77 pages • 2 hours read
Paulo CoelhoThe Alchemist
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1988A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
Dreams and Omens
From the opening passages of the novel, Santiago is shown to be someone who places great stock in the power of dreams. Though he is just a shepherd with a small flock of sheep, he dreams of a fortune buried in a distant land. He returned to the ruined church and lies down to sleep in the expectation that he will dream the same dream again. He is invested in the power of dreams, demonstrating to the audience the importance of dreams and omens before there is even a hint of magic. From this point, the dream obsesses Santiago so much that he visits a fortune teller to have it interpreted and then speaks to Melchizedek; both encourage Santiago to pursue his dreams, ratifying the importance of dreams in the early stages of the novel.
While Santiago’s dream of buried treasure is a very specific dream and one that is important to the text, there is also a wider, more general appreciation for the power of dreams that informs the core theme of the text. According to this theme, young people’s dreams and ambitions should not be allowed to stall, as this will lead to regrets later in life. Not only is Santiago warned of this possibility, but the example of the merchant in the crystal store presents the issue to him. The merchant had always dreamed about making a pilgrimage to Mecca but is held back by his fears and his circumstances. This makes him deeply unhappy, leaving him with a constant sense of regret. Santiago internalizes this lesson and makes sure to remain steadfast by his dreams, even when they seem imperiled. On the occasions when he is threatened or robbed, he does not waiver from his determination to get to the pyramids. He keeps the examples of the merchant and the baker in his mind to warn against deviating from the pursuit of his dream.
Though dreams are often equivocated with ambition (particularly in the case of Santiago, whose dream fostered an ambition within him), dreams are also a form of communication. They function like omens, as a way of communicating with the Soul of the World. Santiago’s dream of buried treasure is auspicious and it gives him a sense of the importance of reading omens. He knows that it is not like other dreams and, as he begins to trust omens more and more, he begins to speak more fluently in the language of the world. It allows him to see the dream of the hawks and warn the people of the oasis of an upcoming attack. Thankfully for Santiago, he is not alone in trusting in the theme of dreams and omens. When he reveals his vision of the hawk to the chieftains, they not only trust him, but they make him a tribal counsellor. Santiago’s experiences are tied to historical precedent, that of the biblical Joseph (who was kidnapped and taken to Egypt, where his visions helped to save the people from a famine). Like the Pharaoh in Joseph’s story, the chieftain who believes Santiago is rewarded for trusting the omens and the dreams. As such, there is a clear importance placed on both actual dreams (such as Santiago’s dream of buried treasure) and the more symbolic, abstract dreams (such as those of Santiago’s personal legend). Each feeds into the other and characters are rewarded for trusting in both.
Omens and dreams are universal. Belief in dreams and omens allows Santiago to communicate with the Soul of the World; they guide him through his journey and allow him to accomplish great feats. Even smaller actions—such as Urim and Thummim falling from their bag—are taken as important omens and, in doing so, Santiago feeds into the greater theme of the novel, giving importance to dreams and omens at all times. The universe, he believes, is conspiring to make his dreams a reality and by trusting in the omens and his dreams, he can achieve his goal and fulfill his Personal Legend.
Gold, Treasure, and Money
If dreams and omens propel the characters through the narrative, then gold, treasure, and money are rewards and incentives to demonstrate success or failure. The entire plot is predicated on the basis of financial success: Santiago wishes to transform himself from a poor shepherd boy into the discoverer of buried treasure. He believes that this will make him happier and will allow him to achieve his goals in life (such as marrying the girl from the village). As with many other characters, Santiago’s idea of success is inextricably linked to accruement of gold, treasure, or money, which feeds into these things becoming a key theme of the text.
The most important way that gold, treasure, and money are deployed in a thematic sense is to signify success or failure. This can happen in several different ways. Santiago trusts in Melchizedek’s words, for example, and sells his flock of sheep. For this, he is given a good amount of money and uses that to travel across to Tangiers. This is painted as a success, a way of achieving his dream. However, once in Tangiers, Santiago loses all his money to a scammer. This is a failure. The loss of the money is not only a financial impediment, but it demonstrates Santiago’s naivety and shows how much he must learn and how difficult his path ahead will become. In this instance, financial rewards are given and taken away to signify the proximity of the character to fulfilling their Personal Legend and as a way of teaching them lessons along the way.
In a thematic sense, money propels the plot forward. As the story progresses, Santiago finds himself accumulating more and more money. First, he sells his sheep, then he works in the crystal shop, then he reveals the visions of the hawk to the Chieftains, then he travels across the desert with the alchemist. On each of these occasions, Santiago moves closer to fulfilling his ambitions. On each of these occasions, he receives an even greater financial reward (the profits from the shop, 30 gold coins, and the lead transformed into gold by the alchemist). Their relative worth is reiterated throughout the text; each time Santiago receives financial rewards, he thinks of how many sheep it could buy him. Soon, he has moved dramatically beyond the small flock he had while sleeping in the ruined church. By the time Santiago finds his buried treasure, he no longer thinks of how many sheep he could buy. He is now thinking of the vast estates and buildings that he will own. Success and ambition are tied together, and financial rewards—such as gold, treasure, and money—are used to signify progress toward these goals.
Most importantly, however, Santiago’s personal relationship to money changes. As he becomes richer, as he learns the lessons that the alchemist and others teach him, he begins to see the value in not clinging to money. When he is scammed on first reaching Tangiers, Santiago considers he loss devastating. When he is robbed while standing near the pyramids, however, he makes a decision to willingly give up the secret of his treasure to the thieves. He has already given them his gold but he barely thinks twice about it. Santiago accumulates and loses more money and gold than he would ever have dreamed of possessing. While his initial losses are devastating, he learns to trust in the merits of his Personal Legend, knowing that he will be rewarded in the future. By the end of the text, Santiago has abandoned the careful coin counting of his early days. His personal investment in money is lessened and his first thought on collecting his treasure is paying the debts he owes. Santiago has come to realize that money, treasure, and gold are not the endpoint of his ambition, but that they are the facilitators of his ambition. He no longer dreams of being rich, but imagines the satisfaction that being rich will bring with regards to his Personal Legend. In a thematic sense, Santiago places less value in money as he becomes richer. This is a lesson he must learn, just like all the others.
Fear and Loneliness
The fear of being alone drives Santiago forward. Indeed, fear is one of the novel’s primary obstacles, placed in front of Santiago on numerous occasions as a means of preventing him from achieving his Personal Legend. This fear manifests in many forms, whether it is a latent childhood fear of the Roma woman’s abilities to interpret dreams and tell fortunes or a fear of losing all of the money he made by selling his flock of sheep or even simply being considered a failure after he sails to Tangiers and loses everything. There are even more existential fears: when Santiago first meets the alchemist, for example, or when the warring tribes force him to turn himself into the wind under the threat of death. Santiago is beset by many fears.
At the beginning of the novel, Santiago is alone. He wanders through the empty landscape with no one to talk to but his sheep. This is the life that he has chosen, to wander through Andalusia and explore. It is a lonely existence but he consoles himself by observing the sheep and the world around him, the first inklings of being able to read the omens of nature. Furthermore, he remains fixated on the unnamed girl who he plans to meet and possibly marry. Though Santiago is in a lonely situation, fearing that he will remain as such, he alleviates this fear by picturing a future where he has a wife and does not have to wander the world alone.
Throughout the novel, Santiago is taught how to combat his fears. Melchizedek and the alchemist both provide him with the tools and the reasoning to overcome his fear of failure. They teach him the value in pursuing a Personal Legend and avoiding long term regrets; this involves confronting fear, loneliness, and difficult situations. Santiago must cross the desert, leave Fatima behind, and shed himself of these fears if he is to find his treasure. Ultimately, they suggest, fear should not be a consideration for those pursuing their dreams, as long as they trust enough in the power of the universe around them.
As if to make sure the theme of fear is made clear, the greatest effects of fear and loneliness are inflicted on the minor characters. People like the crystal merchant are riddled with fear, not just a fear of harm or losing their money, but a fear of getting what he wants. Once he has made his pilgrimage to Mecca, he worries, he will no longer have anything left to live for. The fear of this prevents him from making the trip and prevents him from realizing his Personal Legend. While the crystal merchant is held back, Santiago is not. One character succeeds, the other remains stuck in his life, dominated by fear. The theme of fear and loneliness—and, most importantly—conquering these issues becomes clear, in that Santiago must rid himself of these issues in order to succeed where others have failed.
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