The Alchemist

In Coelho's The Alchemist, the author's message regarding love is two-fold. About love in general, the reader learns that it is the one constant in the world. When the desert asks Santiago to...

In The Alchemist the overriding trope of the universality of man's desire--"the soul of the universe"--is the universal language. "And when you want something," [the wise King of Salem]...

Early in the novel The Alchemist, the titular character tells Santiago that "When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed." This simple...

The Alchemist is a wise teacher who imparts important wisdom to Santiago. This man, who the Englishman tells Santiago is 200 years old, pushes Santiago to fulfill his Personal Destiny. For example,...

Santiago learns a bit about Personal Legends and omens from the crystal merchant; however, I do not think that is the most valuable thing that Santiago learns from the crystal merchant. I think the...

Melchizedek speaks to Santiago and tells him a wise parable about a boy wishing to gain wisdom, so he goes to speak with a wise man. The man has the young boy carry a spoonful of two drops of oil...

One of the most valuable lessons Santiago learns in The Alchemist is the notion that fear is part of living a meaningful life. It is worse to not achieve his goals out of fear than to face fear,...

"Maktub" loosely translates to "it is written" in English. It doesn't necessarily mean something has actually been written down on a piece of paper or stone tablet. It's more of a destiny thing....

I think The Alchemist is for people who want to examine the meaning of life. I guess you could argue that a person whose philosophy is that ignorance is bliss would not appreciate it. The person...

The primary way that the Alchemist helps Santiago is that he teaches the boy the importance of believing in himself. On their numerous excursions into the desert, the Alchemist shows Santiago that...

As Santiago and the alchemist are traveling through the desert towards the pyramids, they have a discussion about listening to one's heart. The boy is closer than ever to finding his treasure and...

How do you explain how a book can be viewed? First, look for central themes or repeated motifs (that is, ideas that the writer thoroughly investigates). Second, support your explanation using...

The power of action. It's not enough to have dreams; you have to be prepared to take action to make those dreams come true. The Crystal Merchant is a Muslim and yet has never been on the Haj to...

Other than the fact that Santiago's dream involves the simple things in life, the gypsy woman also realizes that his dream is "in the language of the world." She goes on to say that she "can...

In some ways, Santiago does not change. But ever since he had been a child, he had wanted to know the world, and this was much more important to him than knowing God and learning about man's...

Santiago's parents want him to become a priest, so he attends the seminary until he is sixteen years old. While in the seminary, Santiago learns to read. While it is a great honor and...

I believe that the main conflict in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is Santiago's personal, inner struggle with completing his Personal Legend. That internal man vs. self conflict is constantly...

In Paoulo Coelho's The Alchemist, the word "maktub" is first introduced to Santiago (the boy) by the crystal merchant. The boy hears it later spoken around the campfire as he (and the Englishman)...

I would say that Santiago's first test is getting up the courage to tell his father that he wants to leave and travel the world. He knows that it will disappoint and perhaps even anger his father,...

The story makes it clear that one cannot attain complete fulfillment without pursuing one's Personal Legend. While those who don't are not necessarily miserable wrecks, they do have a sense of...

Throughout the novel The Alchemist, Santiago is searching for treasure. Along the way, however, he is learning lessons from a variety of teachers and is trying to understand alchemy and the...

The baker's story is Melchizedek's life lesson to Santiago about the fleeting nature of life and the need to "seize the day" while one still has the passion to experience fulfillment. Melchizedek...

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, the main character, Santiago, has many fears. Santiago's main fear is failure. He frequently worries that he is making the wrong choices and that the choices he...

The final test that Santiago undergoes in this story is to transform himself into the wind. This is something that he is only able to do with the help of the desert, the sun and the wind, and this...

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, there seem to be very few things that hold the character back from achieving his goals. In terms of personal "flaws," he trusts too easily and he experiences...

Throughout the novel, Santiago shows his determination and courage. First, he follows his own path, defying his father's wishes. He does this even though his own way is riskier and more uncertain....

The dictionary defines an oasis as a fertile spot in a desert where water is found, therefore supporting vegetation. The oasis gives refuge to travelers as it provides food and shelter. In the book...

The Alchemist is a wonderful story that mixes fantasy and reality as it weaves the tale of Santiago pursuing his Personal Legend. Santiago is faced with many challenges throughout the story, and...

In Coelho's The Alchemist, at first Santiago believes that his sheep do not consider anything beyond eating and sleeping. He believes that they have no way of understanding that life might have a...

Coelho's The Alchemist relies on quite a number of literary devices to impart the story's themes and messages to the reader. For instance, there are many Biblical allusions that reflect similar...

One of the most defining and refining moments for Santiago is when he is presented with the task to turn himself into the wind in order to save his and the alchemist's life from the tribesmen....

The Englishman teaches Santiago that there is a principle that governs the universe. He tells Santiago that, in alchemy, the force that rules all things is called the Soul of the World. When you...

Paul Coehlo's The Alchemist deals with several themes, including the nature of desire, coming of age, seeking your life's purpose, recognizing and attaining your dreams, and paying attention to the...

Santiago is desperately searching for some treasure or reward throughout the story The Alchemist. Ironically, his journey takes him all the way to the middle of the African desert, where he...

In the novel The Alchemist, much of the story revolves around a theme of fate and predestination. Santiago believes for a vast majority of the tale that he is being guided by fate and that he can...

Melchizedek, a personal spirit who appears to Santiago in Tarifa, claims to be the King of Salem. He and Santiago spend little time together, but during their interaction, Melchizedek passes on...

Coelho's opening with a revised version of the Narcissus myth invites us, as the story begins, to be open to seeing the world from a new perspective. In the original myth, Narcissus is beautiful...

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, the word fate isn't used, but the theme most closely linked to it is Personal Legend. The premise behind achieving one's Personal Legend is that everyone has one,...

What this quote is saying is that everything in the world is connected and that you can learn everything you need to know wherever you are. Because of this, a person should look at their own...

The name of the King of Salem is Melchizedek and he acts as Santiago's first mentor, teacher, or spiritual guide. He is a person's introduction to learning about what a Personal Legend is and he...

At the beginning of the novel, Santiago, the protagonist, is a young, still innocent shepherd. Because he didn't want to become a priest, as his father wished, but instead he wanted to travel, his...

One character trait of Santiago's that could be both positive and negative is his sense of contentment. On one hand, Santiago is not content with his initial life situation, and that propels him to...

The title character of the story, the alchemist seems to subscribe to the humanist philosophy that all people have great potential. However, it is up to the individual to recognize that potential...

In Coelho's The Alchemist, the Englishman seems to provide part of the answer to this question. The Englishman is caught up in words: he believes that everything he needs to know he has read in his...

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, the alchemist chooses Santiago over the Englishman to be his pupil or "disciple" because the Englishman believes that wealth in the world is found in gold. He...

For a book with a lot of magical realism in it, Coelho's The Alchemist also has many religious symbols presented from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Paganism. The Urim and Thummim are symbols...