The Alchemist Dialectical Journals 5-6

“We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions or our property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand,” (Coelho 73).

This quote presents the idea that one should not be afraid because there is a force that is bigger than all that they could lose, or all that they could stand to gain. We see this principle in Santiago as he continuously (and often hesitantly) gives up his previous possessions to earn the change to get greater ones. Santiago finds comfort in the belief that the happenings of his life are not in his own hands, but in those of God, the “same hand” that writes the history of the world and our life stories simultaneously. I find it interesting that the people in the book share this idea, even though some believe the creator is Allah, and others the Christian God.

“And dreams are the language of God. When he speaks in our language, I can interpret what he has said. But if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can understand” (Coelho 12).

The psychic tells this to Santiago when he asks her to interpret his recurring dream. I think it is interesting that the woman has a belief in God when she is working in a profession considered sinful. This quote also holds Christian truths about God and his relationships with each person as an individual. In my belief, God has a separate and unique relationship with every person. People come to know Him in so many different ways, and it’s impossible to generalize this kind of divine relationship. This is why it is “only you who can understand” if He speaks to your soul.

The Alchemist Dialectical Journals 3-4

“It was my fear of failure that first kept me from attempting the Master Work years ago. ow, I’m beginning what I could have started ten years ago. But I’m happy at least that I didn’t wait twenty years” (94).

This quote is said by the Englishman in search of enlightenment and the ability to create the Elixir of Life and the Philosopher’s Stone. In reality, he just needs the validation that he could start trying to preform the Master Works. This can be applied to people following their dreams in general. However, the more important part of the Englishman’s revelation is his gratitude towards the situation. Most people, when hindered on the path to their dream, focus solely on the negatives in the situation – in this case, the fact that the Englishman could’ve started his work ten years earlier. However, the Englishman focuses on the fact that the wait could have been twenty years, or even longer, and is grateful to have started so soon. The lesson readers can learn from this is that even when the situation is not the best, people must remember to be grateful that it isn’t worse than it is.

“It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them” (14).

The gypsy that first tries to interpret Santiago’s recurrent dream also tells him that this interpretation is hard because she’s not very wise, like true alchemists. However, there is much more meaning in this quote than meets the eye. People often spend entire lifetimes trying to understand complicated ideas, such as religion and philosophy. They devote their entire world to searching for a deeper meaning in life. Wise men, however, would say that these men are fools. Wise people realize that it is the simplest experiences in life that have the most meaning. Sure, understanding ideologies and such is important, but that means nothing in life compared to a baby’s laugh, a flower that survives the snowstorm, or a smile from a stranger. The miracle of life is so far above human understanding that it is best to accept that, and enjoy life’s joys while we can.

The Alchemist Dialectical Journals 1-2

“He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it” (Coelho 1).

As one of the first passages in the book, this passage proves to be an interesting Biblical allusion, if one interprets it that way. In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep, in which he says, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home… ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:4-7). In the passage from the Alchemist, Santiago also has to find a sheep that is lost from his flock. Later in the book, we find out that Santiago used to be a very religious person and was attending seminary when he decided to become a shepherd. His explanation is that he wants to see the world, but I wonder if there could be any connection to that parable in Santiago’s dream job? On another note, could this be Coelho’s way of representing his main character as the Christ-figure in the story, or at least relating the two? 

“The next day, he gave his son a pouch that held three ancient Spanish gold coins. ‘I found these one day in the fields. I wanted them to be a part of your inheritance. But use them to buy your flock. Take to the fields’… And he gave the boy his blessing” (Coelho 9).

Similarly to the last entry, this passage gives another interesting Biblical allusion. In this retelling of how Santiago went from being in seminary and learning to become a priest to becoming a shepherd, I am reminded of another parable of Jesus. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, one of two sons of a wealthy farmer asks for his inheritance in advance and goes to spend it impulsively on a lavish lifestyle. That is short-lived, however, as the son quickly runs out of money and is forced to work feeding pigs in a land he doesn’t know that well. He finally returns home and begs his father’s forgiveness, telling him that he’ll work for every penny to pay him back. The father, however, is so overjoyed as seeing his son that he is willing to forget the impulsiveness of his son and celebrate his return. In the same way, Santiago’s father willingly gives up his dream for his son, priesthood, and gives him some of his inheritance early so that he can take a chance on his own dream. This connection makes me wonder if Santiago will ever return home, and what his parents’ reactions will be, depending on his well-being at that point.

The Alchemist Interview

This interview is based on the introduction of Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”. In it, Coelho describes the four kinds of obstacles we face when we reach for our dreams. In this interview, I ask my mother, Kathleen, about her experiences with these obstacles after she read the introduction herself.

R: Let’s take the first obstacle: the fact that we are told from childhood that achieving our dreams is truly impossible. What are your experiences with this specific obstacle?

K: This isn’t a childhood example, but I was told I could never have children because my Fallopian tubes did not connect to my uterus. I thought, “Ok, that’s good to know, let’s see what we can do about it.” I wanted to have kids, so while that news was sad, I knew I could still achieve my dream.

R: What do you think about the second obstacle: loving those around us so much that we find it hard to drop everything for the dream?

K: I would argue that people don’t have to drop everything to pursue their dreams. In the case of me getting pregnant, I didn’t have opposition or guilt through love; I had support  and community. I also didn’t have to drop everything to make that happen.

R: How about the “fears we meet along the path,” as Paulho Coelho says, to achieving our dreams?

K: There was a lot of fear in trying different methods of conception. There was fear that nothing would work and I would never have kids… that’s all I got.

R: What do you think about the last obstacle, which is the fear of experiencing our dreams because of the guilt that comes along with realizing that not everyone gets to experience their dreams?

K: I did not experience that at all with having kids, I was just grateful for the miracle. I think that way of thinking is pretty self-centered, actually. Dreams would never be realized if we all felt bad that not everyone gets to experience that, it’s just a part of life.