The Alchemist

The Author

Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian born author and lyricist. He has written songs for the likes of Elis Regina, Raul Seixas and Rita Lee. While working with Raul Seixas, he met with a lot of controversy on the basis of the message he shared which was basically about magic. Coelho has also worked as a theater director, journalist and actor before getting fully into his career in writing. Coelho published his book Hell Archives in 1982 (Figueredo, 2012). He contributed in the writing of the Practical Manual of Vampirism in 1986. He however considered this book to be of poor quality and even considered removing it off the shelves (Figueredo, 2012).

Ethos of the authors

Paulo Coelho is a renowned writer and has sold over 95 million books. He has travelled what he refers to as the Road of Santiago de Compostela. This road gave ground to the Alchemist. This book has been translated in over 58 languages thereby making it the most translated book of a living author. The author is therefore most likely one amongst the most knowledgeable author. The author also shares in the message he so vividly portrays. After trying various things, the author resulted to the very thing he had always desired and became a writer. In doing this, the author leaves the happiness that comes with writing songs.

Context and time

The novel displays hope, spirituality and faith by using the symbolic narration of the story of a young boy with extra-ordinary beliefs. Readers are effectively taught the power of positivity. The great stretches of deserts give a lot of mystique to the plot of the novel (Coelho & Arias, 2001).

Paul Coelho’s book The Alchemist was first published in Portuguese in 1988. It was late published in 1993. The novel revolves around the idea that people should pursue their dreams no matter what. As shown above, the writer has lived in a similar situation. The context of the novel could be a replay of his Road of Santiago de Compostela. It could also be something he discovered at the point of returning into writing full-time.

Language and discourse

The language used in the novel is rather simple. It is however effective and is capable of serving both readers with a basic command of English and those who are proficient in the language. The novel was initially written in Portuguese.

The Use of symbols and images

The novel is full of symbols and imagery. The very obvious and most important symbol is alchemy. Alchemy is used to communicate a form of purification and evolution. The novel tells us about alchemists who had devoted their time studying the fire that was used to purify metals. In so doing, they had discovered that with the purification of the metals, had come the purification of themselves. The novel also takes s through the life of Santiago. Initially, while he is still impure, Santiago thinks that his treasure is stored somewhere in Egypt. Through the purification process, he learns that the treasure had been with him at the beginning. What he undergoes is a form of purification. The deserts represent the hardships that one undergoes in the process of achieving their dreams (Coelho, 1993).

Emotional and Economical Significance

Culturally, the novel takes us through the beliefs that people have and which undermine their journey towards their dreams. It also introduces the culture of Islam through the pilgrimage and which comes out as a journey of purification. Economically, this novel could be used to offer inspiration to individuals to be more productive by pursuing the right dreams. This way, individuals would be striving to create more value in both themselves and their countries.

Significance of The Alchemist

The novel is potentially life changing. Since the moment I started reading the book, I have been thinking about my passions and dreams. By reading it, I have started looking at all the decision I have made in life. Some have proven to be productive while others have failed to add any value to my life. The difference has been the passion with which I have pursued those ventures. Secondly, there are so many situations that are applicable to my own life. The difficulties that have been undergone by Santiago while pursuing his treasure are all familiar to him. The fact that the prospect of pursuing a dream is dressed in the form of an adventure is also very important for me.

Emotional appeal

Emotionally, I find the book absorbing at one level. I find myself suffering with the main character throughout the novel. I too want to get to the treasure he is hunting. At the end however, I feel that the novel does not end as was expected. This is a low moment for the novel. I am left searching while the main character returns home to discover his treasure (Coelho, 1993).

The portrayal in the media

Being an inspirational novel, The Alchemist may be the only of Coelho’s novels that gets the positive attention that it gets. The novel is displayed as a must read novel for all individuals who have dreams they badly want to achieve. The Alchemist is widely discussed on various platforms including social media. As a matter of fact, the author’s other works lack the sanity and reality contained in the book.

Main Message

There are various messages that are communicated by the novel. First, the novel communicates the message that the real treasure is that which can be achieved from within. After travelling all the way to Egypt, the main character is turned back with a dream yet to be achieved. However, the main character is given hope of achieving his dreams if he returns to that place where he began. Often people try so many things that they succeed at none. This novel supports moving back to the very initial idea and working towards it (Coelho, 1993).

The novel is positivist in nature. After the main character is beaten up by thieves, he shares with them his dream as well. One of them in return describes the place where he began as the place where he has been dreaming about a treasure.

Effectiveness

The novel conveys its message effectively. It has been applauded for its effectiveness and thereby achieved more than 650,000 sales. The novel communicates hope, faith, love and spirituality very effectively. It has been a testimony of many people’s success by merely encouraging them to keep working on their dreams.

Through the use of an intricate story with about five significant characters, the novel passes its message in a way that another method would fail at doing. The simple message is to follow your dream and your heart (Coelho, 1993).

References

Coelho, P., & Arias, J. (2001). Paulo Coelho (1st ed.). London: HarperCollins.

Coelho, P. (1993). The alchemist (1st ed.). [San Francisco]: HarperSanFrancisco.

Figueredo, M. (2012). Paulo Coelho: The Author’s Quest as Reader of the World. Journal Of Literature And Art Studies, 2(10), 925–937.