Criticism Of The Alchemist - 1568 Words

A Critique of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the protagonist is a young shepherd named Santiago who longs to travel the world. He has a recurring dream about treasure in Egypt and goes on a prolonged journey in search of it. His treasure ends up being right where he begins, but it is evident that his voyage is essential to finding it because he learns crucial lessons about the world along his adventures. People that Santiago meets along his adventure help him and teach him about love and the Soul of the World. They encourage him to follow his Personal Legend and to never give up on it. Spain, the desert, the oasis, and other locations that Santiago must travel through produce complications that†¦show more content†¦He explains that everything is made by the same hand and gives Santiago a deep and philosophical understanding of the world. The alchemist tells Santiago, â€Å"listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there† (132). Santiago is able to see that love is the binding force that connects everything and improves the Soul of the World. When he and the alchemist are captured by a tribe in the desert and Santiago must turn himself into the wind, he takes three days to dive into the Soul of the World. He knows that he is so close to achieving his Personal Legend, and that this is the final test. When the time finally comes, Santiago must speak with the desert, the wind, the sun, and the â€Å"hand that wrote all† (156). He talks to each of them about love, and they all help him turn into the wind. Santiago gains the ability to see that â€Å"the Soul of God is his own Soul† and that only he himself can turn his body into the wind (157). Along his journey, Santiago comes to understand that everything is made by the same hand and that nothing can be achieved if one does not know about love. Characters in The Alc hemist such as the alchemist and the crystal merchant support the themes and further the plot by aiding Santiago on his journey. They all strengthen the themes as they help teach Santiago about fear, love, and theShow MoreRelatedPaulo Coelhos The Alchemist: Synthesis Essay1275 Words   |  6 Pagesthroughout every day. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist shows that those who wallow in fear will never achieve their personal legend, and those who conquer fear will achieve anything they strive for. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is a commonly analyzed and criticized piece of literature. One of these articles is Rejendra Kumar Dash’s â€Å"Alchemy of the Soul: A Comparative Study of Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha and Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist†. Dash’s article is a literary criticism of the different parts of the character’sRead MoreAlchemy As The Precursor to Modern Medicine Practices1705 Words   |  7 Pages(Bobory Rampling, 2012). 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