Table of Contents
The Title Relate to the Text
An alchemist is a person who transforms or creates something and that title accurately represents Santiago and the storyline because it introduces Santiago’s life and background and then slightly indicates how he is about to embark on a journey to find a treasure.
The title suggests that on his journey, Santiago will undergo a transformation into a new person. Historically, an alchemist is someone that could transform customary lead, something with no esteem, into gold, something with extraordinary esteem. The Alchemist, takes after a voyage of an Andalusian shepherd kid named Santiago. Santiago trusted a repeating dream to be judicious, and he visits a close – by town fortune teller to get some information about his repeating dreams. The fortune teller defines the dream as a sign to greatness. She reveals to him that he will find a great fortune that will make him rich, at the Egyptian pyramids. Alchemists turn lead into gold just like his repeating dream might make him from poor to rich.
The author might have chosen this over any other title because it is concise and there is a lot of meaning in simplicity because it gives the reader an insightful and powerful idea of what the book is going to be about.
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Opening Chapter
Santiago, a shepherd, goes on a journey to complete his personal legend to find the treasure at the pyramids in Egypt. He meets people along the way who teach him to follow omens push him to follow his goal.
The opening pages of the book gives the reader insight on the main character, Santiago’s life. The description also allows the reader to understand the ambience of what the character is experiencing and living through. It also displays irony when it is revealed when going to the church was someone else’s Personal Legend.
The author tells us the elements of the story gradually, and allows it to evolve rather than just writing it simply. This allows the readers to become more intrigued in the story and curious about Santiago’s setting and his background.
Setting, time, place, situation: (may be one or more; must do this for each one) actual geographic location, physical arrangement of rooms; the time period, history, or seasons in which the action takes place; general environment of characters (for example, the religious, mental, moral, social, and/or economic conditions).
- Setting: Abandoned church with no roof and a huge sycamore tree growing inside of the building. No specific setting since Santiago is a traveler but is within the Andalusian terrain.
- Time: Not specific but is before modern times since there is no technology, automobiles, and it is uncommon for people to have a proper education
- Place: Andalusian terrain
- Situation: Santiago is currently traveling along with his herd of sleep as they move across the Andalusian terrain through multiple villages. Santiago has the same dream twice and it always ends with a woman leading him towards a treasure in Egypt. After getting it interpreted, he continues to travel in search for his treasure.
Characters
Indicate if characters are flat or round, static or dynamic. (Flat characters are type of caricature defined by a single idea or quality, whereas round characters have the three-dimensional complexity of real people. Characters are also divided into static and dynamic characters. Static characters do not change significantly over the course of a work no matter what action takes place, whereas dynamic characters change (whether for better or worse) in response to circumstance and experience.
Santiago
Santiago’s main conflict is trying to follow his Personal Legend.
Santiago is a clever and determined person. He is able to read which is something only few people can do. He also studied Latin, Spanish, and technology. He is determined because he was willing to do anything in order to get what he wants.
Santiago is a dynamic and round character because he starts of as a shepherd who knows how to read. By the end of the book, he becomes rich by following his dreams, his personal legend.
Melchizedek
Melchizedek’s main conflict is to help Santiago find his Personal Legend
Melchizedek is helpful, determined to help Santiago find his personal legend and inspirational when Melchizedek tells Santiago to not walk away from his personal legend.
Melchizedek is a flat and static character because his only focus is to assist Santiago in helping him find his personal legend.
Point of View
In the story The Alchemist, the point of view is in 3rd-person omniscient. The narrator has not introduced himself/been introduced yet. However, based off of the text it is evident that the story is in 3rd-person omniscient, with the use of specific descriptions like “he” as proof. In addition, although Santiago is the main character and consequently has the majority of his experiences revealed, there are characters such as Melchizedek whose thoughts are also revealed. For example, Melchizedek is stated to have “hoped desperately that the boy would be successful”(Coelho 33). The statement of Melchizedek’s thoughts prove that the story isn’t in 3rd-person limited.
Main Conflict
The main conflict of the novel is trying to go to the hidden treasure near the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Santiago us the character whom is it most directly concerned of since he is the one who dreamt about it, and he is giving up part of his herd in order to go find this so called treasure. If he gives up in finding this then he would have gave up his herd for nothing. The old lady is involved in this because she encouraged him to go find this treasure for a cost of 1/10 of the treasure if he finds it.
