Adversity In The Alchemist

One can overcome adversity with the right motivation. In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a shepherd boy by the name of Santiago embarks on an expedition to reach his personal legend. He travels to Egypt after having a recurring dream about treasure in the pyramids. On his journey from Andalusia to Egypt he attains much wisdom from people he meets along the way. Throughout his journey Santiago is met with many struggles and obstacles, but overall he develops into a well rounded person. In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho uses the story of Santiago to illustrate that adversity stands as a necessity in one’s growth and transformation. Coelho talks about how if an individual is persistent about reaching their “treasure”, they will not only

We can see an example of this in the first chapter when Santiago is about to depart for Egypt. Santiago faces the fear of whether or not he is making a mistake in not becoming a priest like his father wanted. His father would tell him that “Those who pursue dreams are never satisfied”. (Coelho 11) This fear helps drive him towards his goal because he realizes that there is more fear in not knowing what he might achieve than not achieving what he is expected to. That if he did not push past his fear of the unknown outcome, he would not have found himself and the first step in his transformation as a person. This is the first example of how persistence through adversity is necessary for growth and transformation, because Santiago learns that this hardship helped drive him towards his personal

While traveling through the Sahara Desert, Santiago is captured by a warring tribe and is threatened with death. In order to escape Santiago uses his wits and ingenuity by using a hawk to communicate with the Alchemist, who had been traveling with him. The Alchemist agrees to help Santiago and devises a plan to distract the guards for Santiago’s escape. Through this Santiago learns mental toughness, which is an important aspect in helping him finish his journey. This proves that it is a necessity to have adversity in one's life to promote growth and transformation in one's character. A study done at the University of Buffalo showed that individuals who have a higher overall lifetime adversity gained more mental toughness and resilience. (Seery, Mark D., et al) One must be mentally strong in order to overcome struggles and obstacles, and having experience with these adversities has a big impact on this. Another example of mental strength that Paul Coelho shows in The Alchemist is through Santiago's lover, Fatima. Santiago meets Fatima on his journey and does not want to leave her. He believes Fatima is “Worth more than treasure” and willing to give everything up for her. (Coelho 61) He is afraid of hurting the love of his life, however he knows that he must pursue his personal legend. He is able to overcome this fear with help from the Alchemist, who