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In transit, in-between classes, on boring days, on lonely nights, I allowed myself to bask in a book by Paulo Coelho. Day after day, I was fascinated by the tales of the journey of a Shepherd boy who wanted to find a treasure, one he was told would make him become rich for life. And on this journey he learnt about life, the universe, the language of the universe and the alchemist.
A Little Background Story
One afternoon, I had a first time conversation with a lodge mate who is surprisingly and impressingly obsessed with books. While going through his library that fateful day, I found the Alchemist. He said he wanted me to read it. I said I would but I didn't intend to do so as quickly as I did.
The next day, I was walking home from school, and a fellow literature student who was walking beside me decided to stop by the "book tree". We have this man on campus who sells hard copies of different genres of books under a tree. My friend didn't have a particular book in mind I suppose, because we all just stood there scanning his collection with our eyes. Then I watched how his eyes lit up. "The Alchemist!" He exclaimed with all smiles. "I have read the soft copy but I'll love the hard copy" he added. For my friend to desire a book so badly, I figured it was a good one. Again this heightened my curiosity. I made a mental note to get a soft copy of it and I did.
Overview of The Book
Young Santiago approached his dad with courage and made his intentions of not becoming a priest as his parents wanted, known to his father. He attended a seminary where he learnt to read and write till age 16. He wanted to be a traveller. Travelling costs a lot of money - this, his dad made known to him. He was also told that only Shepherds could afford to travel and without hesitation, he decided to become a Shepherd. His father gave him money to buy some sheep and blessed him. This is how Santiago's journey as a Shepherd began.
Santiago had a dream that recurred twice and he was disturbed as he didn't know the meaning. He met a gypsy woman at a ruined church who told him that "dreams are the language of God." She helped him interprete his dream too and he decided to go to the Pyramid to realize a treasure that would make him rich, just as the gypsy told him Here a second desire was birthed. (His first desire was to become a traveller, now he has another desire to find a treasure that was revealed to him in his dream).
Screenshot of the book from my phone
The Shepherd boy meets the King of Salem
While resting before continuing his journey, a man named Melchizedek, King of Salem approached him. The king requested for one tenth of his sheep in order to help him find his treasure. He had refused to help the boy without a cost because he said he had enough sheep.
Lesson Drawn: Nothing given freely is really valued as something which one paid for.
When the king wrote down his father's name, the name of the seminary he attended and other things of himself which he never shared with the man, Santiago believed him. The man went on to tell the shepherd boy that he has helped him realize his Personal Legend. The king explained personal legend as something one has always wanted to accomplish.
The boy was given two stones called Urim and Thummim by the man, to help him read omens and instructed him to follow the omens to find his treasure. Before he departed from him, he told him the story of the boy who was sent to find the secret of happiness from the wisest man. The wise man in the end told the boy that "The secret to happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil..."
Screenshots from my phone
Lesson Drawn: Obviously, the King was trying to tell the boy that chasing his treasure was important but he shouldn't forget the little things and he shouldn't forget to Live.
Santiago Loses All His Money And Gives Up His Quest To Find His Treasure
Santiago had sold all his sheep to his friend after giving the King one tenth of his sheep. He needed the money to get to the Pyramid where his treasure was. After the King left him, he went to a bar. A boy joined him and he told the boy that he needed to go to the Pyramid. He was told he'd have to cross the entire dessert. The boy told Santiago he needed money to do so and Santiago handed over his money to him because he didn't want to seem rude. They went to get two camels for their journey and a commotion began, he lost the boy and his money. It wasn't a coincidence. Due to this event, Santiago became sad and discouraged.
Santiago And The Crystal Merchant
Santiago met a crystal merchant and offered to help him clean his glass in exchange for food. He ended up staying with the merchant for 11 months and 9 days. During his stay, he helped the merchant's business to improve greatly as the glasses he cleaned attracted customers and the tea he later sold attracted more customers. A significant thing that happened was the merchant's desire to oppose the idea of selling tea at the shop. He said there were lots of people doing that but the boy insisted that nobody was selling tea in crystal glasses so they could do so. "The people would enjoy the tea and buy the glass", he said.
Lesson Drawn : You can do differently, something that others are doing and make a significant change.
He left the crystal merchant after making lots of money and once again decided to chase his dream.
Santiago And The Englishman Make It To The Desert
Santiago decided to meet one of the Crystal Merchant's suppliers who transported his crystal by means of Caravans that crossed the desert. He wanted to know how far the desert was from his current city. There, he met the Englishman who was going to the desert too and they journeyed together. They made it to the desert. While helping the Englishman find the Alchemist, he met a girl called Fatima and instantly he knew he found love.
Santiago Meets The Alchemist
Santiago had a sort of revelation that was demonstrated to him using the flight of a pair of hawks. He saw it as an omen that war would breakout in the oasis and went to report to the tribal chief. It was during this course that he met the Alchemist. Santiago's report became a reality and he was rewarded 50 pieces of gold. The alchemist was going to direct the boy in the direction of his treasure. Santiago felt he had his treasure already which included Fatima, a camel, money, 50 gold pieces, of course he was rich for his age. The alchemist reminded him that none of what he achieved came from the Pyramid which was his ultimate goal.
Lesson Drawn: In your pursuit of something you desire so much, never be derailed because of little wins and never settle for anything less than the ultimate thing you desired.
The boy was still reluctant in leaving the oasis with the alchemist. He worried about Fatima, his just found love. The alchemist told him: "you must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his personal legend."
Lesson Drawn: I took this personal. People have given up on developing themselves and their dreams because of love and I don't think it's worth it. Love shouldn't stop anyone from discovery their purpose or evolving. Love shouldn't make one stunted in growth, love shouldn't stop a person from progressing. If it does, then it's not love.
Santiago Experiences a Major Opposition
As Santiago's journey with the Alchemist progressed, they experienced a great opposition. They got surrounded by tribesmen whose faces were hidden in veils and their demeanor screamed death. They were captured and taken to a nearby millitary camp and they were accused of being spies.
In a bid to save their lives, the alchemist told the chief of their captors that his friend (Santiago) who he referred to as a fellow alchemist, understands the forces of nature and he could show them his extraordinary powers. The chief asked Santiago to prove that in 3 days. Santiago was afraid and the alchemist wouldn't help him achieve that.
On the third day, the writer explained a magically fascinating scenario. The boy spoke to the wind, the sun and the desert and they spoke back to him. He prayed and miraculously, wind blew greatly in the camp of their captors just as the alchemist said the boy would make happen and they were freed.
Lesson Drawn: Through this scenario, I strongly feel the writer was trying to pass on a great message here which is that we can do anything if we believe in ourselves. Secondly, the universe conspires to help us achieve something we desire so badly which is referred to in the book as Personal Legend. For me, this conspiracy is nothing short of a miracle.
The Alchemist Departs From Santiago
Three hours to reaching the Pyramid, the alchemist bade Santiago goodbye and told him he needed to continue the journey on his own. Before departing, the alchemist turned a lead mixture to gold. He gave some to Santiago for all his loses - his sheep, his money from the sheep he sold and his 50 gold pieces on their way to the Pyramid. Santiago asked the alchemist if he could turn lead to gold too. The alchemist said it wasn't his (Santiago's) personal legend to do so but his (the alchemist's).
Lesson Drawn: Often times we try to do what other people have done because we feel we're humans too and should exhibit same potentials. From the alchemist's response, I learned that we all are gifted differently and we should seek to explore our individual potential to the fullest and not seek to be like other people.
The End of Santiago's Pursuit
Santiago made it to the Pyramid. There were other events I don't think is necessary to delve into. The Epilogue of this poetic novel tells us that Santiago made it back to the ruin church were he first met the woman who interpreted his dream. This time around he was with a shovel and he dug up the roots of the tree and there he found his treasure - gold and other valuables. He spoke to the sky asking why he wasn't saved from the stress of travelling distances to find a treasure that was just in front of him. The wind replied him saying that if he was informed he wouldn't have seen the Pyramid.
Lesson Drawn: We could have everything we desire with ease. Sometimes the things we so want are right at our doorstep but we just don't get it. I am of the opinion that Oftentimes we go through pain and stress to achieve our desires just so we can appreciate what we have when we finally get it.
Using Santiago as a case study, he would have just dug the tree where he had his dream earlier on but the woman and Melchizedek the Salem King told him he had to go to the Pyramid to get his treasure. In the course of making it to the Pyramid, he learnt from different experiences and he made significant impact in the life of the crystal merchant and he saved the oasis from war by communicating his revelation, he found love too and he equally got his treasure. He became more than just a Shepherd. His dream of becoming a traveller came through because of this pursuit, he saw the Pyramid, a beautiful place a lot of people in his town including the rich, has never seen.
PERSONAL NOTES
I'm blown away by the author's use of powerful poetic devices as metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery with a mixture of magic and spirituality to convey deep life lessons to the readers. The Alchemist is a book that tells the story of a young boy chasing his "dream" passionately. Though the dream written about is just a nightmare the boy had, the writer is definitely urging every reader to chase their dreams which is something they so desire to have. This he referred to in the book as Personal Legend.
It's beautiful how the writer linked some of the scenes and dialogues to bible stories. A clear example was when the boy asked the Englishman if he was in doubt of the fact that a King had spoken to him and given him the Urim and Thummim stones. The Englishman replied that he wasn't in doubt and it was the shepherd that first recognized a king that the rest of the world refused to acknowledge. Here he was referring to the birth of Jesus. As christians refer to Him as king and Saviour of the world and according to scriptures, Jesus was born in a manger, a place where shepherds kept their flock and were one of the first people to behold him and worship him. The writer used this to equally create humour.
A Scenario That Stood Out For Me
The boy asked the alchemist why other alchemist's couldn't make gold and the alchemist replied saying that they were looking only for gold.
Lesson Drawn: In life, a lot of people want to succeed at something but they do not want to go the stress and discipline that what they desire requires. Students want to pass examination without reading so they cheat, people want to make money without working or leaning so they steal, people want to get jobs without merit so they impersonate someone else or sometimes try to bribe their way through and someday if you test these people in their specific disciplines, they cannot deliver.
Overall Lesson From The Book
For me, The Alchemist is a book that is simply telling us to not give up on our dreams and not stop till we achieve them. Through the journey of Santiago, we are inspired to keep on despite the challenges and avoid distractions. And even when one derails, we can always go back in the right direction when we realize we have derailed.
The book also teaches us to follow our heart, trust our instincts, listen to counsels, rise each time we fall, watch out for predators, have faith in ourselves and pray. All these were instructions portrayed throughout the journey of Santiago.
What I loved Most About The Book
Despite being a tale of fantasy, magic and a lot of mystery, there were great moral lessons conveyed throughout the pages of the book. Some were clearly written out and others were hidden in parables. I've done my best in explaining those but I wish to write out some of the spelt out ones.
If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.
It's only those who are persistent and willing to study things deeply that achieve the master's work.
Life attracts life…
Summarily, if you're looking for a book that will encourage you to chase your dreams fearlessly, if you're feeling discouraged because you keep failing while chasing your dream, The Alchemist is a good recommendation. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. I'll be glad to hear other readers share their thoughts on this book if they've read it.
Interested in some more of my reviews? Kindly click the links below.
Book Review - Season of Crimson Blossoms
Book Review: Sally Thorne's The Hating Game
Hearts Like Yours - A book that touched my mind and soul
Book Review - Romance of Digi Diaz
I'm looking forward to promoting more books by African and specifically Nigerian writers while reviewing books from foreign writers as well. If you need book recommendations or want to know which books I've read, I'll implore that you visit my blog weekly for some interesting updates.
About The Author
I am a witty, adventurous and nicheless writer who loves to sing, take pictures, teach and travel. I am currently an English Education student at the University of Nigeria Nsukka. I am also a young children's teacher who homeschools kids during holidays. I love to share my life experiences through writing with the hope of inspiring as many people as possible on the Hive space.