The Alchemist

Philosophy has always been outside my territory until I read The Alchemist, which miraculously opened the doors for me to a new subject I’ve never been familiar with before. Also, I found it meaningful to think some philosophy-related questions even though there aren’t always correct and definite answers. The author skillfully used the characters and objects, such as metaphor, which means a small detail could turn out to be a crucial part in the whole story. While reading this novel, the senses of fear, doubt, and surprise the main character had were so intense that I couldn’t help but feel myself being his companion. Unlike other stories, the theme of this book is turning the dream into reality, which truly gave me some directions about future.

Santiago was a shepherd content with his life of carefree wandering in his early years. Out of the intention to disobey his father, he decided to travel outside of his comfort zone. After resorting to a gypsy woman able to interpret his dream about finding treasures in Egypt, he felt disappointed rather than excited. Sometimes I might as well take the reality too seriously, without realizing that I‘ve taken implies and coincidences too for granted, let alone figuring the correlations out. To discard any idea of the dream, Santiago took a stroll to a market and met the old king, whom he was reluctant to talk to when the old king persisted in his attempt to strike up a conversation. If it hadn’t been the more gentle attitude afterward, Santiago would have never figured out the meaning of “Personal Legend,” which was the unpredictable gain after the trial of his character and determination.

I’ve always believed that it was the destiny that tied people who seemed irrelevant in the beginning together. No matter how much different those people Santiago met during his long journey were from him, he certainly learned from them and became mature. The baker, who regarded earning a livelihood as a priority over pursuing his dream when being in the prime of his life, strengthened Santiago’s perseverance and will. The thief, who cheated naive Santiago of both his money and trust, taught him a lesson about being cautious with strangers. The charming girl, Fatima, who turned her affection for Santiago into the support of his adventure, made him understand that love never kept a man from pursuing his “Personal Legend.” Thanks to the encounters, Santiago transformed his attitude toward going to Egypt for treasure.

What makes The Alchemist a profound book is the “omens” skillfully showed during Santiago’s journey. To be honest, at first I was a little confused of the deep meanings revealed from nature phenomenon. For instance, as he wavered between staying idly with his sheep and setting out to Egypt, the free wind, leventer, let him realize that nothing could trap him except himself. What’s more, the white and black stones, called Urim and Thummim, were meant to help him when being unable to read omens at first. However, after he could foresee the fight of hawks as the sign of the upcoming war without the help of the stones, he realized that they were more likely to teach him how to believe in his interpretation of any omens. It was uneasy to grasp the key point of omens around my life, but I surely became more observant to the surroundings.

The alchemist Santiago met in the desert was really a blessing for him, always relating some meaningful stories and let Santiago figure out the moral. Not only did he teach the importance of listening to his heart when undergoing hardships, but he also made the journey more difficult to bring out Santiago’s potential. To my surprise, where Santiago found his treasure was the abandoned church he stayed in the beginning of the story! It dawned on me that the treasure he spared no efforts to pursue was actually around him, on the premise that he should overcome the obstacles. “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” This magical sentence could be not only the perfect annotation of The Alchemist, but also my motto in the pursuit of my dream!