Literary Elements Of The Alchemist

Seldom does a novel come along that incorporates the awe-inspiring world of fiction and a passionately prominent message that can comfortably be incorporated into the readers’ lives. Paulo Coelho’s artistic expertise allowed him to inspire upwards of sixty-million people with his masterpiece, The Alchemist. A powerful message requires a fortified medium to encompass readers in full immersion, and Coelho has diligently provided a tale capable of entertaining and uplifting readers by great use of literary elements. These writing techniques show readers the life of Santiago as he grows as a person and finds himself in obscure situations. The Alchemist inspires its readers to follow their dreams by expert use of symbols, characterization, foreshadowing,
Santiago and his development alone is entirely enough to make readers want more. Santiago’s main highlight is how he changes from a boy to a man. His aging is not defined by years; the reader sees him grow through how he handles situations and how he chooses to act. Santiago began his journey as a lowly shepherd; he was not rich from a monetary view, yet he was content with his life. His existence was meager; this young man did not desire to anything more from life. He was not very strong to begin with; he was ready to give up on his entire adventure on a whim from jarring events like love or theft. If Santiago had not matured by his trip to the oasis, he would have done exactly what the alchemists said and stayed with Fatima. His new found character gave him the strength to carry on in the uncertainty of the desert. In Santiago’s eyes, his journey could have ended with Fatima being his treasure, but he chose to live without regrets and carry on toward his dreams. The challenges he faced on the last leg to the pyramid far outweighed the difficulty of any other adversity he faced, yet he overcame these new trials with an advanced, unprecedented finesse to display his improvement. After eluding his assured demise, Santiago finally caught his treasure. From the unforgiving sands, he “ stood up shakily and looked once more at the Pyramids. They seemed to laugh
Conflict in The Alchemist is almost entirely centered around Santiago; the reader learns as Santiago deals with inner strife and others halting his progress towards a happy ending. To build upon a previous idea, Santiago’s self-conflict is directed from Fatima. After a cliche love at first sight, Santiago becomes captivated with the girl and believes that “she's worth more than treasure’ (118). He may have pondered the idea of returning home, yet no other obstacle gave him the idea to stop halfway through his voyage. Like all the other obstructions in his way, Santiago carries forward. Soon afterward he discovers a troop of livid tribesman. The alchemist and he explain their innocence; nevertheless, the tribesman jump to conclusion and decide execution is the cure for these so-called spies that plague them. It takes the entirety of his being, but Santiago rises above the the expectation of oppressors like a gust of wind and shows that he will stay determined even when death seems assured. Both of these ideas inform the reader of how important it is to persevere when following dreams. Great trials and tribulations may boldly affix themselves to hinder a person's advancement, but Coelho assures his audience that when someone follows theirs, any obstacle can be trampled with enough