Prologue: Summary

The prologue is narrated from the perspective of the alchemist. He reads a variation of the Greek myth of Narcissus, who, deeply in love with his own reflection in a lake, falls into the lake and drowns. In the variation that the alchemist reads, the lake, too, is in love with its own reflection in the eyes of Narcissus. The lake mourns Narcissus’s death because it can no longer see itself in his eyes. The alchemist proclaims this to be a “lovely story.”

Prologue: Analysis

Santiago, the protagonist, is a shepherd boy living in the Andalusian hills of Spain. The alchemist appears much later in the book when Santiago meets him on his journey to the pyramids. This may lead one to question why the novel was named after the alchemist’s character. Perhaps this is because Santiago is also an alchemist.

The version of the Narcissus myth narrated by the alchemist is the one we find in Oscar Wilde’s story “The Disciple.” In the myth presented in the latter, the lake says, “But I loved Narcissus because, as he lay on my banks and looked down at me, in the mirror of his eyes I saw ever my own beauty mirrored.” In the alchemist’s reaction to this version there can be gleaned a sense of approval. The original classical myth of Narcissus is more critical of self-obsession. However, this novel focuses on the fulfilment of one’s Personal Legend. The pursuit of one’s dreams necessitates a certain degree of self-knowledge, which can only be gained by focusing one’s attention inward. This is perhaps why the alchemist approves of this behavior. To successfully fulfill our dreams, we must focus on ourselves and embrace the truth of our existence.

We find a few themes and literary devices in the prologue, which we later encounter in greater detail in the book. One of these themes pertains to the oneness of all elements. The lake and Narcissus, for instance, are parts of a whole, they complete each other. The lake is also personified and endowed with human emotions. This is something we again witness toward the end of the book when Santiago talks to the wind, the sun, and the desert.

We must note that while the alchemist reads The Disciple” out loud, he is in fact awaiting his disciple—Santiago.