ipl-logo

Who Is The Rich In The Alchemist

541 Words3 Pages

In the story The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a young boy named Santiago embarks on a journey in the hopes of following his Personal Legend, a treasure trove of gold. He abandons the comforts of his life as a shepherd and immediately boards a ship bound for Africa. When he arrives, Santiago endures countless obstacles on his way to finding his treasure but perseveres until finally doing so. The quote, “...life really is generous to those who pursue their Personal Legend…” (170) is true, as evidenced by numerous instances in the book, and in real life. As Santiago attempts to follow his Personal Legend, he is first faced with bad luck, being robbed by a young man just hours after arriving in Africa. However, he continues on, helping a candy seller and, soon, working at a crystal shop. …show more content…

Nevertheless, these hardships help him understand the world more and connect with others on a level beyond the superficial. He gains new insights, skills, and even travels bits of the world. He falls in love and realizes the beauty of each and every thing that exists. In this sense, life is generous to those who pursue their Personal Legend: throughout your journey, you will struggle and question why you do everything, but if you persevere, you will emerge stronger, wiser, and all the better person for it. Despite not having fulfilled my own Personal Legend, I believe that life has been generous to me. I began as an extremely rude child whom no one wanted to be around, and have grown to be nicer and have many close friends. I feel as though my Personal Legend has allowed me to mature as a person while retaining my childish antics and ensuring that I get good grades. Furthermore, I believe that I can only grow more as I follow my Personal Legend to the best of my ability, though I have no idea where it may take me, and know that I will emerge only as the best person I can

Show More
Related
653 Words | 3 Pages

Howard Schultz once said, “In times of adversity and change, we discover who we are and what we are made of.” In life, one starts to realize everything is not always peachy. Sometimes one has to go through patches of thorns before things start to look up, but in the long run difficulties in life turn out to make one stronger person. In the books Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom, and Night by Elie Wiesel, two of the main characters are pushed to their limits and beyond. How these men react to their situation is both mesmerizing, and courageous.

Read More
944 Words | 4 Pages

He didn’t think he could do it, then realized that “he, a boy, could perform miracles,” and he had to believe in what he had learned from the people he encountered on his journey, one being the crystal merchant. Santiago’s time with the crystal merchant was a challenge because he desired to go to the pyramids as soon as he could, but he needed money. It was hard for him to stay there for a year. Still, he had “...learned things from crystal,” making the time with the merchant very valuable. Santiago’s abyss was the attack on the camp at the oasis.

Read More
711 Words | 3 Pages

Santiago's temptation is when he has the choice whether or not to stay with Fatima and abandon his Personal Legend. After leaving Fatima he has a difficult time coping with the separation, even if Fatima is a woman of the desert, who knows he will return. The Alchemist offers him a sole piece of advice, “love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend.” (120) Santiago’s heart is aching for the loving arms of Fatima. He realizes that he needs to focus on what he needs, pursuing his Personal Legend and not what he desires to be with Fatima.

Read More
382 Words | 2 Pages

2. The Odyssey holds many themes for the reader to find and dissect, but the lesson Homer attempted to drive in was a warning on the dangers of hubris. Hubris is excessive pride or arrogance. Most of the characters in the Odyssey display hubris at one point or another in the story. For example, many of Odysseus’ troubles are a result of his hubris.

Read More
503 Words | 3 Pages

During his journey, Santiago receives knowledge that he treasures and uses on his behalf when he hopes to achieve his personal legend. During his time with the Crystal merchant Santiago learned the five sacred obligations of all Muslims, and he learned that the Pyramids were not nearly as close as he thought when he arrived in Africa. During his time with the Alchemist he learned how to find life in the desert, and how to

Read More
532 Words | 3 Pages

By continuing he finds his true inner strength. In the story, the author shows the importance of perseverance, and how to face the many obstacles that people are presented in their lives to complete their goal. In Coelho's novel, Santiago faces many difficult challenges, but because of his courage and perseverance, he is able to face them head on. While in the town of Tarifa, Santiago meets

Read More
949 Words | 4 Pages

He learns that overcoming the many challenges he faced was the key to reaching his beloved destination:

Read More
771 Words | 4 Pages

Santiago’s last step to completing his personal legend was walking through the desert, to find his treasure and completing it. Thus, showing the symbols and meanings behind these little puzzle pieces in the journey and being rewarded with love and treasure helping to support my thesis, through seeing and understanding symbols behind the world people can learn about their own personal legend and live life to the

Read More
663 Words | 3 Pages

The crystal merchant's character also serves as lesson to santiago’s journey. Highlighting the importance of knowing what lessons and “omes” one should

Read More
883 Words | 4 Pages

This is illuminated when the Alchemist says, “‘There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure’” (141). This particular moment shows that even though Santiago has both the ability and the knowledge to achieve his dream, it is impossible to attain it if he fears even attempting to reach it. Consequently, this fear acts as his enemy and a barrier that stands in the way of the meaningful and happy life he is destined to accomplish. Furthermore, another one of his fears is the fear of losing what he believes he has already earned. ” He reminded himself that he had been a shepherd and that he could be a shepherd again.

Read More
486 Words | 2 Pages

The Crystal Merchant tells the boy that more customers came into the shop since he started working there. The merchant tells him that this is a good omen and Santiago finally starts to that omens factor into his personal legend. Santiago thinks to himself, “People talk a lot about omens, thought the shepherd. But they really don’t know what they’re saying. Just as I hadn’t realized that for so many years I had been speaking a language without words to my sheep” (46).

Read More
540 Words | 3 Pages

In the story the alchemist it is discovered that there are many different things in life to look forward to. There is also something in the story that is a moral or your life´s destiny called your personal legend. Your personal legend is one of those things in life that some people look up to in the future. Santiago travels the world to pursue his personal legend. Santiago strived to find his personal legend with the help of people he met on the way to find treasure that he is destined to find , just to realize the treasure was where he had fallen asleep in the beginning of the book.

Read More
719 Words | 3 Pages

While Santiago originally sets out for his treasure of material riches, the treasure he values most has been transformed to that of knowledge and love along his journey. The theme of treasure appears early on in the story and inspires Santiago’s journey. One night while herding his flock, he dreams that there is buried treasure waiting for him at the pyramids of Egypt. After seeking advice from a gypsy who interprets his dream, she again confirms that at the pyramids of Egypt, “there you will find your treasure” (14).

Read More
1481 Words | 6 Pages

1. Describe the lead character(s) of the book: Name of Character: Santiago Description: Santiago is the protagonist of the Alchemist. He is a sheperd from a small town and ever since he had been a child, he had wanted to know the world,

Read More
672 Words | 3 Pages

and I read it right away. Consequently, I was right about my instinct; it truly impacted my life. The book indicated that everyone has a personal legend; although, some settle for what they already have or just too afraid to go beyond their comfort zones. One lesson I learned from the main character Santiago was that he did not settle for his old life and went abroad in search of something much greater for himself, his dream.

Read More

More about Who Is The Rich In The Alchemist

Related Topics

Open Document