The Alchemist Comparison

In life a single event can dramatically change a person forever but how they survive is what matters the most. In Night by Elie Wiesel and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, two character named Elie and Santiago are placed in life altering situations where they have to figure out how to persevere. Night is a dramatic book that recounts the reprehensible treatment that Elie had to live though during the Holocaust. Elie has to endure deplorable conditions in a Nazi concentration camp and learn to survive. He has to choose to separate himself from his experiences and still have hope. In contrast, The Alchemist is a hopeful book where Santiago goes on a journey and discovers new ideas and hidden treasures. He discovers that playing it safe is

Santiago has an epiphany when he realizes that if you never change and take risks you will never move forward. He wants to find his “personal legend,” or true desire, and to obtain this he needs to change his own nature. He must be willing to give up whatever is necessary to achieve this goal, including freedom. On Santiago’s journey he becomes employed by a crystal merchant that never achieved his personal legend. The merchant resisted change and never accomplished his dreams. From the crystal merchant’s experiences Santiago realized that his dreams might not come true if he waits too long. Santiago ultimately learns to realize his dreams, change is needed to be successful and achieve your

In Night, even after Elie’s loss of faith, innocence, and family, he never gives up. In the end, he is drastically changed from his experiences but he has hope in his future because he manages to carry on. Ultimately in The Alchemist, Santiago learns that change is necessary for success and that he must overcome his own fears. In addition, he learns that his heart and soul are just little pieces of the Soul of the World. Both of these books convey the message that hope provides a person the strength and the will to