The Alchemist Archetype

Aspects such as abnormality, the visits to the supernatural world, and greater knowledge gain than original expected of the epic hero archetype guide the reader through this story. Leading them to realize that without understanding the dangers of something irreversible mistakes may be made and yet at the same time wisdom allows for innovation and progress to

The book The Alchemist unfolds a story involving a hero's journey, encouraging people to avoid an uneventful life and pursue their dreams. In the hero's journey, supernatural aid, the road of the trial, and the return to the ordinary world, Santiago overcoming challenges and achieving a meaningful life. Santiago has met many people and faced obstacles, but these events offer him opportunities to grow personally and learn about himself. In a hero's journey, supernatural aid is when people around the main character help them along their way. In The Alchemist, Santiago discovers his personal legend and hidden treasure.

In the novel, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho throughout Santiago’s long adventurous journey he meets people that change the script in his play of life. When a shepherd named Santiago was on his way to meet the beautiful merchant’s daughter, he is confronted by a king who directs him to his personal legend. Santiago decides to pursue his journey to find his personal legend and meets many important characters along the way. Santiago was destined to meet these certain characters such as the crystal merchant, Fatima, and the King of Salem so they can reflect on one another’s lives and through finding their own personal legends they help redirect his.

Beginning with his voyage, he receives a Call to Adventure that is the “call” the hero receives in order to begin his or her journey. Santiago receives it while sleeping during a normal, peaceful day in his homeland, Andalucia. In his case, he undergoes an extraneous dream in which a child transports him to the eminent Egypt. Trying to analyze the dream, he remembers: “the child took me by both hands and transported me to the Egyptian pyramids”(13). Determined to seek for information, he consults a Gypsy that advises him to find it with the condition of receiving ten percent when he returns. After reflecting on the possibilities of its

Santiago is a shepherd boy who finds enough courage in himself to follow his heart and his long awaiting dream. Santiago is conflicted between either to follow is heart or his mind. He acknowledges that if he follows his mind and becomes a shepherd boy for the rest of this life the agonizing pain of “What if...” would haunt him for the rest of his existence. However if he follows his heart then the question of “What if….’ would be answered and he would realize the fate of his future. The Alchemist "The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself... no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams. 134 Santiago is torn between taking risks or staying safe, he is frightened that if he takes a risk than he will suffer.

Throughout this novel, Coelho uses archetypal men. The men he uses are the Alchemist, his father, and the King of Salem. Wise old men symbolize the ‘savior’, ‘redeemer’, and the ‘guru’. The first of the three wise men that Santiago encounters is his father. His

The third and fourth obstacle Santiago faces is his fear of defeat and realizing his dream. For example, “They made him continue digging, but he found nothing. As the sun rose, the men began to beat the boy. He was bruised and bleeding, his clothes torn to shreds, and he felt death was near.” The obstacle he defeated was the fear of defeat people will meet on the journey to fulfilling our destiny. People have to be patient in difficult times and know that the universe is conspiring in our favor, even if some do not know. Santiago had patience and allowed the men to beat him. Because of his patience they eventually left him alone

Santiago lived a simple life where he tended to his flock as a shepherd, eventually his dreams evoked him to believe of a treasure in Egypt. This ordeal would be a demonstration of his call to adventure. Santiago developed an everlasting fantasy for this treasure in which his reoccurred Attia, 2 dreams suggested that it lied in Egypt. The omens in which he fostered, truly allowed him a vision unlike no other, which separates him from another Hero. He adopted and analyzed every omen granted to him by the Old King, but without proper guidance from multiple people, he might not have reached his desired result.

In Santiago’s journey to achieving his Personal Legend, he faces multiple situations where he has to choose one over the other.

Every individual’s life is a journey that contains many different stages that one must pass through to gain the experience he needs to grow wiser and ultimately become who he truly is. This type of journey is portrayed in both Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, and Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, where both protagonists go through life and learn lessons on the way, each with a similar idea of finding one’s self. Siddhartha is going through life to find self-fulfillment, while Santiago is trying to obtain his personal legend. Both novels portray these stories using an array of archetypes, At the beginning of both novels, although Siddhartha and Santiago are shown to be strong individuals, who are motivated to embark on their journey and finish their

In The Alchemist every adventure, quest, and obstacle Santiago had to overcome was all a part of him realizing his Personal Legend. Early in the book Santiago encounters Melchizedek, the old king, who explains to him, “In the long run what people think about shepherds and bakers becomes more important for them than their own personal legends.” This had helped Santiago realize that instead of concerning

Whether it was a journey across thousands of miles of land in, Santiago’s case, or whether it be a journey that stayed within one city, in Christopher’s case, both characters discovered things about themselves that they had never known or never would have known if it wasn’t without the journey. Through Santiago’s journey he was able to learn the powers of hard work and fulfilling his Personal Legend. Christopher was able to find new senses of self confidence and independence through his journey. Both novels, The Alchemist and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, could be summed up as journeys of self discovery for the

The alchemist: A man who resides in Al-Fayoum Oasis. He possesses a powerful magic and saves lives because he sees through to the soul of the world. He is the one who points the direction of the treasure to Santiago.

The author of ¨The Old Man and the Sea¨, Ernest Hemingway, created his central character Santiago as a ¨Code Hero¨ to personify courage, endurance, and friendship. Santiago was a rare character who demonstrated the distinguishing feature of courage when he decided to go out of his ways to go fishing during a real bad weather at sea. Santiago was a unique individual who through his actions demonstrated endurance when he committed to catch a big fish knowing that he didn't have a lot of line left. It was either him or the fish that had to go. Santiago also clearly expressed his one of a kind character through his loyal friendship with Manolin. A friendship that helped Santiago get by with life challenges. Santiago demonstrated the greatest example

Although he is shown as inexperienced before his journey, Santiago becomes responsible and brave while learning the meaning of the world. During this journey, the people Santiago comes across instill knowledge in him and encourage him to develop a courageous attitude. One of the motivating people he meets is Melchizedek, an old man who tells Santiago that his Personal Legend is to visit