Preview

Impurities In The Alchemist

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
611 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Impurities In The Alchemist
Alan Aguilar
Prof. Baker
English
Fall 2014
The Alchemist Essay
Have you every wondered what it takes for you to achieve perfection? In the novel The Alchemist Santiago has certain impurities that he has to get rid of to reach his personal legend. 3 impurities Santiago has in the novel are Fear, Purity, and faith.
“The land was ruined, and I had to find some other way to earn a living. So now I’m a camel driver. But that disaster taught me to understand the word of Allah; people need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want” CITATION Pau \l 1033 (Coelho). Throughout the novel Santiago feared many things which his fear became an obstacle for him to successfully achieving his Personal Legend. He experienced several forms of fear: every since his childhood he feared the gypsy women would
…show more content…
And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you will find nothing on your return” CITATION Pau1 \l 1033 (Coelho, The Alchemist). Through out the novel Santiago works on becoming pure to reach his personal legend. The spiritual unity that is represented by the Soul of the World binds together all of natures from humans to the most simplest thing desert sand. This idea is can be compared to two things the alchemist purifying the metal into gold and Santiago purifying himself into someone who is able in accomplishing his personal legend. In the novel the soul of the world created an ultimate desire for everyone whether it’s Santiago or a piece of metal. For anything or anyone to accomplish their personal legend they must become part of the Soul of the World which will help you purify yourself and the continuous purifying will lead to perfecting. The parallel examples of humans, metal and all other thing sharing a common goal demonstrates that every element in nature are uniquely different form of a single

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Santiago In The Alchemist

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the fantasy fiction adventure novel, The Alchemist, written by Paul Coelho, an epic story is told about an individual named Santiago that follows his dreams and defies all odds to find a treasure that might not even exist. He is accompanied by an ally which is also an alchemist. Throughout the story, a main part was the symbolization of Santiago’s heart. His heart symbolizes the good in the world and the most pure way to get what you want.…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The story is non-chronological and is told out of order, mimicking the way that memories are often not remembered sequentially. In addition, the story is told like clockwork, told repetitively through memories that essentially keep Santiago alive twenty-seven years after his death. Although most of the chapters end on an exclamation similar to “They’ve killed Santiago Nasar!” the story is reconstructed again, with a new memory or voice telling the story, adding more pieces to solve the puzzle of Santiago Nasar’s murder (García Márquez 71). Santiago’s murder is retold in each chapter, but Santiago becomes ‘resurrected’ in the next where his last moments are replayed, up until the last chapter of the novel. The last sentence of the novel ends with the line “He went into his house through the back door that had been open since six and fell on his face in the kitchen”, again ending Santiago’s life, but this time ending the loop of Santiago’s death and his following resurrection (García Márquez 120). The novel ends with no conclusion, paralleling the fact that Santiago’s murder has no conclusion or resolution. Santiago dies with his innocence still in question, but the circumstances of his death causes Santiago to still be remembered and, therefore, to still be…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    He had a reoccurring dream that there was a treasure at the Pyramids. After talking with Melchizedek, the King of Salem, I believe his fear was to not discover his Personal Legend of finding the treasure. “I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure.” (Santiago, page 45) There were several omens along his journey that made him fearful of pursuing the treasure. When he met the alchemist at the oasis there was a tribal war happening around them making it dangerous to travel through the desert. Santiago said to the alchemist, “I have already found my treasure.…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the main themes the Alchemist talks about is that every individual has a personal legend, which is a purpose or destiny that calls to them. Santiago's journey symbolizes this with his universal quest for meaning in his…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The motif of reading is that santiago is reading the world.The alchemist and he believe that the world around them is written words.Santiago even says that “Well, usually I learn more from my sheep than from books,” (5). Santiago also believes than you can learn more from the world than from a book. santiago believes that the world has a language like when he said “You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny. If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love… the love that speaks the Language of the World.” (126)…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A public spectacle occurs when the performance of the strange autopsy for Santiago Nasar is in the hands of the village priest, who is carless about Santiago’s body, in the novel “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”. In the story Santiago is killed by the Vicario brothers, Pedro and Pablo. Before Santiago was murdered he was being accused of sleeping with Angela, and taking her virginity. This created a lot of hell and embarrassment for Santiago throughout the town, and caused people to have zero respect for him.…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    | This quotation is said by Melchizedek, commonly referred to as the old man. This is the passage that introduces the ideas of one’s personal legend, and the soul of the universe. Much of The Alchemist is based off that philosophy; dreams are not just something one should push aside, each person needs to focus on accomplishing his or her own fantasy. In addition this is the overall conflict of the book, because the rest of the story is about Santiago trying to accomplish his personal legend: getting to the pyramids to find hidden treasure. He will run into trouble and there will be times when he gives up, but everything that happens along the way will get him one step closer to finding his dream. (Word Count: 125)…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “Some steps need to be taken alone. It is the only way to really figure out where you need to be,” Mandy Hale, a Yew York best selling author and media influencer, once said. Mandy Hale quote and The Alchemist connect. For example, Santiago learns a lesson about finding his treasure and figure out where he needs to be to find his treasure. In the novel, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, Santiago learns, “Remember where your heart is there you will find your treasure.” First, Santiago is a boy who dreams of traveling against his father’s wishes of him becoming a priest. Next, Santiago arrives in Africa and is robbed of his money. Last, Santiago finally reaches the pyramid.…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Alchemist Analysis

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages

    His first encounter with the Alchemist shows him that he has been correct to follow the path of his Personal Legend. Although the information taught to him over his travels is confusing to Santiago, he believes it, and changes his thinking understand more of the world. With his understanding of the universal language, of the signs and signals, Santiago evades death. The Alchemist begins meeting with Santiago, teaching him more about the Soul of the World, saying, “The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect. God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could understand his spiritual teachings and the marvels of his…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Alchemist

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To begin with, Santiago would not have realized what his personal legend is without the dream. The dream reoccurred and at first Santiago tried to brush it off, but then he thought of it as an “omen”. This is his “Call to adventure”. From there, he decided he wanted to be a Sheppard and travel the world with sheep. Later on in the book he met the gypsy woman. She told him, “You must go to the pyramids in Egypt. I have never heard of them, but if it was a child who showed you them, they exist. Then you will find a treasure that will make you rich”(Coelho 14). If the gypsy would have never explained to him what the dream meant, he might have not known the true meaning of his personal legend, and would not be able to fulfill it.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The protagonist’s main goal, survival, was only achieved through his efforts and by overcoming obstacles. The obstacles the protagonist overcomes serve as the basis for the development of crucial themes that contribute to the overall meaning of the work. Relying on God and religion, becoming independent, and letting go of one’s doubts and fears are some of the most important messages of the novel. These obstacles furthermore contribute to the meaning of the book by establishing connections between the protagonist and readers, thus making the meaning more relatable and…

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Alchemist

    • 2063 Words
    • 9 Pages

    This scene provides an idea of the problem (first obstacle) that Santiago will have to overcome through the book. The scene suggest what Santiago have to do in order to find that treasure – not every step, or every aspect of the procedures but a hit of what he should go –Then with this information, the reader realize that Santiago must cross the desert to reach the pyramids, that he must acquire some money to arrive to Egypt. A foreshadowing event not only tells the reader what a character might do to accomplish ‘’that’’, but with what he might struggle and what the character mush overcome.…

    • 2063 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Alchemist

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages

    When Santiago debates with himself about whether he wants to pursue his Personal Legend, because he feared losing Fatima, the Alchemist explains to him that his heart needs to understand "that the fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself. And that no heart had suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and eternity" (130). Santiago's journey surely did not bring upon suffering to him; he learned more about alchemy, found his treasure, and still felt love from Fatima. Ultimately following his dreams brought him closer to God; he literally had an "encounter" with Him when he became the wind. I felt the same as Santiago two years ago before I went to teach a vacation bible school on my mission trip to Canada, I was terrified because I had never done anything comparable to it and I did not know what to expect. I always dreamed of sharing my faith with others and when I went on that mission trip I legitimately felt like I was exactly where I should be. I now go on the trip up north for that vacation bible school every summer, every time I feel more blessed and closer to God. Fear haunts everyone, but when we learn to take risks and push the thought of suffering aside we will truly be…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Alchemist Mood

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Through concrete diction and imagery, Paulo Coelho exhibits his purpose in writing the Alchemist and supplies an ambience in which the readers are prompted to learn and evaluate their own relationships, dreams, feel hope and ambition. Since the novel has a very serene tone, Coelho uses dictation to add interest to the novel. When a reader can visualize a situation, they can more easily relate to it by connecting memories that they have to those Santiago is experiencing in the novel. Coelho uses concrete dictation by showing a situation instead of just telling it to the readers. In order to do this he has to use very descriptive language. Once the reader can picture Santiago’s emotions, they are free to interpret the lessons taught into their own circumstances. In Coelho’s novel, the setting has a lot to do with the emotions and lessons learned. Santiago achieves his personal legend of discovering who he is through the desert and acceptance of his conditions. The way that Coelho teaches his lessons to Santiago and the readers is by connecting them to forces of nature. “Treasure is uncovered by the force of flowing water, and it is buried by the same currents.”(p.24). The readers are comfortable with the thought of nature and can connect the lessons by picturing something that they are familiar with. Imagery and symbolism are highly connected in the Alchemist. Coelho uses a desert to represent the mind of Santiago. On his travels through the desert, he is given peace and quiet to think about his own life; to meditate. As the readers progress in his adventure with him, they learn things about Santiago as he learns them. This is because Coelho uses dictation and imagery to help the readers and Santiago visualize themselves in relatable situations and uses the techniques to create a tranquil mood in his book, The…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Alchemist Symbolism

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Max Muller once said, "A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love". The novel by Paulo Coelho "The Alchemist" is about a boy named Santiago on his personal legend destined for him. He must travel and understand many things in the world before getting to his treasure. The Masterwork is the process of turning lead into gold symbolizes the quest that oneself must travel to before getting to their personal treasure. You must conquer countless challenges along the way such as perseverance, understanding the Universe conspiring to help people, and the universal language. One must master these challenges in order to get their personal legend and live life happy.…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics