Analysis Of The Alchemist Essay

Symbols, signs, journeys, and as the book recurrently mentions it, our own Personal Legends are emphasized in Paulo Coelho's best-selling novel, The Alchemist. Having been published in 67 languages, this book talks about realizing our dreams and ultimately also having the courage to fulfill our destiny. It tells us the tale of a simple Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago, who chose to listen to his heart, follow the signs given to him, and venture out in his personal voyage of self-discovery. In this journey that he took, he got to meet a variety of people from all walks of life, such as kings, alchemists, and merchants, who, in a way or another, helped Santiago realize his worth. However, by the end of this exploration that made him see the greatness of the world, Santiago discovers that the treasure lies where your heart belongs, and that what he was trying to find, what he was trying to search for, and unknowingly what he needed to see, was not a specific destination, but the journey itself. The people he met, the discoveries he made, and the sense of wisdom he was able to acquire along the way are the treasures themselves that he was looking for. Just like the other books written by Paulo Coelho, it is safe to say that this novel is full of symbols and imagery. His characters, objects, and even the settings of his stories are representations of things that he wants us to give importance to. As a reader, I believe that this technique that he uses helps us understand the story even more, and have a tighter grip of what the story is trying to convey.

In the majority of his works, Paulo Coelho's characters are often unnamed. Rather, they have titles of the roles they portray in their own communities. In this particular book, some examples would be the Gypsy Woman, the Crystal Merchant, the Camel Driver, the English Man and of course, the Alchemist. These people who our protagonist meets, do not have their own specific names. They each have labels which tell us something about their jobs or purpose in the life of our main character. In The Alchemist, Santiago often bumps into people who are only referred to as Old Men. They do not carry with them identifiable names, but their maturity or being aged is given importance. Just like that, the idea that they are old implies some symbolism of the knowledge and wisdom that comes with their years of living. Their action of guiding and being Santiago's mentors through out his journey also symbolizes the wisdom that we need, that we are seeking for whenever we pursue our dreams. While these characters are being addressed with no names, their portrayal of their roles through their actions is given emphasis, which helps us focus more on the relevance of their character, rather than on their names or personality. In this way, we are able to relate them to our lives and to the people involved in our lives. We get to remember and eventually connect each of the character's behavior to our own, suggesting a more universal meaning, letting us apply freely the characters in a more personal degree.

Coelho does not only use his characters in order to hide relevant key points of his stories. As important as these characters are, the objects that he includes in his novels often corresponds to relevant themes of his works as well. To take as an example, Coelho used the great pyramids of Egypt, not only in this book, but also in his other books such as The Devil and Miss Prym. The fact that the treasure that our main character is trying to search for is said to be located near the great pyramids is already a hint of what it is meant to imply. The great pyramids of Egypt represent a treasure a treasure that Santiago needs to put a lot of effort into in order to attain. The physical greatness and the majestic feeling that we perceive from the pyramids are also parallel to the huge importance of the ultimate goal we are all trying to achieve. Furthermore, the distance of the location of the pyramids may represent the length of the route we are required to take towards our own Personal Legends. Going back to the main story line of The Alchemist, the entirety of the novel chases after the life of a boy, and his journey in pursuit of his dreams. This is also another symbolism that Paulo Coelho has been using in not only one of his works. Traveling, just like what Santiago did, is a symbolism of what Coelho wants us to do, and that is to take our own routes to self-discovery.

Quoting from the author himself, Symbols are doors that enable us to enter other universes. Symbols are meant to help us view stories in a broader manner. These symbols that were mentioned are not even half of the symbolic figures Paulo Coelho was able to construct in his years of writing. There are even more deeper, or even more obvious symbols present in his stories. But to stress my position, I believe that his magical usage of symbolism is not for us readers to be confused, but rather for us to comprehend more fully what he is trying to tell us. They are present in order for us to dig deeper into ourselves, and try to have a more solid grasp of the characters, of the objects, of the settings, and most of all, of the stories that he writes. Clearly, Paulo Coelho craftily includes recognizable symbols in his works that makes the message of each novel even more powerful, and as a reader, I believe that he was able to show that well enough in this worth-reading book, The Alchemist.

References:

Burns, J. (2009, January 16). The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: A Review A Novel About the Chasing of Dreams, the Realization of Fate. Retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/content/internet-journalism-an-approach-a91023

Wong, B. (2007, July 17). Book Review: The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho. Retrieved from http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-the-alchemist-by-paulo/