Character Development In The Alchemist

Character Development In The Alchemist BY Swordsmanship's The novel The Alchemist written by Paulo Cello is about a boy that is on a journey to find his personal legend. Throughout his Journey he is helped by many people he meets, but he also has to overcome many obstacles that try to prevent him from finding his personal legend, In The Alchemist the main character Santiago shows a lot of character development through the ongoing knowledge he gains throughout his Journey. At the start of the book Santiago shows immaturity with having a careless bob as a shepherd and when he gives up on his journey to find his personal legend.

Santiago begins to develop when he is given a Job as a crystal merchant's assistant and he learns a lot of knowledge to help him through his Journey. Santiago really shows a lot of development when the Alchemist teaches him that he needs to listen to his heart and when Santiago learns how to turn himself into the wind. At the beginning of the novel the character Santiago is a shepherd boy who is still young and immature. Santiago makes this Impression when he Is talking about his bob as a shepherd, and how there are many "joys of carefree wandering. (peg 7) His lob is fairly relaxed, he does not have to worry about much and he gets to travel to different places which he likes to do. The Job does not have many responsibilities which Is not good for Santiago because he Is not learning much and It is the same repetitive tasks he does every day. Santiago also shows immaturity when he is told that he will never get enough money to go to Egypt working at the crystal merchants shop and he completely gives up his Journey and decides that he will use the "money to buy some sheep. peg 47) This shows immaturity because he still does not understand that a personal legend Is something very Important and few people know their own personal legend. Santiago is immature at the beginning of the book because he Is a shepherd boy who has no worries or responsibilities yet. He also doesn't realize that his Journey to find his personal legend is something important that he should be pursuing instead up leaving it behind him. As the novel progresses Santiago really starts to mature when he decides to pursue his personal legend and also get a Job with the crystal merchant.

From working with the crystal merchant "He had learned some Important things, like how to deal in crystal, and about the language without words... And about omens. " (peg 56) All these skill that he learned can help him down the road and through his Journey, the language without words is how he talks to most people he meets who don't speak his language. Along his Journey through the desert he learns the ways of the desert and he comes to the conclusion that It "seems old and wise. " (peg 76) '"An army Is coming" the boy said. L had a vision. "' Through Santiago new knowledge of the assert and the language of the birds he predicts that an army Is coming to the Oasis. Santiago shows that he is maturing when he starts his Journey to find his personal legend, because he learns all this new knowledge that he would not have learned If he was still working as a shepherd. Santiago shows his greatest increase in maturity when the alchemist teaches him that he needs to listen to his heart In order to make 1 OFF the greatest decisions in his elite.

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Throughout a part in Santiago and the Alchemist's journey to the pyramids, Santiago takes the Alchemists advice and he tries to understand his heart and listen to what it has to say. His first conclusions are that his "heart is agitated. " (peg 128) This is a sign that it was alive according to the Alchemist, and as he listens to his heart more, Santiago begins to show more development and gains knowledge that will help him through his whole life. The point at which Santiago matures the most is when he has to turn himself into the wind in order to survive.

Santiago listens to his heart, the desert, the wind, the sun and god and turns himself into the wind (peg 143-153). This shows a great deal of maturity because he sees all the knowledge he gained along his Journey and put it all to use in order to turn himself into the wind. Towards the end of the book is where Santiago has the most character development with learning how to listen to his heart and how to communicate with his surroundings to accomplish a huge task. Santiago shows a significant amount of character development from when he was immature because he had no responsibilities and gave up on finding his personal legend.

He really began to develop when he started his Journey to find his personal legend. He learned how to deal in crystal, the language without words, omens and he learned the ways of the desert and how to communicate with it and the animals living in it. Santiago shows the most development when he learns to listen to his heart properly, and he uses his heart to guide his way to be able to communicate with god to turn himself into the wind. Overall Santiago is a character on a Journey to find his personal legend, and he realizes his true personal legend ends up being the knowledge and development he gains throughout his Journey.

The Alchemist Persuasive Essay

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist: Following your dream is no easy task. Thesis Statement: Paulo Coelho’s book, The Alchemist (1988), demonstrates a boy named Santiago following his dream, also known as his “Personal Legend”, and encounters various obstacles, which will convey him to what he will become. The connection made by Paulo Coelho in this manuscript was, all that is around him will eventually assist the effort made by the individual (Santiago). Paulo Coelho reveals many spiritual/religious references tied with the acts and decisions of Santiago, and how they guide him, and how he follows them up to obtain his desired dream.

Introduction: An old man that he had met in his village awakes Santiago, a young shepherd. Awoken in the sense that this man declared he was a King, and had inspired Santiago to follow his “Personal Legend”, basically, his dream, and had served knowledge to this young fellow. Throughout Santiago’s journeys, good omens had made him pursue his goal. The shepherd encounters various strangers, which help him, willingly or not, to chase his goal. During his quest, he awakes various senses he never had before, such as profound wisdom, communicating with nature, a spiritual connection with God, and the art of Alchemy.

Santiago constantly takes life-threatening risks, which are considered challenges in the face of God. Throughout his whole journey, Santiago persistently follows his one and only reason of being, his dream, which is to find the treasure he dreamed of as a shepherd, and throughout his whole adventure, every little detail that crossed him, every lesson that he had been taught, with or without words, the soul of the world that he understood to communicate with, every little detail had defined his true treasure. Body Essay: As pointed out, Santiago was a dream chaser, he wanted to discover his Personal Legend”, what pushed him to do so was a wise old king Melchizedek. The fact that a King would speak to a shepherd is very odd, although the King was doing it for several reasons, it may include the fact that he wanted to make other people realize and drive them to know their “Personal Legend” as shown: “Why would a king be talking with a shepherd? ” the boy asked, awed and embarrassed. “For several reasons. But let’s say that the most important is that you have succeeded in discovering your Personal Legend. ” (21) This explains how the king is trying to help the Santiago realize his reason of life.

As stated previously, he had overcome an obstacle that had given him patience, wisdom, and a lesson. He necessitated to understand that everything had a soul, which when he was an apprentice crystal merchant, had taught him these qualities. “Everything on earth is being continuously transformed, because the earth is alive . . . and it has a soul. We are part of that soul, so we rarely recognize that it is working for us. But in the crystal shop you probably realized that even the glasses were collaborating in your success. (79) This spiritual reference indicates that if he insisted on succeeding his dream, everything around him, conscious/unconscious will be of assistance to him. Long travels were endured by Santiago; yet, he was on the verge of giving up his “Personal Legend” for a woman, which is natural. The love he felt for Fatima, (the woman he loved), was an asset that pushed him to go further on and chasing his dream, yet, at the same time, it made him doubt the fact that if this was all worth the chase, the gamble of life and death. “During the third year, the omens will continue to speak of your treasure and your Personal Legend.

You’ll walk around, night after night at the oasis, and Fatima will be unhappy because she’ll feel it was she who interrupted your quest. But you will love her, and she’ll return your love. You’ll remember that she never asked you to stay, because a woman of the desert knows that she must await her man. So you won’t blame her. But many times you’ll walk the sands of the desert, thinking that maybe you could have left . . . that you could have trusted more in your love for Fatima. Because what kept you at the oasis was your own fear that you might never come back. At that point, the omens will tell you that your treasure is buried forever. (120) Here is another example of the proverb shown in the book, “…when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”, as which everything around him drives him to go further and pursuit his dream. He realized that his dream had shown him all these magnificent experiences; nothing would stop him at this point, even Santiago, a shepherd, a boy, did not fear death. His dream meant everything to him. Conclusion: Santiago, a simple shepherd, made it very far in life by just pursuing in an extremist way his true goal in life, his Personal Legend.

He had overcome every obstacle God and nature intended to test him with, and succeeded in a redeeming way. It is wonderful how Paulo Coelho shows that when you pursue what you love in life, everything around you, living or unconscious, will help you. Santiago proves bravery, strength, wisdom, patience, and various other qualities. It is astonishing how by doing things with love, and joy, you connect with the world and God. Santiago at this point, had completed his emptiness, he achieved his one true meaning, his dream and goal.

The Alchemist Mood

Besides language, techniques to convey purpose in the alchemis: 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 Alchemist.

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