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The Alchemist
In Coelho's The Alchemist, there are many things that affect Santiago (the boy) and shape his view of life, as well as his choices. When Santiago has sold his sheep, and is preparing to travel to...
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The Alchemist
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...
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The Alchemist
In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, the King of Salem, also known as Melchizedek, is the individual in the story who actually starts Santiago on the correct path to realize his Personal Legend. When...
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The Alchemist
In many way's Santiago's uneasiness does not suggest that he does not trust Melchizedek's story. Rather it indicates that he is starting to see the truth in it. As Melchizedek suggests with the...
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The Alchemist
A caravan is a literal journey, but since nothing in The Alchemist is without symbolic meaning, it is also imbued with figurative significance. In many ways, the caravan is a symbol of life's...
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The Alchemist
The Alchemist is a book that contains magical realism. Magical realism is a literary technique that intricately blends reality with fantasy. If you are looking for a quick and easy set of examples...
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The Alchemist
The gypsy woman has an incredibly small amount of actual page time in The Alchemist; however, her importance to Santiago's journey is huge. On the surface, the gypsy woman does little more than...
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The Alchemist
There are many characters who help Santiago during his journey in Coelho's The Alchemist. Some characters are people, some are natural elements, and some are abstract ideas and beliefs. Some of the...
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The Alchemist
The original Greek myth about Narcissus tells the story of a beautiful young man who becomes obsessed with his own reflection. In Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, a...
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The Alchemist
One example of foreshadowing comes in Santiago's encounter with King Melchizedek. The king tells him of the importance of following one's Personal Legend. He also tells Santiago about what he...
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The Alchemist
I think freedom works fairly well as a theme. It is quite a broad theme, but a supportable theme nonetheless. I would recommend narrowing it down to personal freedom and/or free will. The story...
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The Alchemist
As the Alchemist is reading the Myth of Narcissus, the notion of transformation is evident. Originally told in its Greek form, the Narcissus myth is extremely sad and depressing. Narcissus falls...
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The Alchemist
[eNotes editors are only permitted to answer one question per posting. Please post additional questions separately, and thank you for using eNotes.] There are several versions of the story of...
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The Alchemist
At the beginning of the novel, the setting is a bit difficult to specifically give other than Santiago is in an abandoned church somewhere in Spain. At this point Santiago is four days away from a...
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The Alchemist
At the end of the story of The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, I believe that the alchemist leaves Santiago alone to complete his journey because he has done all that he can for the boy. Santiago has...
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The Alchemist
In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, being human, Santiago must have character flaws, but they are few and seem to relate to his youth and naivete. First, Santiago is very trusting. Because he spends a...
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The Alchemist
This is a really great writing prompt, and it is a writing prompt that a student can have a lot of fun with. The initial setup states that you are hosting a talk show that is dying, and you need...
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The Alchemist
Melchizedek says this after Santiago leaves. His desire, which he says gods should not have, is that Santiago will be successful in his quest for his dream or Personal Destiny. Melchizedek...
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The Alchemist
The climax of a story is when the story is most intense, either emotionally or physically, a final decision must be made, and the resolution of the story follows soon after. For Santiago in "The...
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The Alchemist
In the Old Testament, Melchizedek is the king of Salem and a high priest who blesses Abraham after he rescues his nephew Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham gives him one tenth...
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The Alchemist
Santiago is traveling with the Alchemist through an area in which tribal fighting is as its most intense. This is clearly a very dangerous part of the world and Santiago can be forgiven for not...
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The Alchemist
I would look for quotes of thematic importance because several themes present in the novel deal with concepts and ideas that motivate Santiago in various ways. For example, love is a powerful...
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The Alchemist
The Alchemist points a curved sword at Santiago's head on the night they first meet. The Alchemist rides in on a large black horse in a cloud of dust. Santiago can't even see him until the dust...
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The Alchemist
Toward the end of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the alchemist shows the boy how to make gold. They have stopped at a monastery and the alchemist melts lead in a pan, and adds a sliver from a...
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The Alchemist
After the boy has sold his sheep, and has 6 sheep (10% payment) ready to give to the King of Salem, Melchizedek tells to the boy a parable, not a fable, to help him on his journey. The parable is...
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The Alchemist
Melchizedek has explained to Santiago about humans' personal legends with which each person is born, explaining that as children we, according to Melchizedek, intuitively know though we lose sight...
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The Alchemist
The alchemist helps Santiago in a variety of ways. Some of them are concrete and life saving, while other are more knowledge based. The first thing that the alchemist teaches Santiago is the...
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The Alchemist
Coelho's book, The Alchemist, is very much centered on one's perceptions and one's choices. He denounces the idea of "fate" by telling the boy that he can choose to make his own future by searching...
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The Alchemist
The climax of The Alchemist takes place when our protagonist learns to turn himself into the wind. In order to do this he must use all that he has learned about the interconnectedness of the...
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The Alchemist
There are two omens mentioned in The Alchemist. The first, for Santiago, is Fatima's smile. When Santiago first meets Fatima, she smiles at him, and he immediately falls in love with her. He calls...
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The Alchemist
Without a specific location in the book, this question could be asking about a couple of times in Santiago's life. Readers are told that Santiago wasn't always a shepherd. He was supposed to be a...
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The Alchemist
The definition of "oasis" is a "fertile or green spot in the desert." It represents a type of shelter from the storm. It is a moment of respite from the conditions of the desert. Out of...
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The Alchemist
The boy, aka Santiago, has always had a desire to travel. That is why he had become a shepherd. That job allows him to travel around the countryside of his native Spain. However, a pastoral life is...
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The Alchemist
When he's in Africa, Santiago doesn't spend too much money but is somewhat careless with it, and ultimately, it is stolen from him. The man who steals it from him pretends to be his friend who...
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The Alchemist
The Alchemist is a fable. A fable has a meaning; it is a cautionary tale. The main character is Santiago which means "saint" in Spanish. He is a shepherd man. He has a dream over and over. It...
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The Alchemist
The very first initiative taken by Santiago that shows he has the courage to follow his heart is the following. His family has sent him to a seminary to learn languages and study so that he can...
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The Alchemist
The answer to this question is subjective, and it is best left up to individual readers. You are certainly able to argue that Santiago's monetary prize at the end of the story was worth far more...
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The Alchemist
Santiago is the main character, or the protagonist, in as much as he is in the story more than any other character and because it his story that we follow. We travel alongside him and watch him...
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The Alchemist
Santiago loves his sheep and is devoted to them. However, Santiago recognizes early on that he does not want to resemble them in terms of how he lives his life. The sheep represent the herd...
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The Alchemist
In literature, the foil character is the character who exists, in part or primarily, to provide a contrast to the protagonist. If, for example, the protagonist character is wise, the foil character...
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The Alchemist
The tale of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a story of a hero's journey, as Santiago ventures to Egypt in search for treasure that he was promised in his prescient visions. Along the way, he...
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The Alchemist
Great question! To fully answer your query about the Englishman in Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist, it is important to fully understand the concept of a foil. In literature, a foil is a...
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The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is about a young boy who first learns about Personal Legends from Melchizedek, the King of Salem. The boy represents all of us and the fact that we can all find our...
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The Alchemist
As one looks back over the story of Coelho's The Alchemist, it would seem that each character in the story serves a purpose in Santiago's life journey—as he seeks the truth of the world—his...
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The Alchemist
The Urim and Thummim appear quite early in the book. They are a pair of stones that are given to Santiago by the king Melchizedek. The stones themselves are not large, and Santiago often takes them...
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The Alchemist
Depending upon whom you talk to or the sites you visit, there are many themes that come to mind for Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. Part of the appeal of the story is that it speaks in so many ways...
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The Alchemist
The Personal Legend in Coelho's The Alchemist is another way of saying "personal potential" or achieving and realizing one's ultimate self-worth. This cannot be termed "fate" however because Fate...
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The Alchemist
Santiago makes some critical observations about the condition of sheep. One such observation is that the sheep follow the "herd." They move as a group, rarely breaking off from the group to go on...
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The Alchemist
It is important to realise that these three characters are very distinct and different in the roles that they perform in the novel. The two who are most similar are the King, Melchizedek, and the...
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The Alchemist
In my opinion, the major characters in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist are Santiago (the boy), the King of Salem, the Englishman, the crystal merchant, the alchemist, and Fatima. Santiago is a young...
