Literary Techniques In The Alchemist

In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo, the author uses multiple literary techniques to present the lessons behind the plot. The author uses symbolism, allegories, point of view, and foreshadowing. The author goes to extreme depths to show the character's journey of self-discovery and progression toward a life of knowledge. The plot is that people grow and obtain knowledge.
"Well, usually I learn more from my sheep than from books" (pg.16) is a quote from Santiago showing his simple beliefs of where he finds himself at the novel's beginning. The author begins using this literacy knowledge in the first few pages of the book, where Coehlo uses the symbolism of sheep to represent the character Santiago's simple-minded approach to life, using the sheep as an animal that represents simple care and works behind the animal. Coehlo uses character interaction between Santiago and his thoughts throughout the book to present his inner struggles and

The entire story is written in a third-person omniscient point of view, which allows for an outside look at all of the characters, the emotions of all of the characters, and being able to branch out to characters other than the main antagonist shortly. This provides a better understanding of all participants in the story and how their interactions affect one another physically and emotionally. This is shown throughout the entire novel along with a past tense way of speaking to show that the narrator of the story is more knowledgeable of what is occurring than the characters as they have already witnessed everything that is happening and have more knowledge due to their age and wisdom that comes with time. The past tense also provides more of the author's straightforward language, which removes redundancy and provides a more direct reading experience that more vividly highlights the use of literacy devices that Coehlo