Follow your dreams, and who knows what will happen.
“I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure,” (Coelho 40). In the Alchemist a shepherd boy named Santiago is on a journey to seek his true destiny. His journey begins in Andalusia, Spain and later leads to Egypt in search of treasure. Unknown to Santiago the treasure is where he began his journey. During the novel, Santiago meets new people who help him through the challenges and tasks that he faces, they help him with his true love, Fatima. They give him guidance throughout his journey. These tasks and challenges help him understand the Soul of the World and Language of the World. The above quote is taken from the part when an old man gave him two rocks called Urim and Thummim, these two rocks made him feel more confident in finding his treasure. Santiago the protagonist in the Alchemist shows qualities such as bravery, determination and loyalty to achieve his destiny.
As his journey continues Santiago shows bravery by leaving his home to travel and find his treasure. Santiago’s father always wanted him to be a priest when he was older but this was never Santiago’s dream. He always wanted to travel, the only way he could accomplish this was to shepherd sheep. Santiago told his father that he wanted to be a shepherd and no matter what his father said he was going to be one. Travel needed a lot of money that Santiago didn’t have, but if he were a shepherd he would be traveling with his sheep, selling wool and making money. This is how his journey began. One evening Santiago was walking back to his tent. “Who dares to read the meaning of the flight of the hawks?” (104). When the stranger, the Alchemist asked him, he wasn’t afraid to say that he was the one who read the meaning of the flight of the hawks. The Alchemist to him was a complete stranger to him, at this point, holding a sword to his head. Santiago showed his braveness and proved to the alchemist he wasn’t afraid. Santiago wasn’t afraid to take a risk that is what he needs in his journey, he couldn’t be afraid of what was going to happen. “I’m not afraid of failing.” (135). The alchemist is telling Santiago that dreams are impossible if you fear of failure. Santiago said that he is not afraid of failure; he doesn’t know how to turn himself into the wind. This proves that Santiago isn’t afraid he just doesn’t know how to accomplish the task or challenge that he faces. By letting go of his familiar ways of life it allowed Santiago to face the challenges that lay ahead in the future. Santiago has shown that bravery can take you along way on a journey that is difficult to accomplish, determination will also take you along way on your journey.
Santiago is very determined to achieve his destiny: his search for treasure fuels his determination. “If you start by promising what you don’t even have yet, you’ll lose your desire to work toward getting it,’’(23) Santiago was determined to get the treasure he was promising people that he owed, like the gypsy, that they would get a part of it. This determination helps him go far and stay focused on his journey; it helps him want to seek his destiny. Santiago, the whole journey shows his determination by facing challenges and tasks, learning from his mistakes when he trusted the Arab man with his money and later on got robbed by him, listening to his friends by following his destiny and trusting their opinion and believing that he can find his treasure, he doesn’t let anything get in the way of that, when he got all that money from working with the crystal merchant, he could have gone home and get more flock but decided to keep on going with his destiny. By facing these tasks and challenges he is establishing what his destiny is and how to reach it. At the begging he just wanted to travel, then he wanted to go and search for treasure and now he wants to find true love and his treasure. Achieving his destiny is not easy for him he has to be determined and not get distracted. He is determined he will go back to the oasis and take Fatima and his treasure home with him. Bravery and determination have helped Santiago in his journey but loyalty has also been an important part of that journey.
Throughout the novel Santiago shows loyalty by remaining true to Fatima and wanting to stay with her and be part of her life. At this point he didn’t want to leave and follow his dream. He wanted to stay and forget about his treasure, until the Alchemist told him that if he didn’t go after his destiny, God would not help him. ’’I want to stay at the oasis,’’ ‘’I’ve found Fatima, and, as far as I’m concerned, she’s worth more than treasure,’’ (113). This shows the treasure is important but not as important as Fatima. They are both apart of his destiny. He doesn’t want to leave Fatima alone because he loves her. Since she is a woman of the desert and is willing to wait for his return. That is why he is being so loyal to her; he doesn’t want to lose her or he will have lost his true love and never find that same love again. When Santiago met Fatima, it was love at first sight. He said to himself that he would never leave her. Santiago showed his loyalty by trusting Fatima to stay there alone and not marry another man, no matter what happens. Loyalty means the world to Santiago; it helps him stay focused throughout his journey.
Santiago’s dream was to travel. Ever since Santiago was a young boy he had always desired to travel and his dream led him to be an adventurer seeking for his treasure. Bravery assisted Santiago throughout the challenges and obstacles he faces in his journey, especially when he met the alchemist in the middle of the oasis and was facing a life or death situation. Santiago shows determination by willing to go find his treasure and showing his loyalty to Fatima, the women he loves. This all help Santiago conspires his destiny and the meaning of life.
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