The Alchemist Text Review
Sara Naveh
The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho, follows a young Andalusian shepherd named Santiago who follows his personal legend to find treasure in Egypt from Spain. Along the way, he interacts with people of varying cultures, backgrounds, and opinions to achieve his goal. However, this magical story takes a twist when he learns of the Alchemist, a man with the ability to turn lead to gold, and who can create the Elixir of Life- a liquid that can heal all sickness.
Santiago is from Spain, but in his role as a shepherd, has the opportunity to travel across Europe to sell his sheep’s products, and make money. In his travels, he meets Melchizedek (the King of Salem), the Alchemist (a 200-year-old alchemist who not only has the power to stop death and produce gold but knows the truth about the Soul of the World), the crystal merchant (a Muslim man who hires Santiago to help him make enough money to travel to Egypt), the Englishman (the man who travels with Santiago to understand the secrets of alchemy), and many other interesting characters of different cultures.
Santiago’s main goal in the book is to follow his personal legend to find treasure, but quickly falls in love with a girl who bought wool from him, then a girl named Fatima who lived in the Oasis with the Alchemist. This book shows the conflict between love and riches, as well as the astounding cultural diversity of the Mediterranean region.
The main themes in this book revolve around following one’s personal legend- the key to living a true and satisfying life- and the unity of nature and the world. While Santiago experiences a variety of countries, cultures, religions, languages, and beliefs, there is a certain unity present throughout his entire journey. His interactions with people of different backgrounds are each unique and beautiful, whether they foster conflict or harmony. Each person and group provide him with information and experience to continue his journey to a complete, satisfactory life.
In Santiago’s travels as a shepherd, he is seen as free and independent, but also thought of as a lower-class individual. He does not have parents, but rather lives off of his sheep and his travels. As he moves through his journey, he meets people in positions of power, and he is typically seen as the Other, which is very different for him. When he stops in Africa, for example, he gets into a conflict with the people who live there, and he is thought of as a thief and a scandal because of his race. When he arrives at the Oasis, he is not trusted at first, as he is a different race and religion than those who live there.
The Alchemist seeks to take its readers on a journey across cultures and show that while we all have our differences, everyone is fundamentally the same, and that we are all people of the Earth.