep and the Pyramids, but you're different from me, because you want to realize your dreams. I just want to dream about Mecca. I've already imagined a thousand times crossing the desert, arriving at the Plaza of the Sacred Stone, the seven times I walk around it before allowing myself to touch it. I've already imagined the people who would be at my side, and those in front of me, and the conversations and prayers we would share. But I'm afraid that it would all be a disappointment, so I prefer just to dream about it." (Page 55). I think this passage was very important for a few reasons. First, it was very visual and descriptive, which allowed the reader to vividly picture what was being depicted. Secondly, it gave me the idea that it was important to the character. Even though he said he wasn't actually going to fulfil that dream, the fact that it was described in such great detail gave me the impression that it still held high importance to the character. Imagery is also used in other ways, like describing a picture in detail and connecting it metaphorically to something else--"He watched the hawks as they drifted on the wind. Although their flight appeared to have no pattern, it made a certain kind of sense to the boy. It was just that he couldn't grasp what it meant. He followed the movement of the birds, trying to read something into it. Maybe these desert birds could explain to him the meaning of love without ownership." (Page 99). This passage was important because it was descriptive and allowed room for interpretation outside of the actual scene being described (it brought the idea of love into consideration). Another form of imagery that Coelho uses is nature imagery--"The wind screamed with delight, and blew harder than ever. The tents were being blown from their ties to the earth, and the animals were being freed from their tethers. On the cliff, the men clutched at each other as they sought to keep from being blown away." (Page 151). Coelho managed to fit a broad amount of description and detail into a short three sentence paragraph. I think this is an important skill to have when using imagery as a literary device because it provides the reader a good amount of detail, without boring them of unnecessary length or run-on sentences.
Conflict was also a literary tool that was used often throughout the story. In a way, the entire plot was filled with conflict after conflict. Santiago would encounter a problem during his journey and it would take him time to fix it. One of his first major conflicts was a lack of money that he needed to go to the Pyramids to fulfill his "Personal Legend". He solved this by working for a crystal shopkeeper for about a year (Page 51). Another conflict presented in the story would be the war that kept Santiago from crossing the rest of the desert to find the Pyramids. He ended up having to stay in the oasis for a good amount of time, where he actually met a girl he fell in love with. This connects to the theme of the story because for Santiago, this is where fate took its course--"I had a dream, and I met with a king. I sold crystal and crossed the desert. And, because the tribes declared war, I went to te well, seeking the alchemist. So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you." (Page 122). This conflict of having to stay in the oasis ended up being a blessing in disguise for Santiago. The last conflict that I found significant to the story would be with Santiago was forced to turn himself into wind. He and the alchemist were captured by soldiers and the only way to escape from murder was for Santiago to turn himself into the wind and prove he was an alchemist--"'But I have no idea how to turn myself into the wind.' 'If a person is living out his Personal Legend, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to acheive: the fear of failure.'" (Page 141). This conflict proved to be important because it was the last major conflict for Santiago, and after that, everything fell into place for him.
The Alchemist's theme is not hidden at all. Almost anyone reading the book would be able to understand that it is about pursuing dreams and fate. However, I think that everyone who reads it is able to take away something else, something personal and significant to only them, which is what I liked about this book. Paulo Coelho is able to develop these themes through the use of allegory, imagery, and conflict, all of which work together to form one of the bestselling books in history, and an interesting story to read, in my opinion.
Allegory is an extremely important aspect in tying this book together. Coelho uses this literary devices in many instances in the book by using a character, object, or circumstance as a symbol for a much deeper idea. Coelho gave his writing style variety by using allegory in both small and big ways. For instance, in the very beginning of the book, Santiago travels to talk to "the wisest of the wise men". The wise man tells Santiago to carry a spoon full of oil without spilling it, and look through his house full of treasures, paintings, and marvels of the world. The first time, Santiago was focused so intently on keeping the oil on the spoon, that he didn't notice any of the paintings or treasures. After he was told to look at the walls, he forgot all about the oil and let it all spill to the ground. When he returned, the wise man told him, "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon." (Page 32) I feel Coelho described this scene for the sake of conveying a specific message. The oil on the spoon was there to represent something much more important, which I personally think is up to the reader to decide. Coelho used allegory in this section because he used a simple object like oil on a spoon to evoke something much deeper within the reader's mind. Coelho also utilized this literary device in other very small, yet significant, ways throughout the story. At one point in the book, Santiago sat at a bar in Africa. He attempted to overcome the language barrier and order wine, but to his disappointment, he ended up with tea. He was upset that the tea was bitter, but then he thought about the journey that he was just beginning-- "'If God leads the sheep so well, he will also lead a man', he thought, and that made him feel better. The tea seemed less bitter." (Page 35). As I read this, I recognized that the tea symbolized something else. To me, the cup of tea was a symbol for Santiago's life, his journey, or struggles. When Coelho wrote, "The tea seemed less bitter", I read it as him saying, "His life didn't seem so bad." In my opinion, the largest form of allegory in The Alchemist was the character, the Alchemist himself. When The Alchemist and Santiago were travelling through the desert, Santiago ended up doing things that he never imagined himself being able to do. He left the love of his life to find his treasure, he turned himself into wind, and he escaped murder and war. Towards the last few pages of the book, Santiago talks to the Alchemist who says, "That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too." (Page 150). I feel that this summarizes the significance of the Alchemist and Santiago's journey. It showed that the Alchemist was a allegorical character, in that he provided a sense of security for Santiago and allowed him to do things he would never have done otherwise. The use of allegory connects back to the overall theme of the book because it deepens every character, object, and incident that Coelho writes about and strengthens the meaning.
Imagery is another important aspect of Coehlo's writing in The Alchemist. He uses imagery to give the reader a better understanding of the scene he is describing. This is a book that follows a shepherd's travels, so the scene changes multiple times throughout the course of the story. I think imagery is very important in allowing the reader to gain a sense of what is happening and form a picture in their mind. For instance, at one point in the book, Santiago is working at a crystal shop in Africa. He is talking to the shopkeeper who tells him about his dreams of travelling to Mecca one day--"You dream about your sheep and the Pyramids, but you're different from me, because you want to realize your dreams. I just want to dream about Mecca. I've already imagined a thousand times crossing the desert, arriving at the Plaza of the Sacred Stone, the seven times I walk around it before allowing myself to touch it. I've already imagined the people who would be at my side, and those in front of me, and the conversations and prayers we would share. But I'm afraid that it would all be a disappointment, so I prefer just to dream about it." (Page 55). I think this passage was very important for a few reasons. First, it was very visual and descriptive, which allowed the reader to vividly picture what was being depicted. Secondly, it gave me the idea that it was important to the character. Even though he said he wasn't actually going to fulfil that dream, the fact that it was described in such great detail gave me the impression that it still held high importance to the character. Imagery is also used in other ways, like describing a picture in detail and connecting it metaphorically to something else--"He watched the hawks as they drifted on the wind. Although their flight appeared to have no pattern, it made a certain kind of sense to the boy. It was just that he couldn't grasp what it meant. He followed the movement of the birds, trying to read something into it. Maybe these desert birds could explain to him the meaning of love without ownership." (Page 99). This passage was important because it was descriptive and allowed room for interpretation outside of the actual scene being described (it brought the idea of love into consideration). Another form of imagery that Coelho uses is nature imagery--"The wind screamed with delight, and blew harder than ever. The tents were being blown from their ties to the earth, and the animals were being freed from their tethers. On the cliff, the men clutched at each other as they sought to keep from being blown away." (Page 151). Coelho managed to fit a broad amount of description and detail into a short three sentence paragraph. I think this is an important skill to have when using imagery as a literary device because it provides the reader a good amount of detail, without boring them of unnecessary length or run-on sentences.
Conflict was also a literary tool that was used often throughout the story. In a way, the entire plot was filled with conflict after conflict. Santiago would encounter a problem during his journey and it would take him time to fix it. One of his first major conflicts was a lack of money that he needed to go to the Pyramids to fulfill his "Personal Legend". He solved this by working for a crystal shopkeeper for about a year (Page 51). Another conflict presented in the story would be the war that kept Santiago from crossing the rest of the desert to find the Pyramids. He ended up having to stay in the oasis for a good amount of time, where he actually met a girl he fell in love with. This connects to the theme of the story because for Santiago, this is where fate took its course--"I had a dream, and I met with a king. I sold crystal and crossed the desert. And, because the tribes declared war, I went to te well, seeking the alchemist. So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you." (Page 122). This conflict of having to stay in the oasis ended up being a blessing in disguise for Santiago. The last conflict that I found significant to the story would be with Santiago was forced to turn himself into wind. He and the alchemist were captured by soldiers and the only way to escape from murder was for Santiago to turn himself into the wind and prove he was an alchemist--"'But I have no idea how to turn myself into the wind.' 'If a person is living out his Personal Legend, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to acheive: the fear of failure.'" (Page 141). This conflict proved to be important because it was the last major conflict for Santiago, and after that, everything fell into place for him.
The Alchemist's theme is not hidden at all. Almost anyone reading the book would be able to understand that it is about pursuing dreams and fate. However, I think that everyone who reads it is able to take away something else, something personal and significant to only them, which is what I liked about this book. Paulo Coelho is able to develop these themes through the use of allegory, imagery, and conflict, all of which work together to form one of the bestselling books in history, and an interesting story to read, in my opinion.
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