The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
I. Major Characters
A. Santiago
1. A shepherd boy from an Andalusian town
2. Became a shepherd to travel and see different places
3. Curious, ambitious, and eager to see the world
4. Naturally adventurous
5. Has a recurring dream about uncovering treasure in Egypt
6. Sets off to pursue Personal Legend
7. focused on his growing understanding of the “ Soul of the World”
8. Learns to pay attention to the world around him
9. Recognizes nature as a single unified whole
10.Learns to read omens in nature
11. Ultimately learns to be one with the world B. The Alchemist 1. Alchemy practitioner who lives at the Al- Fayoum oasis …show more content…
In Tangier,, Santiago fears losing the money he earned with the crystal merchant. In the oasis, Santiago fears losing Fatima. Fear acts as a huge obstacle to achieving one's Personal Legend. Santiago often experiences fear, and feels tempted to abandon his quest to avoid losing what he already earned. On his way to Egypt, the camel driver tells Santiago “We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions or our property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.”
B. Love Santiago is afraid of hurting Fatima and by abandoning her in order to pursue his dream. However he soon realizes that Fatima will wait for him. “ "Love never keeps a man from pursuing his personal legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love”, Coehlo writes.
III. Plot: The Alchemist is a story about a young shepherd, Santiago, who goes on a quest to find treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. Along the way he learns to listen to his heart and be one with the world around him. He is able to focus on his dreams, or Personal Legend, and soon learns that it is not just his but part of the Soul of the