The Alchemist

Part (A)
Title: The Alchemist

Author: Paulo Coelho
Type: Symbolic (Philosophical) novel
Subject: Philosophical
Characters: Santiago-Protagonist & Antagonist
Gypsy Woman-Significant in guiding Santiago towards Egypt
Englishman-Insignificant character
Alchemist-Provides wisdom and is the final contributor to Santiago's Journey
Melchizedek-Provides insights and arouses Santiago's curiosity
Fatima-Santiago's Love
Merchant's Daughter-First Crush
Setting: Starts off in the Andalusian foothills of Spain and eventually journeys through
the Sahara dessert towards the pyramids of Egypt.
Time: Present
Events: Santiago, an Andalusian shepard boy loves the freedom of traveling and the
simplicity of his sheep. One day while resting in a church he has a reaccuring dream and
he always wakes up before it ends. The dream is interperted as a treasure through a
Gypsy woman which embarks Santiago to journey to a new continent leaving behind
everything he knows. During Santoago's jounrey, he falls in love, befriends an
Englishman, joins the company of an alchemist, learns the wisdom of the world and
ultimately discovers his treasure.
Ideas: Faith in your own personal god or spiritual salvation. Examples in story include
"Allah and the image of Saint Santiago of Metamoros"
Comments: The length of the story is not bad, about 170 pages. The complexity of
certain sentences and the choice of Coehlo's vocabulary are very philosophical and
spiritual. If you can relate or read the passages with an open mind then overall it is a
pretty easy book to read.
How would you describe the story?
A very serious and slow moving novel.
Did you like it?

The writer uses symbolic and philosophical language which is very fascinating to read. It
is a kind of writing that revolutionises readers’ life.
Part (B)
Summary of the original story:
In Paul Coelho's profound book The Alchemist, the young boy Santiago undertakes a
significant journey in search of his "Personal Legend." At first he doubts himself, since
he's only a Shepard, but realizes that his dream was fate. Santiago faces many difficulties
and obstacles along the way, as well as some benefits. But was it really worth all the
torture of being beaten and robbed to fulfill his destiny? In traveling across the land, he
meets new people and discovers his heart. When Paul Coelho wrote this book, he was
stating that everything comes with consequences, and if you don't take risks, you'll live in
a boring life of security. When you have a dream, you should follow it by trusting your
heart and knowledge. The journey Santiago undertook was worth all the risks he had
taken, for he gained knowledge about the world and himself.
Santiago follows his dreams of becoming a Shepard so he can see the places of the world,
even though his father was holding him back which was very bold of him. "One
afternoon, on a visit to his family, he had summoned the courage to tell his father that he
didn't want to become a priest. He wanted to travel," (p.8) shows that he was a little
hesitant to tell his family who'd been giving him lessons to learn of god, which Santiago
didn't care for. He was curious of the world, so he did something about it. Often in life
people will tell you that what you want to do is impossible. Santiago took this with a
positive attitude and didn't give up because he knew that his purpose in life was to travel.
By making his odyssey to the Egyptian Pyramids of Giza, he discovered the wonders of
Africa with its rich culture and bustling trade.
During his journey, Santiago trusted the omens and had faith about pursuing his
"Personal Legend." "Because we have to trust the omens.' Said the boy." (p.52) It was
good that Santiago trusted himself, but when he trusted the person who was going to
show him to the pyramids; it only got him robbed of all his money. Santiago should've
known that the young man was suspicious when the owner of the bar tried to stop him.
Throughout his journey, Santiago had an optimistic outlook on things, even when he was
faced with danger. (pg.110) "The omens had been true after all. Here he was face-to-face
with his enemy but there was no need to be concerned about dying- the Soul of the World
awaited him, and he would soon be a part of it. And tomorrow, his enemy would also be
a part of that soul," shows that he still held positive attitude even though he could smell
death. Santiago was very brave when he was confronted with danger. He didn't run away
either, which showed he had confidence in himself. When he had more confidence in
himself he seemed authoritative and powerful.
Towards the end, Santiago learned to trust his inner heart, even though he was afraid that
in pursuing his dream, he'd lose everything he'd won since he feared of taking risks. "The
boy continued to listen to his heart as they crossed the desert. He came to understand its
dodges and tricks, and to accept it as it was. He lost his fear and forgot about his need to
go back to the oasis, because one afternoon his heart told him that he was happy," (p.
129-130) proves that in trusting his heart he can do anything and overcome any
challenge. This was the most important lessons of the book which was that Santiago
followed his heart and made sacrifices knowing he's have to challenge his fear. He
discovered himself in a whole new way by accomplishing things he never knew he could
do, like learning the Arabic language.
Through his perilous journey, the danger he encountered only made him more of a hero.
Santiago was curious of the world and was brave enough to try to achieve his dreams.
Although he had to cope with the threats from the desert, he not only overcame them, but
he overcame them with a confident approach which made him stronger. The journey
Santiago embarked on was worth all the risk and danger since he met new people, came
across love, and found to trust his heart, all the while doing something he loved:
traveling. When life gives you a chance to fulfill your desire, you should accept it
knowing that there will be risks and consequences. Always trust your heart and you'll
never be surprised.

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Part (A)

Title: The Alchemist

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