| A Treasure of a Book! July 11, 2000
I found The Alchemist to be a wonderful tale on pursuing one's dreams. Coelho shows how easy it is to give up ever attaining one's dreams due to complacency - or not wanting to move out of one's comfort zone. "People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them." Another endearing quote from the book, "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." Yet Santiago does want to pursue his dream of finding his treasure and yes, at times we see and feel his fear, but along his journey, he has learned to listen to his heart and to trust what his heart teaches him. "When a person really desires something all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream." Santiago is constantly tested along the way, yet he continues to listen to the murmurings of his heart, which are never wrong. Santiago learns about love along the way and helps others to face their fears as well. Coelho states, "And that's where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are." Some may see this fable as contrite, or overworked or too new age for their tastes. I disagree and loved the messages that this book imparted, interwoven in the tale of the desert, The Alchemist, and Santiago. This book, I found, imparted to me numerous jewels of wisdom. I was captured and absorbed into the tale and found myself relating to the fears, but I completely understood the message of following one's dreams, listening to one's heart, trusting, loving and learning to let go of fear. "Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there. Wherever your heart is, that is where you'll find your treasure. Your heart is alive. Keep listening to what it has to say." The Alchemist imparts these words of wisdom to Santiago when Santiago begins to doubt and question. "Everyone on earth has treasure that awaits him," his heart said. "We, people's hearts, seldom say much about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search of them. We speak of them only to children. Later we simply let life proceed, in its own direction, toward its own fate. But, unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them - the path to their destinies, and to happiness. Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place. So we, their hearts, speak more and more softly. We never stop speaking out . . " This tale is inspiring, imaginative, and captivating. Santiago grows throughout the story and in the end, even though he was tested severely, he preserved and obtained his treasure by following his dream. We only limit ourselves - only we place limitations on us, as the universe conspires to aid us in all directions. I highly recommend this book and since this is the second book I have read by Coelho, I now need to read them all! These words speak to my heart! | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - very sensitive (sigh) Time/era of story - 1600-1899 - Internal struggle/realization? Yes Struggle over Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Exploring into the wild Yes kind of story - searching for treasure Main Character Gender - Male Age: - a teen Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Has magical powers? Yes Magical/mental powers How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 3 () Desert? Yes Writing Style Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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