Reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was a great experience.
It gripped me again with as much intensity. I came across the title while
searching Ben Jonson’s comedy Alchemist to teach my second year
students. Resultantly by chance I picked up a writer whose works have been
translated into many languages across the world.
Paulo Coelho was born in Brazil. He is one of the most widely
read authors in the present time. He truly possesses the mystic power that
untiringly keeps the readers stay tuned until it is finished. One who likes
reading The Alchemist, is in acute want of finding his dream treasure
like the boy, Santiago from Spanish province of Andalusia meets his treasure of
dream towards which he is attracted honestly. And who among us is not in search
of dream treasure, who among us does not want to succeed, who does not want to
be motivated in every step of life, who is not in constant inner struggle
between heart and brain? The book is for all especially for those who are of
the age of Santiago.
The Alchemist is the story of a boy who is frequently visited by a dream
of hidden treasure in Pyramid for which he has not a slight doubt. He hears his
heart and to follow his dream, he prefers to travel and to travel, he prefers
to be an ordinary shepherd contracting his desires and leaving his parents and
home back which seems to be essential to him. He buys some sheep and sets up on
a long adventurous journey. The novel is full of symbols. The boy learns how to
reach to a destination comprehending the symbols of the Soul of the Universe.
He often talks with his heart, his sheep, desert, snake, horse and even his jacket.
He sells wool and with the money, the boy buys books and satisfies his hunger.
Upon arriving Africa, he sales his sheep and gets enough money to conduct his
exotic journey awaiting him ahead.
On the first day of his journey in Africa which is going to be
very tougher than earlier, Santiago who is in Tangiers, is robbed and left
completely alone, unable to speak a single word of Arabic. At first he is
haunted by the thought of giving up and turning around. He works at the local crystal
shop for a year, learning much about life and earns enough money to buy a new
flock of sheep and return home. At the last minute, though, Santiago decides to
risk it all and join a caravan to Egypt. Santiago meets an Englishman who speaks
of a Soul of the Universe of which we are all integral part. The Englishman has
come all the way to Africa to seek a renowned alchemist. Moving ahead, they hear
rumors of a coming tribal war. Then they lastly arrive at the Al-Fayoum oasis
where the Alchemist was residing and where he sees Fatima, a beautiful girl to
whom he falls in love at first sight and who also comes directly from the Soul
of the World. The Alchemist finds Santiago and tells him that he will lead
Santiago to his treasure. Almost about reach to the pyramids, they are taken
prisoner by a tribe. The Alchemist tells the tribesmen that Santiago is a powerful
magician who can turn himself into the wind. The tribesmen are impressed and
will free them if Santiago can do it. After three days of meditation, Santiago
uses his knowledge of the Soul of the Universe to ask the elements to blow wind.
He asks the desert, the wind and the sun and, finally, he asks the Soul of the Universe.
Immediately, the wind whips up and Santiago is found on the other side of the
camp. Again towards way to Pyramids, Santiago is attacked by robbers. On finding
what he is doing here, one of robbers laughs that he had similar dream and this
time the treasure is in Spain. Santiago immediately realizes that the treasure
was back in Spain and goes back to Spain. He digs under a tree where he had the
dream first time and finds the treasure of gold.
Thus, this optimistic story is full of wisdom and philosophy.
Any optimistic journey always leads to impeccable success and this journey is not
going to be too smooth. Paulo Coelho here suggests that to find the treasure of
success, one should be steady, curtailing needs and to be sensible to listening
to the Soul of the Universe. He says that when you desire something from the heart,
the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. We either have many
dreams or no dream to follow. In both of the situations, we don’t listen to
heart before embarking on any journey. In the last, readers must not mistake to
take the novel about following dream but about listening to heart which is the
Soul of the Universe, which is the particle of God in ourselves and which is present
in all of us.
