Old One

they both appear briefly in the story one of the most significant lessons Santiago learned was from the King of Salem, who disguised himself as an old man, and the Gypsy who interprets…

Santiago has changed throughout the entire book “The Alchemist” written by Paulo Coelho. Over many years he has gone through his personal legend shaping and forming him into the person he was destined to become. One of his most positive character traits that he has developed over his travels is that he is open to learning. Several times in the story Santiago mentions that his sheep have taught him many things and other characters as well. An example of this is, “...the sheep had taught him…

boy named Santiago encounters many trials, tribulations, and difficulties, on his journey to finding his destiny. He overcomes and achieves them all with the guidance from many wise teachers. Early in the story, Santiago meets Melchizedek, an old man who is the king of Salem. He tells Santiago about personal legends and the soul of the world. He gives Santiago two magical stones, Urim and Thummim, which represent “yes” and “no”. The king motivates Santiago to pursue his personal legend and…

"In order to arrive, you must follow the signs. God inscribed on the world the path that each man must follow." In the book, The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho emphasizes this quote to express that each one has its own Personal Destiny. Clearly, each one has a predestined path to follow; it is a matter of recognizing the importance of the choices people make in following it through. The author wants the readers to carefully recognize the signs as they journey toward their own destiny. In The Alchemist,…

The Alchemist Analysis Everyone wants to follow their dreams, but it is never spoken of how rare chasing them really is. The Alchemist was written by Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian spiritual writer. In The Alchemist, a major part is to follow your dreams. The main character, Santiago, does this by searching for a treasure in Egypt that he saw in his dreams. Through The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho displays the importance of destiny, along with overcoming the doubts that go along with that, in a…

live happily with a family. The conflicts of the story are significant to the main character and the story in many ways, one of the small conflicts that affected the boy was losing some of his sheeps from his flocks causing him to be depressed for a good while. Some conflicts led the boy to depression and others to happiness. If it weren’t for him accidentally crossing the crazy old timer he wouldn’t have earned two of his prized gems or known that he was…

three guides: the king of Salem, the crystal merchant, and the alchemist; each teach him lessons that help him on his journey. In The Alchemist, Santiago realizes, with the assistance of helpers he meets along the way, that anything is possible if one works hard and believes that the task can be accomplished. The first of Santiago’s helpers is an…

concept that fate is not definite and is only fulfilled when fear is overcome and risks are taken to achieve it. When Santiago encounters the old man in the square he is it an impasse with his decision on whether to act on the premonition he ad in his dream. He is at the verge of not acting upon the signal that fate sent him due to fear and uncertainty. The old man begins to talk to Santiago and demonstrates an uncanny knowledge about Santiago’s life. He then reveals to…

with no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body" (Faulkner302). At this point one can clearly see that something is wrong in the head of Miss Emily. However the reader feels sorrow and relates that this situation actually can be a normal part of a grieving process. A second instance of foreshadowing happens at the beginning…

The mere mention of the word death evokes fear, anxiety and restlessness. It preys on the young and old alike, the poor and rich, the strong and weak, the brave and the cowards. Because of its nature that remains to be a mystery, men and women have turned to poetry to vividly describe it, seeking to shed a glimpse of light on this “might foe” Such thoughts are captured in the two poems by John Donne, “Death, Be Not proud” and “The Tyger” by William Blake. For sure death is just a temporal state.…