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Thematic Concerns In The Alchemist

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An engaging novel explores a variety of key thematic concerns.
To what extent does your novel convey key thematic concerns?

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” is what Santiago learns through his journey to finding his personal legend.In Paulo Coelho’s novel ‘The Alchemist’, Coelho considers many thematic concerns that strongly build up to escalate the plot. This is all done through the utilisation of the main protagonist in the novel, Santiago. Such key thematic concerns range from personal legend to fate. The concept of Personal Legend is explored all throughout the novel which is depicted through Santiago and shows the longing desire for him to reach it accompanied by the Crystal merchant, the King and the Alchemist’s help. Fate and destiny is another key theme displayed in the novel and surrounds Santiago in his journey to finding gold and riches. …show more content…

This is known as personal legend and in this instance, Santiago in the novel is on a journey trying to realise what his personal legend is and to find treasure. He does this by travelling to many places outside his hometown of Andalusia, Spain, where unexpectedly, at the end, he does find what he was looking for but it was in Spain all along. Coelho further exemplifies this by creating the message that the treasure was with him in Spain but he never would have found it without the journey. Much like we will never reach our dreams if we never go on a journey ourselves to achieve

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