Preview

How Does Paulo Coelho Present Santiago In The Alchemist

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
213 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Paulo Coelho Present Santiago In The Alchemist
Upon the inception of The Alchemist, a novel by Paulo Coelho, we are introduced to our protagonist, Santiago, a young Andalusian shepherd with a heart seeking adventure. The book commences with Santiago having a reoccuring dream that he always experiences under a particular sycamore tree, during which he has a vision that implores him to find gold and riches hidden in the Egyptian pyramids. He confers with a gypsy about the matter, and she tells him to go to Egypt. He meets an enigmatic peculiar old man named Melchizedek who tells him about omens, and that It's his destiny to decide which omens to follow, and It is his personal Legend to journey across the world to the pyramids. Santiago sells his herd of sheep and set on out to the city of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    List the five aspects of the QUEST and then apply them to something you have read (or viewed) in the form used on pages 3-5.…

    • 1389 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crystal Merchant became a good friend to Santiago because he gave him a chance. In return, Santiago helped make the Crystal Merchant’s store successful again. The merchant did not like to take risks and did not like change. He was a religious man. His fear was fulfilling the fifth obligation in his Muslim religion, which was to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good 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
  • Good Essays

    Plato wrote “The Allegory of the Cave,” to answer main questions that many ask themselves sometime in life. We ask, “Why are we here?” “What is the point of all of this?” “What is reality?” The story is based on a conversation Socrates, a man who inspired many of Plato’s writing, and Socrates’ student, Glaucon. This movie explains a man, Neo, having interest and doubt about the world around. Neo wants to meet Morpheus, the most dangerous man alive, to answer his…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Plato’s Allegory of the Cave envisions the world as a dark cave, with human beings as trapped prisoners, and all of their experiences as nothing but shadows on a wall. Plato was an Ancient Greek philosopher who founded the Academy and is the author of philosophical works of unparalleled influence in Western thought. Plato is informing us of the world around us, and is guiding the reader in the journey from ignorance to wisdom.…

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Siddartha and The Alchemists are both novels featuring a world of sacrifice and journeys of the soul in order to find enlightenment and have fulfilling lives. Both stories show a journey distracted by love and wealth but ultimately returning to their desired goal of finding true happiness. The Alchemist describes the journey of a humble shepherd who seems to live a happy life before he meets a king who tells him his destiny is to travel to Egypt and find hidden treasures. His pursuit of a 'personal legend' leads him down a path of self-discovery and love which convinces him he does not need to fulfil…

    • 1934 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Alchemist. A book about a boy's quest for hidden treasure, seeing new places, meeting new people. It has become a worldwide hit, selling millions of copies since it's publication in 1988. It's received many awards and has drawn scores of scholars and casual readers alike. This book has received raving reviews and stinging critics. Why the divided response to this book? People vastly argue over the meaning the author was trying to convey.…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Allegory of the Cave”, written by Plato, is story that contrasts the differences between what is real and what is perceived. He opens with Glaucon talking to Socrates. He has Glaucon imagine what it would be like to be chained down in a cave, not able to see anything other than what is in front of him. He tells a story of men that were trapped in a cave and were prisoners to the truth. These prisoners have only seen shadows. But because of their ignorance, these slaves to the cave believe that the shadows are real. The story goes on to say that one of the men has been dragged out of the cave. He is not happy to see the real world, yet upset because he is being taken away from all that he knows. As he approaches the outside, he is blinded by the sunlight that he has never seen. The sunlight can be interpreted as actual sun or as knowledge, making the journey rather painful in mental and physical ways. The prisoner wants to return to his life as a peasant inside of the cave. When he is outside of the cave, he only wants to look at shadows and reflections, but later proceeds to look at actual objects surrounding him. Lastly, he looks at the sun itself, as he realizes that is what created this beautiful nature. The climax of the story is when the ma realized that he no longer has to worry about reality and reasoning, because he achieved the understanding of it. Eventually, he goes back to the cave. He is not greeted nicely back at the cave because he is seen to have taken a meaningless trip. The man who had seen the outside world took it upon himself to teach the others and lead them into understanding the truth of reality. The story finished by Socrates saying that the most qualified and wise people are the best options for leading in government, like the prisoner who discovered truth.…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    light vs. dark

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the myth of the cave Plato and Socrates discuss the theory of having prisoners trapped in a cave chained, in where they are shown figures of the world being cast by shadows. Until one of the prisoners is dragged out into the real world and he experiences a change in perspectives. After realizing how wrong his perspective of the world was, he decides to share this information with the rest of the prisoners that are still trapped in the darkness of the cave. The other prisoners were so full of their own perspective, disbelieving that there was a world different than what they believed in, that they threatened to kill him if he spoke another word of nonsense. The prisoner returned to the outside world and left the other prisoners in the darkness of their ignorant ways. In “A Very old Man With Enormous Wing”, one day as Pelayo is disposing of crabs in the ocean, he notices an angel lying in the sand ill, he decides to take him home and keeps the old man caged in his chicken coop. after a few days Pelayo and his wife Elisanda start to noticed that their ill son is cured and healthy. They seek help from the priest who believes he is the devil since he dint speak God’s language. People came from far and close to see the old man with their own eyes. Elisanda saw a great opportunity and started to charge people admission to see the angel, making her and Pelayo wealthy that they build a new home for themselves. When the old man regained his health and strength he disappears never to be seen or heard from again. The characters in “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”, by Gabriel Marquez relate to the characters in Plato’s “Myth of the Cave” because they are blinded by their perspective and there are similarities in the surroundings from both of the stories.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some may argue that the baker had still “put some money aside” so that “when he’s an old man, he…[may] spend a month in Africa”; however, it is an opportunity without any guarantee (22). Even if the baker did eventually wind up traveling to Africa, it will be too late for him and he will not be able to relish in his dream, as he spent the majority of his life fearing his dream and submitting to conformity. After all, “in the long run, what people think about shepherds and bakers becomes more important for them than their own Personal Legends" (23). Santiago also demonstrates this fear near the beginning of the novel. Santiago gets his dream interpreted by a gypsy, and while at first, Santiago “laughed - out of happiness”, he later became “irritated” at the simplicity of his dream (14). The gypsy had simply told Santiago that he “must go to the Pyramids in Egypt...there [he would] find a treasure”…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Red Pyramid is recommended and strongly suggested to anyone able to read it. This is a book that could be read and enjoyed by anyone with a sixth-grade reading level. This is especially recommended to enthusiasts of Egyptian culture and mythology. The author does an amazing job making ancient Egyptian myths into relatable and humorous journeys for the characters. However, most importantly, it sets up an epic and captivating journey for the reader. This novel is sure to grab the reader’s attention within reading the first…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Paulo Coelho Biography

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages

    No one thought Paulo would ever amount to anything. While attending a Jesuit school as a teenager, he dreamed of becoming a writer. When he revealed his career goals to his mother, she told him “My dear, your father is an engineer. He's a logical, reasonable man with a very clear vision of the world. Do you actually know what it means to be a writer?" He was determined to prove to them that he could accomplish his dream, whether they approved or not.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout The Alchemist, readers see a clear view of how they are to discover the meaning of life. The first is by discovering their personal legend. People are supposed to go out and seek their life’s destiny. The second is by defeating fear. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. We shouldn’t worry about the past or future. In fact, we should be focusing on the present. When we take the focus off of our fears we begin to focus on the present and realize what we’ve been missing. Paulo Coelho portrays two main themes throughout The Alchemist: pursue your personal legend and dangers come when you fear.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story starts off with a young sheep herder named Santiago. Santiago always traveled and loved herding sheep with a passion. He loved his sheep and he felt that his sheep loved him. One day while wandering, he meets the old king. Once the old king tells Santiago he needs to go find his “Personal Legend”, his whole life begins to change in an instant. Listening to what the old man says, he sells all his sheep, and sets off for his quest. During his journey, he realized he experienced more problems than he ever did on his journey than when he was back at home. However, although his journey takes some drastic turns, he meets the love of his life, and becomes “one with the world”. At the end of the story, he meets the Alchemist, who teaches him how to do so, and how to follow his heart. Finally reaching the Pyramids, he finds no treasure but realizes that it was back at home, where he was from the start of the story. The theme of the story is the journey is sometimes greater than the treasure itself.…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays