The Alchemist

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, is one the most memorable and fun stories which I have read till date. Paulo Coelho’s enchanting novel follows a boy named, Santiago, around the world in search for treasure.

The story, gleaming with wisdom, teaches the reader the importance of journeying around the world to find and discover the treasures of life. Traveling from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried near the Pyramids, Santiago meets and learns about the meaning of one’s “personal legend” from various people. On his journey around the globe, he also learns the importance of the transforming power of his dreams.

Santiago’s journey around the world is narrated in a way which follows in a structure, similar to the one outlined in “Back to the Story Spine” and coincides with multiple elements of storytelling mentioned in class and in the article, “The 22 rules of storytelling, according to Pixar“.

The Alchemist starts off, in Spain, with Santiago believing a recurring dream and going to a Gypsy fortune teller in the nearby town, to ask her about its meaning. The story continues on with Santiago breaking his routine and embarking on a journey to find the treasure, while making sacrifices in pursuing his Personal Legend. It ends with Santiago reaching the pyramids of Egypt only to find out that he must go back to Spain because his treasure was buried in an abandoned church, by a sycamore tree, where he started his journey.

Coelho supplies the reader with a burning belief that one has his/her own path to follow, i.e. our personal legend, and that nature will bring us to our goals. The idea that everything that we do, everyone that we come across, and each lesson we learn, in context of the bigger picture, is a part of our narrative which pushes us closer to our personal legend and forces us to play our role in the universe, becomes the central point.

In terms of the relevancy of content, Santiago’s aim in life is simple and the focus of the story is to propel Santiago forward and help him find the treasure. The story is mapped in a way which guides Santiago in overcoming the detours and obstacles in his path. Along the way, the reader feels for Santiago and in turn embarks on a quest of their own to learn valuable lessons of life. Santiago’s story becomes the guiding force of the reader’s life as it helps us become aware of our own soul’s desire. Our lives become entangled with Santiago’s as we feel that his life story in the context of book, mirrors the story of our life in the context of fate.