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Symbolism In The Alchemist

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Symbolism In The Alchemist
Towards the middle of the book, The Alchemist, Santiago states the difference between the sheep and the desert: “I understand sheep; they’re no longer a problem, and they can be good friends. On the other hand, I don’t know if the desert can be a friend, and it’s in the desert that I have to search for my treasure” (p.66). The sheep symbolize the life lived by those who do not achieve their destiny and blind to the potential reality. Santiago expresses through diction thinly veiled disrespect for the sheep due to them only desiring food and water. The sheep symbolize people in the book like the crystal merchant and the baker who do not achieve their destiny, ignoring the potential reality of those destinies. For these characters only pursue
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