The Alchemist Compared to The Odyssey Essay

It is often said that if you can find a path with no obstacles then it probably does not lead anywhere. Such obstacles often lead to unrecognized opportunities that can make one successful and happy. This is akin to the lives of Santiago in the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Odysseus in Andrey Konchalovskiy film, The Odyssey. As the hero progresses on their journey they begin to learn more about themselves and they understand their quest. Furthermore, the obstacles the hero overcomes helps the hero become more passionate about their journey. Lastly, it is shown that through overcoming obstacles, the hero can live a much happier and fulfilled life. Even though difficult obstacles occur in life, both heroes must overcome a series of obstacles because achieving ones goal often leads to new beginnings.

Both heroes in our stories tolerate immense learning experiences along their journey that helps them advance towards their aspirations. The first example of this is demonstrated as it is always the universe that conspires to help the hero on their quest. In the Alchemist, Santiago learns that without the soul of the universe, he would not have originated the desire to chase his dream. Upon his first encounter with Melchizedek, the king says to Santiago Whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth"(Coelho 22 ). This quote elucidates the idea that if one wants to live a purposeful life they must fulfill their dreams. It signifies that they are not alone in doing so and that the universe also shares the same desire to help one to achieve their ambitions. In the Odyssey, one of the reasons why Odysseus is successful on his journey is because the Gods favour him. After a painful and emotional voyage, Odysseus finally makes it to his homeland of Ithaca. Immediately returning to his palace to reclaim what was originally his, Athena a Greek goddess, helps disguise him as a mere beggar. This is very helpful to Odysseus because it allows him to inspect his castle and scrutinize who has been faithful and who has not. His disguise also allows for him to plan a successful attack on those who have been mistreating his palace and wife and to reclaim what was his so he could finish his quest. Both heroes learn that without the guidance of the universe they would not be as successful. In Santiago`s case, it is the universe that formulates the idea of a personal legend. If he did not hear these words than the thought of pursing his journey would have been overshadowed by his own will. This idea slightly varies in the Odyssey. When Odysseus finally returns home, he realizes that he cannot immediately make his appearance. It is the gods who help him complete the journey that he began. Another correlation between the heros journey, is through the obstacles they endure, they accumulate spiritual growth. In The Alchemist, Santiago finally learns the transcendental language of the world through overcoming the impossible task of turning himself into the wind. After asking the desert, wind, sun, and heaven for help. The boy reached through to the soul of the world and saw that it was the soul of god and he saw that the soul of god was his own soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles(Coelho 52). Santiago always sought to find a language that does not depend on words and through overcoming this obstacle he was finally able to understand the universal language of the world, one that anyone can understand once they have reached an understanding of themselves. This is very similar to that of Odysseus. After Odysseus`s encounter with Poseidon, who makes his journey harder than it should be, Odysseus learns something very valuable that shapes him for the rest of his journey. While suffering in the ocean from Poseidons wrapt, Odysseus learns from Poseidon `My goal is not to kill you. You must understand!` `What? What? What do you want me to understand? That without Gods, man is nothing(Kanchalovskiy). This quote summarizes the necessity of having respect for the Gods. It signifies that one finds success when respecting the gods and trouble when disrespecting them. Both heroes gain spiritual growth and end their journey with a new perspective than when they had begun the journey. Santiagos journey suggests that an important part of pursuing ones personal legend is not just reaching the end but learning along the way. In the Odyssey, after learning about the importance of gods and the effect they can play in mans life, Odysseus returns to Ithaca wiser and more prudently. As one can easily see, the hero in both stories share similar experiences, both before they began their journey and through overcoming their obstacles to reach the end.