Preview

Essay on the the Alchemist

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
984 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay on the the Alchemist
Essay on the The Alchemist:
“Name any five lessons Santiago learned and how he mastered them”

The Alchemist is a journey of exploration and self-discovery as we follow the main character, Santiago, a young shepherd who lives in Spain, on a journey to fulfill his personal legend. The novel shows us wisdoms and gentle reminders of how to change our lives from what they may be today into the life we have always dreamed of.

The novel tells us that the fear of failure is the greatest obstacle to happiness. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” So often we hide behind excuses of not being able to do this or that, but the real story is that we are too afraid to take a chance. It is our fear of failing or looking foolish in front of others that keeps us from being who we want to be.

In The Alchemist, Santiago was comfortable with being a shepherd. He knew how to be a shepherd, he trusted the sheep and they trusted him, but being a shepherd did not truly make Santiago happy. He dreamt of exciting adventures. Eventually, Santiago sold his flock of sheep and embarked on his great journey to the pyramids. He knew that by denying himself this adventure he would be denying his happiness, and so he took a leap of faith in himself and set off towards his dream.

Throughout the novel, the author emphasizes life is a journey, not a destination, and that the real treasure is in the journey itself. “There is only one way to learn. It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.” The same could be said for success or happiness. It is in the journey where you will find your true self.

Santiago’s dream was to make it to the pyramids, but the adventure that he found himself on in order to get to those pyramids taught him more than he ever thought possible. By the time he reached the pyramids his life had changed forever. Through the journey he found who he truly was, and he found his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    I thought it was extremely peculiar that Santiago had the same dream exactly one year apart. Not only did he have the same dream, but Santiago woke up at the same moment during both of the dreams. I think the author might be using the literary device of foreshadowing. Perhaps, there actually is a treasure hidden at the Egyptian pyramids, and the boy has to travel to find it. (69 words).…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    3)A stated reason to go there: Santiago wants to go to the pyramids in Egypt, because he had a dream that lead him to believing that they house great riches and treasures.…

    • 1389 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The story is non-chronological and is told out of order, mimicking the way that memories are often not remembered sequentially. In addition, the story is told like clockwork, told repetitively through memories that essentially keep Santiago alive twenty-seven years after his death. Although most of the chapters end on an exclamation similar to “They’ve killed Santiago Nasar!” the story is reconstructed again, with a new memory or voice telling the story, adding more pieces to solve the puzzle of Santiago Nasar’s murder (García Márquez 71). Santiago’s murder is retold in each chapter, but Santiago becomes ‘resurrected’ in the next where his last moments are replayed, up until the last chapter of the novel. The last sentence of the novel ends with the line “He went into his house through the back door that had been open since six and fell on his face in the kitchen”, again ending Santiago’s life, but this time ending the loop of Santiago’s death and his following resurrection (García Márquez 120). The novel ends with no conclusion, paralleling the fact that Santiago’s murder has no conclusion or resolution. Santiago dies with his innocence still in question, but the circumstances of his death causes Santiago to still be remembered and, therefore, to still be…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This statement from Melchizedek the king of Salem is essentially telling Santiago that dreams are not silly or selfish and they should not be ignored or denied, dreams are meant to be fulfilled that is why they exist. He wants Santiago to realize that his persistent dream of him going to the Pyramids to find his treasure is not just a silly old dream it is his Personal Legend. Mr. Melchizedek explains Santiago that this desire to go to the Pyramids “originated in the soul of the universe.” He wants Santiago to go on this journey because he believes that it is his true meaning and mission on earth.…

    • 109 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    | This quotation is said by Melchizedek, commonly referred to as the old man. This is the passage that introduces the ideas of one’s personal legend, and the soul of the universe. Much of The Alchemist is based off that philosophy; dreams are not just something one should push aside, each person needs to focus on accomplishing his or her own fantasy. In addition this is the overall conflict of the book, because the rest of the story is about Santiago trying to accomplish his personal legend: getting to the pyramids to find hidden treasure. He will run into trouble and there will be times when he gives up, but everything that happens along the way will get him one step closer to finding his dream. (Word Count: 125)…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Choices In The Alchemist

    • 2174 Words
    • 9 Pages

    He sells his beloved sheep, spends all his money to cross the desert and numerous other sacrifices. He teaches others about the benefits of taking risks and pursuing ones dreams through action. Many times during his trip he starts to doubt himself and his destiny. He almost turns back but something always inspires him to keep pushing through the difficulties of his journey. He finally reaches the pyramids with the help of the alchemist. He digs in the spot where he dreamed the treasure would be but found nothing for days. While he was digging, a man saw him digging for his fortune and told him not to be so stupid to dig for a treasure that he had only dreamed of (Coelho). He told Santiago that he himself had had a vision of finding a treasure under an old tree by an abandoned church (which was where the boy had had his dream) but that he never went there because he didn’t believe in recurrent dreams…

    • 2174 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ester Lucero

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One of the most fascinating aspects of any story is the formation of it’scharacters. The way the author chooses to describe them, give them personalities, is how the reader will see their lives. A character’s psyche and the way he thinks about events around him change the way a reader perceives the story. Authors have an amazing chance to shape and bend a story to fit what they want it to be through the characterization of the people they write about. If an author is incapable of making characters believable and understandable, the story won’t survive. In Isabel Allende’s “Ester Lucero”, Angel is described in a way that makes the reader understand his impulses and desires, even if they areof a completely foreign nature to the reader. Allende is an extremely skilled writer that used her ability to make a character believable to her advantage for this story.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Santiago The Alchemist

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist tells the story of a young shepherd named Santiago who sets out on a journey after leaving his sheep and country behind to find a treasure following a recurrent dream he experiences. While on his journey, Santiago meets some interesting characters that help him realize his true potential and what it means to truly follow your dreams. Throughout the book, Santiago learns that if you have a goal in life, the world will come together to help you achieve it. He also learns that a lot of the personal growth we experience as human beings comes from within. A person must follow their heart and instincts because if they don’t, they will only end up regretting it down the road. Coelho makes many of the concepts in this story…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As Santiago started heading towards the desert, where he was destined to be, he faced eminent challenges and obstacles that he was yet to overcome. That is another thing that Coelho was trying to explicate, as we strive towards our dreams, we will surely face tough challenges and temptations to try and stray us away off course. These temptations and desires are there to test us if we are really determined and ordained to fulfill our “personal legends.” That is why Coelho created the character of Santiago, who conquered all obstacles and fought away his temptations. For example, Santiago had fallen in love with Fatima at the oasis, but it didn’t stop him from pursuing his dreams.…

    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Singing Silence

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Sacrificing conventional lives is one of the ways for people to obtain a more fulfilled life. In the short story “ The Singing Silence”, the author Eva-Lis Wuorio tells us a life story of the main character Vicente. Vicente is a person that doesn’t have life stability but has achieved a fulfilled life. First, he worked as a porter on a quay, at which he set himself a goal: to be a successful porter. Secondly, he accidentally made a serious mistake, for which he determined to make up for the loss. Thirdly, Vicente tried to learn a completely new activity in his 60s, which turned out to be another goal to attain. Finally, he realized his dreams dramatically. Through this story, Eva-Lis Wuorio intends for the reader to appreciate that individuals may become more fulfilled if we sacrifice conventional lives because we will always have a new struggling aim resulting in our active participation in our jobs, confidence about the amending for our mistakes, courage to face challenges and the understanding of real life meaning. .…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Alchemist

    • 1822 Words
    • 8 Pages

    First and foremost, one of the themes The Alchemist talks about are dreams also known as personal legends.Dreams are omens that can turn into reality if we pursue them.In life we should always follow our dreams.Many people in society don’t chase after their dreams either because they may be lazy or just to scared to take the risk.Dreams are told in many stories the fact that they are told in many books it may inspire people in the real world to go and chase after their own dreams.In life people have jobs that they are really not happy with.They got into those jobs because they didn’t finish school and that’s all they could get.Everybody wants to do better in life or as The Alchemist defines it finding your personal legend.People have options they can quit their job to go to school and have a better education to get a job they want or sometimes they will settle themselves and stay where they are at.On page 63 in the book Santiago is discussing his dream with the alchemist and the alchemist gives him these encouraging words “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” A dream can be fulfilled with a little effort otherwise the dream is impossible to achieve.When you really want something the universe conspires to help making it come true.The author wants to inspire us to follow our dreams.The Alchemist tells the story of the hardships and risks Santiago took to get to the treasure.Although it wasn’t easy he did it.Maybe if the…

    • 1822 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the opening line of the book, García Márquez reveals the ending of the story: Santiago Nasar is killed. The rest of the story unfolds in reverse, as readers learn more of the details of how and why Santiago is killed. This tantalizing sentence provides a good example of García Márquez’s baroque writing style. Three different points in time are referred to in the same sentence, so that the central fact of Santiago’s impending death is nearly obscured with other details.…

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Emotionally the author connects with his readers. He makes us want to worship Esteban too, because the way he grabs our hearts and takes a hold on them to make us feel sorry for Esteban, and he unfortunate height. Marquez gets us to connect with the villagers to understand their boredom, their colorless life, and emotionally attaches us to as they grow to worship…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First, Santiago’s parents wanted him to become priest but he always wanted to travel. The only reason Santiago became a shepherd was to have the opportunity to travel. As a shepherd Santiago was always on a journey travelling through southern Spain. The theme journey is present throughout the whole book. For example, Santiago embarks on an even longer journey as he has to cross the Sahara Desert to the pyramids in Egypt, where his treasure is buried. After getting beaten up by the thieves in the pyramids, one of the thieves makes Santiago realize that the treasure all along was buried back in Spain. Where he first had the dream, under the sycamore tree, in the old abandoned church. Fear is another theme used multiple times in The Alchemist.…

    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book The Alchemist Santiago crawled through his suffering with difficulty. In some instances he did not want continue on from the lone fear of what dreadful news awaited him; when Santiago pushed…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays