A Journey Through Life: The Alchemist
I want to be a famous actress, with two children, and five houses in five different countries. Everyone has goals. Whether they involve career, relationships, or self-actualization, goals are important to the development of an individual. When we are children we tend to set our goals high and expect them to be attained early in our lives. This idealism, however, quickly fades as we either set more easily attainable goals for ourselves or simply lose these idealistic goals altogether. The Alchemist, by Paulo Coehlo is about not letting these goals go so soon. The King of Salem tells Santiago that when we are children we have these goals because they are our Personal Legend. However, as we age, time causes us to forget our Personal Legend. Throughout his journey towards achieving his Personal Legend, Santiago struggles to discover precisely what his Personal Legend is: is it treasure, love, or simply the journey itself? As a shepherd, Santiago lives out what he perceives to be his purpose in life. He comes from a home where people have no unique goals for themselves; their only purpose is to survive. His parents “worked hard just to have food and water, like the sheep”(10) that Santiago cares for. In this way, sheep are u . . .
Continuing along his journey, Santiago remains unsure about the object of his Personal Legend. Only after dreaming of distant treasure does Santiago realize that he too is limited within his purpose in life. Aside from the fact that is takes a certain amount of courage for Santiago to leave his home and security of the familiar, he also gains an immense amount of courage through learning to love. What more could he learn or want? However, Fatima encourages Santiago to continue on his journey, claiming that he could never truly understand the Language of the World without at least attempting to fulfill his Personal Legend, “If I am really a part of your dream, you’ll come back to me one day”(99). Perhaps the most important trait Santiago acquires through his journey is courage. In this way, alchemy itself is a metaphor for Personal Legend. Discovering the world and this treasure is more than Santiago’s purpose in life; it is his Personal Legend. He realizes that there is a greater purpose to be achieved than physical riches. If Santiago does not follow his dream of treasure he will not find the treasure, love, and the attainment of his Personal Legend. So each thing has to transform itself into something better, and to acquire a new Personal Legend, until, someday, the Soul of the World becomes one thing only”(151). Santiago must also learn to listen to his heart and trust the omens. The boy does not primarily desire physical riches, however he begins his quest expecting to find a concrete yet elusive form of treasure buried in Egypt. The first lesson Santiago learns along his journey to fulfill his Personal Legend is that of following your dreams. He no longer desires physical treasure or the excitement of travel, he is content to remain with Fatima.
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