入圍決選獎
姓  名 鍾芸芸 學  校 國立師範大學附屬高級中學 年  級 二 年 一三八一 班

 

 

The Alchemist:Determination and Belief

Sometimes, especially when the time is tough, people forget that they are always capable of pursuing the dream they dream wholeheartedly. Paulo Coelho, the author of The Alchemist, narrates with his simplex but authentic language, brings us along with a boy to witness how he accomplished his dream.

At the very beginning of the story, the author introduced the boy, a shepherd, as the protagonist. One usual night, he rested at an abandoned church, where a sycamore grew out of the ruined sacristy. There he had a recurrent dream, precisely the same as the one he had earlier – a treasure buried under a pyramid.

Though in his heart there was a desire yelling to seek the treasure, believing in a dream seemed to be stupid. But then he was persuaded to go by an old and omniscient king. The king said that one should never be blinded by the world’s greatest lie, which is: at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what is happening, and become controlled by fate.

In the following journey, the boy got an employment from a crystal merchant. The merchant aspired a visit to the holy city Mecca respectfully, but instead, he stayed in his shop for decades, because he was afraid that his dream would be a disappointment and his efforts would be in vain. Another companion the boy had was an English man in the caravan. The English man yearned to create the philosopher’s stone, he had analysed all the precious writing but never tried any method by himself. Thus when he sought for the advice of the alchemist who lived in the oasis, he got a simple answer: Make your own.

Paulo Coelho created two opposite figures to give an evidence of what the old king said is true. One who lacked courage, the other who never put things into practice. What prohibits them from their dream? People might accuse that to the circumstance around, but to think of it another way round, it was them themselves who “decided” to surrender to destiny, wasn’t it?

As for the boy, he stepped out forward and seized the moment so as not to waste any in his life. On the way he was robbed, and beaten; he got frustrated and desperate. Although he encountered countless trouble and even strayed away from his path, he was still heading toward the right direction - nothing really stopped him.

Paulo Coelho’s work is like an unpolished ore, he conceals these essential messages of life deliberately beneath the raw surface. The Alchemist was literally a miniature of real life, of real people. Humans’ lives are commonly referred to as trips. A journey to Egypt represents the struggle of ubiquitous people striving hard to make their dreams come true. By describing the difficulties, the emotions, and the conversations between characters, the writer is telling dreamers that, they should listen to their heart, and have faith in themselves.

I was deeply touched by the sentences, because it answers to my concerns – am I good enough to become what I want to be? From the story I learned it is my heart that lead my life and my future. Even there was an immense distance between where I am and where I want to be, with my mind determined and my faith hold still, every day I wake up I am closer to my destination than I was yesterday. I am always ready and capable. With working hard every day to achieve the goal, every day is fulfilled and satisfied.

Finally, at the end of the story, the boy was told by the man who almost beat him to dead where his treasure was – in the abandoned church, where a sycamore grew out of the ruined sacristy, there under the roots laid the treasure he had long sought for. Interesting, isn’t it? The boy had been proving that the fate could not bring him down, meanwhile, his faith and determination had made him find his treasure as his fate. Maybe it is just a bit of bravery and belief of one’s ability that we need, to bring ourselves to our own treasure.