Dantes And Santiago In The Odyssey, And The Alchemist

The challenges, temptations, and abyss are what change initiates into heroes and show if they are up to the challenge. Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo, Odysseus from The Odyssey, and Santiago from The Alchemist, and all face a number of challenges, temptations, and an abyss throughout their hero's journey and they all overcome these hardships, proving their heroicness.

In The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes has a paradisiacal life before his journey begins. While he is in the Chateau d’If prison, he meets a priest named Abbe. He teaches Dantes about God, economics, reading, writing, math, and science. These lessons are hard for Dantes to learn and understand, posing a great challenge, but he perseveres and is eventually successful.

He battles Polyphemus, Scylla, and Charybdis, and has his crew’s ships destroyed by Laestrygonians. Once Odysseus returns home, he faces the challenge of fighting the suitors who have overrun his home. First, he must, “lineup twelve axes with their handles in the air and fire his arrows through the rings.” This task is hard to suitors but easy for Odysseus. At this point it is clear Odysseus is significantly more powerful than the average man. After completing the task with ease, Odysseus and Telemachus battle and kill all the suitors and Odysseus’ bravery shines brightly after successfully completing multiple challenges. The Land of the Dead is a place no man wants to end up and is described as a “‘...place of death and sorrow.’”; this is his abyss. He is forced to recognize his mortality and he realizes how much he misses his family. Long before this, Odysseus met the first of two temptations, Calypso. She attempts to persuade him to leave Penelope and stay with her, but she is only enchanting him.After seven years, Hermes finally frees him from her island. Odysseus sets out and travels with his men, eventually meeting Circe. She seduces Odysseus’ crew with her powers and lures them inside. Odysseus would have fallen for her spell too if it was not for his assistance from

She is the threshold guardian and describes his dream about his treasure at the Pyramids. She tells him his dream is an omen and encourages him to go to the Pyramids. Just like Odysseus and Dantes, he faces challenges. His first challenge crossing the desert. Crossing the desert takes energy, time, and bravery and is a consistent issue. After miles of trekking across the desert for many weeks, Santiago eventually meets the Alchemist. They continue their journey through the desert until one day when three soldiers capture them. The alchemist makes a deal with the soldiers; if Santiago can turn himself into the wind in three days, they will be set free, forcing Santiago to face two more challenges. First, he must quickly learn the Language of the World. To do so, he thoroughly examines himself and the world around him. He has to learn that connecting with the Soul of the World is a very difficult task. Three days pass and it is now the day Santiago must turn himself into the wind. At the climax of the story, he steps out onto a cliff. The desert speaks to Santiago and asks him, “what is love?” Santiago, deeply in love with Fatima answers, “Love is the falcon’s flight over your sands. Because for him, you are a green field, field from which he always returns with game. He knows your rocks, your dunes, and your mountains, and you are generous to him.” This answer shows Santiago has grown up and