The Alchemist
The Alchemist is about a boy named Santiago who dreams of treasure. One night, Santiago, who is a shepherd, stays in an abandoned church in the plains of southern Spain for the night. He dreams of treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. He decides to go off in search of this treasure, given guidance and reassurance by an old king who tells him of Personal Legends. But Santiago’s journey is perilous, even as he learns to read omens and listen to his heart. He is robbed and left with nothing. In spite of this, or because of it, he meets a variety of characters who he will never forget, including a crystal merchant, an Englishman studying alchemy, a beautiful young woman named Fatima, and, of course, the alchemist. As Santiago’s journey comes to an end, he is robbed a final time, and then beaten nearly to death. The robbers realize he has nothing and leave him. Santiago realizes he is lucky, and as the book draws to a close, realizes that his treasure was not material at all.
I liked this book because it is so different from anything I have ever read before. It isn’t a book about vampires or the undead or some kind of diary-type thing. The Alchemist is a book that makes you think. Coelho doesn’t hit the reader over the head with the theme. He lets them figure it out for themselves. The message of Personal Legends can apply to anyone’s life. And if the reader thinks about it, they realize that they, too, have a Personal Legend. That is a very real aspect in this story. The other lesson to learn is to truly know what one’s treasure is, and where the heart truly lies. Once you have read The Alchemist, you will find it hard to forget.
--Amelia Wiersum
The Alchemist is about a boy named Santiago who dreams of treasure. One night, Santiago, who is a shepherd, stays in an abandoned church in the plains of southern Spain for the night. He dreams of treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. He decides to go off in search of this treasure, given guidance and reassurance by an old king who tells him of Personal Legends. But Santiago’s journey is perilous, even as he learns to read omens and listen to his heart. He is robbed and left with nothing. In spite of this, or because of it, he meets a variety of characters who he will never forget, including a crystal merchant, an Englishman studying alchemy, a beautiful young woman named Fatima, and, of course, the alchemist. As Santiago’s journey comes to an end, he is robbed a final time, and then beaten nearly to death. The robbers realize he has nothing and leave him. Santiago realizes he is lucky, and as the book draws to a close, realizes that his treasure was not material at all.
I liked this book because it is so different from anything I have ever read before. It isn’t a book about vampires or the undead or some kind of diary-type thing. The Alchemist is a book that makes you think. Coelho doesn’t hit the reader over the head with the theme. He lets them figure it out for themselves. The message of Personal Legends can apply to anyone’s life. And if the reader thinks about it, they realize that they, too, have a Personal Legend. That is a very real aspect in this story. The other lesson to learn is to truly know what one’s treasure is, and where the heart truly lies. Once you have read The Alchemist, you will find it hard to forget.
--Amelia Wiersum
No comments:
Post a Comment