Book #5 - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

[Dee]

Dawnfae's Choice:



How about now, Ladies?
Mz DF, would you like to add some discussion starter questions?

[DawnFae]

Thank you for setting up this book discussion thread Dee !

Written in less than one month in 1987, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist was inspired by the short tale “The Ruined Man Who Became Rich Again Through a Dream” from the classic Arabic short-story cycle The Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, also known as The Thousand and One Nights (fifteenth century). This tale has been adapted by many authors because of the powerful message it delivers about discovering that one’s treasure does not need to be pursued; it can be found at home.

What did you think of Santiago when he decided to follow his dream and embark on an unknown journey to find a treasure he only saw in his dreams?

Even if Santiago hadn't found a physical treasure, do you think his journey and personal evolution were worth the trouble?

The ultimate question for all of us is:

would you follow your dreams?

Discussion is free and all your thoughts, impressions and feelings about the story and its effect on you are most welcome.

[Dee]

Thanks, Mz DF.
Looking forward to this!

[Moonchime]

Yes me too - but have got to get the book first.
Am struggling with another book called "Dead Room" which seems to me as bad as it sounds - anyway I will endeavour to obtain The Alchemist this week!!
Thanks DF

[Dee]

Written in less than one month in 1987, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist was inspired by the short tale “The Ruined Man Who Became Rich Again Through a Dream” from the classic Arabic short-story cycle The Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, also known as The Thousand and One Nights (fifteenth century). This tale has been adapted by many authors because of the powerful message it delivers about discovering that one’s treasure does not need to be pursued; it can be found at home.

I've literally just finished the book, so these will be my first reactions.
Having read the author has written this within a month, I'm not surprised, lol. It feels like it could have had a bit more editing. Some of the philosophical parts at the end of the book felt a bit verbose to me that took somewhat away from the poignancy, and there are occasional contradictions that are confusing. (First the camel rider says to the boy that you need to live in the moment only, then he tells him how much he needs to know about the omens of the future so he can be prepared. So which one is it?) I also thought that the description of the miracle, when the boy becomes the wind, was not very well written. I was left very confused about the details. Humanising the sand, the wind, and the sun was just too contrived, and then "the hand"...

I think the novel could have been shortened a little bit and become one of maybe three similar length fables.

I would not say that the message of the book is that "one's treasure doesn't need to be pursued; it can be found at home". Right the opposite. If the boy didn't go on his journey, he would have never found his treasure, even if it was right under his nose in the end. Neither would he have found his true love, and he wouldn't have deepened his wisdom by the experiences he had along the way.

What did you think of Santiago when he decided to follow his dream and embark on an unknown journey to find a treasure he only saw in his dreams?

It was wanderlust... The dreams are the manifestations of an unsettled soul who needs to travel, have adventures, explore the world, seek answers to the meaning and purpose of it all. These things are desirable to some, others find them intimidating, terrifying even. Others have no interest. No good saying we all must travel and have adventures a long way from home. It's not for everyone. We could also argue that the shepherd boy was already quite wise and content before he started off on his journey, just by being very much present in his life, in tune with nature and his animals. But he had wanderlust. He had to go. The treasure to me is more like a metaphor for the reward of his adventures. In a way I was a little disppointed it was just another chest of gold.

Even if Santiago hadn't found a physical treasure, do you think his journey and personal evolution were worth the trouble?

Without a doubt. He had to go. Like the Alchemist said to him, when he was reluctant to leave the oasis to embark on the final leg of his journey, if he didn't go, he would have always wondered. It would have made him bitter and unfulfilled. He grew as a person, became wiser and more resilient, and most importantly he found love. These mattered way more than the chest of gold he found in the end.

The ultimate question for all of us is:

would you follow your dreams?

Of course we should. By dreams we don't just mean literal dreams, right? But also desires, ambitions, some crazy ideas. Sometimes drawn from real dreams or interpretations of signs, or "omens" as they were called in the book. (Not sure "omens" were the right way to call or translate them.) People who don't follow their dreams, they are ususally regretful. But not all dreams are about travels and adventures. Some might be about learning a skill, a trade, creating something, helping others, etc.



There is a lot to contemplate here, regarding what this book tells us about destiny versus free will, the good old classic question. I must mull this over a bit.

One thing I liked a lot is the concept of how everything is connected and of the same source, and by humbly observing it all we can hear and understand the "Language of the World", and discover the very "Soul of the World". This way of thinking about life is very much in tune with my own.

I was a bit disppointed with narrowing down the spiritual aspect to Christianity in the end (with the biblical references to the six days of creation and the fable of Jesus). I would have preferred a vaguer, larger world view that encompasses all religions and spiritual thinking, without being specific to any in particular. (It was one of my favourite lines in the book when the leader of the caravan acknowledged that the people in his care will be praying to different gods and how that doesn't matter in the slightest.)

So, overall, a good story, with some really lovely parts, but found it somewhat rushed and confusing in its delivery. Almost like it wanted to say too much. So I can't say I'm bowled over by it, but definitely enjoyed reading it, and I'm happy to think about it some more.

Very much looking forward to reading your thoughts about it, ladies.

[Dee]

[Dee]

[Dee]

[DawnFae]

This is beautiful! Thank you Dee!
We need to be reminded that love is an unconditional gift!

I will post my comments soon!
Have a wonderful day my friend !

[Moonchime]

I enjoyed reading this book but have to admit that I found it rather underwhelming. It definitely was very reminiscent of reading a traditional tale and had the feeling of trying to teach you something throughout; so much so in fact that I sometimes longed for more of a story and less of a homily. At no point did I long to find out more or feel so immersed in the characters that I needed to know them better.
For me the best things about the book were the descriptions of the desert and the sense of how a land shapes its people.

I would not say that the message of the book is that "one's treasure doesn't need to be pursued; it can be found at home". Right the opposite. If the boy didn't go on his journey, he would have never found his treasure, even if it was right under his nose in the end. Neither would he have found his true love, and he wouldn't have deepened his wisdom by the experiences he had along the way.

Yes I agree with all of that Dee,although I also think there is a problem in the quote by implying pursuit means travel. I would argue that any meaningful treasure is to be found within oneself; in fact for much of the tale I thought that was precisely the direction in which they were going with the lessons the shepherd boy was learning - but it would seem that was not ultimately the case. It was true he learnt so much because he had set off on this wild adventure - but then might he not have learnt valuable lessons if he had remained where he was? Surely the wisdom of life is to be found in learning all you can from about you - wherever you are - and most of all about yourself. Yes he longed to venture afield but it is all about the Journey and in that journey you may not travel literal distance at all.
Your heart and mind are the real travellers.

What did you think of Santiago when he decided to follow his dream and embark on an unknown journey to find a treasure he only saw in his dreams?

Dee wrote:
The treasure to me is more like a metaphor for the reward of his adventures. In a way I was a little disppointed it was just another chest of gold.

Even if Santiago hadn't found a physical treasure, do you think his journey and personal evolution were worth the trouble?

I think you put it very well Dee. He had to go. He had an itch and it had to be scratched.
I've put the quotes together above because I felt they were so connected. I too felt disappointed that the treasure was monetary wealth - in fact I felt it was essential to the depth of the message that it should not be gold/money. I really was not expecting him to find treasure of that kind at all; I thought that he would realise that treasure was being at one with himself and at peace with creation and who he was; that the things that mattered in life were not to be bought by gold; that real wealth was around him all the time.
The ending was not at all what i thought it should be; it seemed to be at odds with all he had learnt.

The ultimate question for all of us is:

would you follow your dreams?
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Dee wrote:
People who don't follow their dreams, they are usually regretful. But not all dreams are about travels and adventures. Some might be about learning a skill, a trade, creating something, helping others, etc.

Absolutely Dee - I think it's spot on to see following your dreams in the widest sense; pursuing the things that you feel make you whole. You do, of course need to be sure they are your dreams and not someone else's - nothing worse than realising you've been climbing a ladder up the wrong wall. After all there are so many times in this forum we've talked about how important the journey is and not the destination.

There are certainly some lovely phrases/messages in the book that deserve some reflection and bring some insight and wisdom so well done Dee for highlighting some of those and here's some more.

[Dee]

It seems like we are very much in agreement about this book, Moonchime. Especially regarding the ending of the story, that seemed to go up against the entire message of the rest of the story. You wrote:

I would argue that any meaningful treasure is to be found within oneself; in fact for much of the tale I thought that was precisely the direction in which they were going with the lessons the shepherd boy was learning - but it would seem that was not ultimately the case. It was true he learnt so much because he had set off on this wild adventure - but then might he not have learnt valuable lessons if he had remained where he was? Surely the wisdom of life is to be found in learning all you can from about you - wherever you are - and most of all about yourself. Yes he longed to venture afield but it is all about the Journey and in that journey you may not travel literal distance at all.
Your heart and mind are the real travellers.

Yes to all of the above. In fact, that's the most interesting question to consider upon reading the book (but unfortunately not one that the author chose to explore).

This is a way of thinking that goes against the notion of destiny. That we are on a path we were always meant to be on. Everything that happens to us happens for a reason, because it paves our path to where we are meant to be heading.

I don't believe in destiny. I believe there are millions of different ways our lives could have played out. And most of these ways would have led to us being the same people we are now, deep down at our core. We might be in a marriage with a different person, we might have pursued a different career, we might be living in a different part of the world, yet we would have acquired the same wisdom having been through a different journey. Because we can learn the same things from very different sources. Ultimately it doesn't matter whether you learn the notion of having to work hard at your craft from making furniture or playing the piano. It doesn't matter whether you learn the importance of being connected to people from belonging to a church or singing in a choir. It doesn't matter if you learn the beauty of the world at your daily walk around your home or traveling to the other side of the world. As long as you've learnt the important lessons in life, the where and how is just an interesting detail.

So back to our little shepherd. We could argue, that he has learnt the same lessons on his way to the pyramids and back he would have learnt had he stayed shepherding in the Spanish mountains.
The mearchant's daughter he was planning to marry might have been just as big a love in his life as the girl he met in the desert. Of course, he had a strong desire to explore other places, follow the signs his life presented to him. So he had to go. But that doesn't change the fact, had he not gone, he could have had just as much personal growth and acquired just as much wisdom.

Now for our shepherd to realise this on his return from the pyramids would have been a lot more interesting and thought provoking end to the story.