Preview

Suffering In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
227 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Suffering In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist
Dreams are the purpose of life. In order to achieve them, we must suffer to gain knowledge. In one of their conversations, the alchemist tells Santiago that suffering is very significant to “ master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward the dream” (132). In other words, it pain and hardships makes us stronger, and those who become stronger, succeed in achieving their desires and dreams. However, some people simply ignore the misfortunes life gives us and follow an easier path. That path will not conduct them to their dreams, but a meaningless, passionless life. Therefore, undergoing some kind of misery or distress throughout our journey will not only makes us mentally and physically stronger, but it will also gives us excitement and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, a boy named Santiago goes on a journey to follow his Personal Legend. Someone’s Personal Legend exists as something they have wanted to accomplish from birth. However, a “mysterious force” convinces people that they cannot realize their Personal Legend. People like Santiago have the ability to overcome this force and therefore can rediscover their Personal Legend. However, fear can hinder people from reaching their Personal Legend, which Coelho demonstrates through the craft elements of dialogue and mood.…

    • 979 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    English 102 Fitction Essay

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages

    sufferance of a meaningless life, as it becomes the impetus for the revelation that leads to…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better 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
  • Satisfactory Essays

    e ringer to have a child, but if you ask any good mother, they’d do it all over again for their kid.…

    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Vivian Thomas Biography

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Sometimes we think that our plans must lead down a better road, or that God must not love us enough to protect us from this pain we feel, but God actually uses the painful experiences to further develop our character. Vivian Thomas could have given up when it became too discouraging, but instead he persevered and became an inspiration to many people. During times that are hard, God teaches us more about life, ourselves, and most importantly, about Him. Sometimes it is even necessary to go through a difficult time before we are able to realize the ways in which we need to grow and…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In life we don’t get to select our path. What happens to us is completely out of our hands. We can’t even choose what makes us feel whole again. While happiness isn’t exactly a choice, learning to cope with adversity is a start. In the novel The Things They Carried, some men like Rat Kiley could not deal the emotions war inflicts and drove themselves insane. Likewise, the young girl knew how to handle her emotions and was able to survive the loss of her loved ones. Life isn’t always about your given circumstances, but the way you react to them. Coping is one of the few things we can still…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As human beings we feel the need to find a point to everything. It is hard to believe that something just happens. Good things happen for a reason, just as bad things do. Suffering is no different, in our minds there must be a point to experiencing bad things. Thus, suffering makes us stronger by strengthening our personality, motivating us to be better, and teaching us to accept what cannot be changed.…

    • 926 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
  • Powerful Essays

    Shutter Island, produced in 2010 and directed by Martin Scorsese, is a psychological thriller film that portrays psychological treatments in the 1950’s. Martin Scorsese’s alteration of the Dennis Lehane novel, Shutter Island, is in fact a horror movie, but it will not come across as your average present-day horror film. Typically directors take ghosts, monsters, vampires, or possessed people and develop a film to scare its viewers, and it more than likely always does. The average horror film filled with a group of “hills have eyes looking” creatures is always scary, but there’s a sense of comfort knowing that it’s just a movie. We thrive off of being scared and the idea of watching these movies knowing they…

    • 1850 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Have you ever faced adversity? Adversity is everywhere in life but you can overcome it. Life has all sorts of hard spots but if you keep trying you will get out of those ruts of life. there is many different types of adversity such as trying and trying but failing at something over in over but you have to keep trying according to "The man in the arena" Theodore Roosevelt "who strives valiantly; who errs, who does actually strive to do good deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotion;who spend himself worthy of cause; who at the best knows in the end triumph of high achievements , and who at the worst, if he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat" another example is in the poem by Langston Hughes mother to son "life for me ain't been no crystal stair its had tacks in it,and splinters,and boards torn up,and places with no carpet on the floor,bare. But all the time ,i'se been climbin' on....." you are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul according to William Ernest Henley in the poem…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Anguish, pain, torment and suffering are all a part of our day to day lives. These may issue from a variety of causes such as great deprivation, hardships to emotional and physical loss. Many texts, such as that of Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelly in the early 1800's, depict unalleviated suffering caused by living within societal norms. However very often, these sufferings are inflicted upon people by one individual and in the case of Frankenstein, this source is Victor Frankenstein. This statement becomes evident when examining the intersecting cultural beliefs of gender, class and ethnicity of the time.…

    • 1650 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The alchemist

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago’s greatest obstacle is overcoming his fear of the unknown. As the boy goes to the ticket booth to buy a ticket to Africa, he comes to the realization, “If he sold just one of his sheep, he’d have enough to get to the other shore of the strait. The idea frightened him.” (26). Santiago is fearful because he doesn’t know what will happen if he leaves. He knows his sheep and the lands of Andalusia, but does not know what will occur if he leaves what he knows for the vast mysterious desert to achieve his personal legend. The alchemist wants the boy to understand, “If a person is living out his Personal Legend, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure” (141). Santiago must accept the fact that he will not let fear of what he cannot do affect what he can do. Also, he must not let fear cloud his judgment of what his heart thinks. He does not know what will happen so he fears of what cannot be predicted. Finding a way to manage with his fear of the unknown is a constant challenge for Santiago. Even though he knows he should pursue his personal legend into the desert, Santiago has second thoughts when “He reminds himself that he had been a shepherd, and that he could be a shepherd again. Fatima was more important than his treasure” (95). The boy debates whether he should leave the oasis with the alchemist to fulfill his personal legend or stay with his love Fatima. He is scared because he does not know what will be the outcome of their relationship if he leaves Fatima. He worries if their love will last even if they aren’t together. He is afraid to take the risk because he won’t know the result until he returns. The boy has many obstacles on his journey but finding a way to cope with his fear of the unknown is an ongoing challenge for Santiago throughout the book.…

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Alchemist

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Most people when they hear of ‘A Hero’ they think of those who’re strong, bold, to be admired for his/her brave deeds, ones that set out on adventures/quests and overcome any obstacle. In the novel The Alchemist, a hero is displayed as one who follows what they believe to be right, takes the initiative to lead their lives(Quests), discover what they truly want, and bring enlightenment to themselves and others along the way to finding/achieving their ambitions. Santiago grew in his quest to discover what he wanted and bring happiness to others and them to him. It’s said that if you can find a path with no obstacles then it probably does not lead anywhere. Such obstacles often lead to opportunities unknown to us that can make one successful and happy. This is similar to the lives of Santiago in the novel, as the hero progresses on their journey they begin to learn more about themselves and they understand their quest. Furthermore, the obstacles the hero overcomes helps the hero become more passionate about their journey. It is shown that through overcoming obstacles, the hero can live a much happier and fulfilled life. Even though difficult obstacles occur in life, heroes must overcome a series of obstacles because achieving ones goal often leads to new beginnings.…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Alchemist Suffering

    • 229 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Alchemist is correct in saying that suffering must figure into the attainment of our dreams. Suffering helps people get stronger emotionally and mentally. The Alchemist states, “master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward the dream” (pg 132). Once people master theses lessons learned from suffering, people can use them to get ahead. Suffering can also be seen as a test for a person. The Alchemist knows that those who want something will strive through any kind of extreme suffering to achieve their dreams. For example, I have gone through suffering myself to get through life itself and to also accomplish my goals. I suffer when I work long nights to get schoolwork finished on time. A type of suffering that I also experience is…

    • 229 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout The Alchemist, readers see a clear view of how they are to discover the meaning of life. The first is by discovering their personal legend. People are supposed to go out and seek their life’s destiny. The second is by defeating fear. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. We shouldn’t worry about the past or future. In fact, we should be focusing on the present. When we take the focus off of our fears we begin to focus on the present and realize what we’ve been missing. Paulo Coelho portrays two main themes throughout The Alchemist: pursue your personal legend and dangers come when you fear.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays