Christopher Thaphorn
Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Trobaugh
English 2
26 January 2023
Hero’s Journey in The Alchemist
What does a person have to go through to become a hero? In Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey he describes the path a person has to take to become a hero. The hero’s journey is used in many different stories. It describes a circular path a person has to take to become a hero like meeting a mentor,being trapped, and the road back. In The Alchemist a shepherd named Santiago goes through this journey to find his treasure. In the book The Alchemist, Santiago obtains his personal legend by completing the steps of the hero’s journey.
In the beginning of The Alchemist, Santiago gets a call to action but refuses and he gets tested. Santiago gets a call to action via his dreams. He goes to see a dream interpreter but it does not help. Santiago then gives up and refuses to go to Egypt for his treasure. The dream interpreter does not give Santiago
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Santiago gets trapped because if he does not turn himself into the wind by the deadline he will be killed. Santiago’s mentor, the Alchemist, knows how to turn into the wind but would not tell him. Santiago loses his source of guidance and has to figure it out himself. Another part of the hero’s journey in The Alchemist is when Santiago learns his treasure is back where he started. Santiago makes his way back to Spain to collect his treasure. After he obtains the treasure, he decides to head back to Africa for Fatima as a master of both worlds. In the church under the sycamore where it all began “The boy smiled, and continued digging. Half an hour later, his shovel hit something solid. An hour later, he had before him a chest of Spanish gold coins… ‘I'm coming, Fatima’ he said” (Coelho 170-171). Santiago returns to where he started because the hero’s journey is a circle. He digs for his treasure and finds it. As a master of both worlds Santiago decides to return to Africa with his treasure to find