Symbolism In The Alchemist. In the dream, a child . Hawks: Hawks are symbolic of aggression, which can be tamed. Crystal Glassware: Fragility and clarity are the characteristics represented by the crystal merchant's crystal glassware. However, the desert is a symbol of struggle and an obstacle which Santiago faces on achieving his personal legend. The alchemist possesses the strength to confront things that emerge from the desert the cobra, the three armed warriors, and so on. The desert, with its harsh conditions and tribal wars, symbolizes the serious difficulties that await anyone in pursuit of their Personal Legend, but it also serves as an important teacher to Santiago during his journey to the pyramids. He represents the author, Paul Coelho, going to extreme measures to follow his personal legend, no matter the obstacles. Tags: Question 26. What are the symbols in The Alchemist? In addition to important symbols, the hawks symbolize the language of the world. In The Alchemist, the alchemist finds a cobra in the desert as a symbol of life. Sometimes fear is productive in The Alchemist, when it warns the characters of danger. It stretches 3,000 miles from The Nile River all the way west to the Atlantic Ocean. Symbols in "The Alchemist" By Paulo Coelho. The desert symbolizes the difficult obstacles Santiago must overcome in order to find his treasure. An important symbol in "The Alchemist" is the desert. Personal Legend. Large regions of the Sahara don't receive rainfall for years at a time. According to The Alchemist, Personal Legends serve as the only means by which an individual can live a satisfying life.In fact, the universe can only achieve perfection if all natural things continuously undergo a cycle of achieving their Personal Legend, evolving into a higher being with a new Personal Legend, and then . There is an impending doom which creates a chilling effect. The alchemist identifies the cobra in the desert as a symbol of life. The Alchemist is a very well written and intriguing book by Paulo Coelho. Regarded as a Coelho's best novel, it captures the elixir of life through the view of a sanguine Spanish Shepard. Desert: The desert is symbolic of all the obstacles and hardships that stand between people and their dreams.In The Alchemist, characters learn to accept the desert, even listen to it. Must people be especially brave in the desert? Themes, Motifs, & Symbols. The definition of "oasis" is a "fertile or green spot in the desert." It represents a type of shelter from the storm. In the novel The Alchemist, the pyramid, the desert, wind, the sun, oasis, the hawk act as symbols of natural world, which are embodiments of existence. The Alchemist is bursting with symbols that influence the reader's perceptions of Coelho's work. Traditionally, snakes also are emblematic of male potency. . Hawks: Hawks are symbolic of aggression, which can be tamed. Desert: The desert is symbolic of all the obstacles and hardships that stand between people and their dreams.In The Alchemist, characters learn to accept the desert, even listen to it. Set in a forsaken church in Spain at night; the young Shepard Santiago tastes the exquisite sensation of a compelling dream. Throughout this novel, Coelho uses archetypal men. A small alligator was found under a car in the west Texas desert, hundreds of miles away from normal territory. A sheep, for example, signifies more than simply a woolly mammal. A- The desert represents the ghosts of those who failed to realize their Personal Legends. An allegorical novel, The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd in his journey to the pyramids of Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding a treasure there. These symbols allow the reader to gain valuable insight into the piece through background knowledge and relations to the symbol itself. Because the desert tests all men: it challenges every step, and kills those who become distracted." (Coelho, 62). Does that mean the desert is more of a symbol rather than an actual, physical place? A final example of archetypal symbols used in The Alchemist is nature. This is said to be a symbol or have symbolic meaning. . Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. Cobra: The cobra is a symbol of danger and strength, especially male potency. . In addition to important symbols, the hawks symbolize the language of the world. Its climate is among one of the most inhospialible in the world. Similarly, Santiago must rid himself of impurities, such as . Desert, with its barren, harsh conditions and tribal wars symbolizes the serious difficulties that await anyone in pursuit of their personal legend and as Santiago describes it to be 'Old and . The Alchemist Quotes About Gratitude With Page Numbers. We all have a fear of being disappointed, however, Santiago was able to push this aside to have the courage to find his treasure. In The Alchemist, fear is the enemy of fulfillment. View booknotes The Alchemist; Symbol exploration.docx from ENGLISH MISC at Online High School. The desert serves its purpose throughout the book, in which Santiago faces many . The desert warriors to whom the alchemist promises that Santiago can transform himself into the wind are probably . 52 53 MULTI-DISCIPLINARY DIMENSIONS IN PAULO Sahara desert, sand dunes, and Al-Fayoum oasis (Geography); COELHO'S NOVEL THE ALCHEMIST Santiago's life, elemental force, universal language, Soul of the - Manju Muraleedharan* World, paradise, battle and alchemy (Philosophy); Melchizedek (Theology); Santiago (Psychology); Santiago's father and the leader Abstract: This paper analyses how . Horse: The horse is a symbol of strength and passion; like hawks, horses can be tamed. He conquers his fears of venturing into the unknown. The image of a desert brings to our mind the idea of harshness, of hardness, of an arid landscape and of the challenge of crossing a wasteland with the dangers . In fact, they reveal a whole secret message: Suddenly, one of the hawks made a flashing dive through the sky, attacking the other. The men he uses are the Alchemist, his father, and the King of Salem. The wind represents the journey of Santiago's life and the many changes he goes through. Themes The Centrality of Personal Legends. Urim and Thummim are fortune-telling stones that Melchizedek gives to Santiago. B- The desert is home to many forces that test and challenge Santiago. In The Alchemist, characters learn to accept the desert, even listen to it. Conventionally, snakes also are emblematic of male potency. Instead of an allegory of prudence, it has been seen as an allegory about sin and penitence. This was when Santiago began to realize his gift. Some symbols include: alchemy, the hawks, the sheep and the pyramids. The alchemist tests Santiago, and when the young boy is able to find life in the desert, the alchemist states it is the omen he needed before promising to guide the young boy to the pyramids. The desert demands an arduous journey that people must undertake to achieve what they want. Suddenly though, they reveal much more to him than what you could learn on The Discovery Channel. The main symbols in The Alchemist are the wind, the desert, and the oasis. On this view, it amounts to an admission by Titian that his failure to act prudently in . "Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.". Gold: Gold represents the knowledge, work, and time necessary to achieve something desired. The hawk killing each other was an omen that warns the oasis of an attack. . He conquers his fears of venturing into the unknown. The alchemist plays a prominent role in Santiago's fate, instructing him in alchemy and assisting in travel. There is an impending doom which creates a chilling effect. answer choices. The boy observed in silence the progress of the animals and people across the desert. The alchemist possesses the strength to confront things that emerge from the desert the cobra, the three armed warriors, and so on. Recently this painting has been explained in quite different ways. What Does The Raven Symbolize. The tree, which symbolizes its growth, proliferation, generative and regenerative processes, was used a lot. The Alchemist Symbolism. This is said to be a symbol or have symbolic meaning. Gold: Gold represents the knowledge, work, and time necessary to achieve something desired. Desert: The desert is symbolic of all the obstacles and hardships that stand between people and their dreams. One day, when he's out chilling in the desert, Santiago watches a couple of hawks flying in the sky. The only word the bird utters is "nevermore" which reveals that the narrator will never again regain his sanity. Santiago thinks because in Egypt the scarab beetles are a symbol of god, then he should start digging the dune where he found them (Coelho161). One example of symbolism in The Alchemist is mirages, or hallucinations. read analysis of Urim and Thummim. The Hawks. Hawks: Hawks are symbolic of aggression, which can be tamed. show Santiago is becoming sensitive to pain and suffering. An Analysis of Mirage Symbolism In The Alchemist Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist tells the story of Santiago, a young shepherd living in an abandoned church in a small Andalusian town, who is stripped of his comfortable and safe lifestyle after an encounter with Melchizedek, an Islamic king who tells him of his . C- To the crystal merchant, the Englishman, and Santiago, the desert represents the challenges and fears they must overcome to realize their Personal Legends. Horse: The horse is a symbol of strength and passion, like hawks, horses can be tamed. Nothing that is worthwhile comes easily and the desert becomes a metaphor for the struggle. The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho which was first published in 1988. Santiago is the protagonist of the The Alchemist. The narrator explains that Santiago has always known that his purpose in life was to travel despite attending a seminary until the age of sixteen. Examples - Symbols to look for in "The Alchemist" Cobra; Crystal glassware ; Desert ; Gold ; Hawks ; Correct answer: The desert represents the trials that the boy will have to face to realize his dream. The oasis represents Santiago's ultimate goal and the place where he finally . The raven represents darkness and imminent death. The Sahara desert is the largest desert in the world. The book The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, is a novel in which the pyramids in the book help symbolize a roller coaster as Santiago follows his dream to find the treasure, learning not to give up and to follow his heart. This book is filled with symbolism from the beginning to the end. He finally gets the courage to ask his father's permission to become a shepherd so that he can travel the fields of Andalusia. His symbols can take the form of an object, an action, or even a language or profession. show the interconnectedness between the wind and the actions of people. The Hand that Wrote All is a fitting description of the higher power honored by Santiago and The Alchemist as their Creator and Guide, for all the words they . "The caravan and the desert speak the same language, and it's for that reason that the desert allows the crossing." How does personification affect the meaning in this excerpt? What Does The Raven Symbolize. Read the passage. Crystal Glassware: Fragility and clarity are the characteristics represented by the crystal merchant's crystal glassware. A symbol defines a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process. This . Chew on This. Every object referenced in the book was significantly symbolic. Examples - Symbols to look for in "The Alchemist" Cobra; Crystal glassware ; Desert ; Gold ; Hawks ; He represents the author, Paul Coelho, going to extreme measures to follow his personal legend, no matter the obstacles. In The Alchemist, characters learn to accept the desert, even listen to it. A character, an action, a setting, or an object that represents something else. The Sahara covers 3.32 million square miles. Wise old men symbolize the 'savior', 'redeemer', and the 'guru'. In The Alchemist, Coelho personifies the sun, wind, desert, and lake as attributes of human beings. Blessings are like an oasis in the desert. Though the symbols are concrete, they deepen the reader's understanding of the similarities of Santiago's joys and trials with those of all people. The only word the bird utters is "nevermore" which reveals that the narrator will never again regain his sanity. suggest the alchemist must teach Santiago about the ills of the world. The Alchemist has many archetypal themes and symbols including wise old men, women, and the nature around him. Santiago - Santiago is a symbol in many ways. To begin with, a big symbol portrayed throughout show more content The author uses animals to give the impression of the unspoken language. Out of something . Santiago then listens to his heart, which allows him to speak to the desert, the wind, and the sun, as he tries to learn . excerpt from The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. Hawks: Hawks are symbolic of aggression, which can be tamed. "Maybe God created the desert so that man could appreciate the date trees.". excerpt from The Alchemist by Paul Coelho "I have watched the caravan as it crossed the desert," he [the boy] said. Near the beginning of the story, Santiago rests in churchyard with a giant sycamore tree growing out of it, where he had his dream of his treasure. A character, an action, a setting, or an object that represents something else. The correct answer and the way that the symbol of the desert affects the meaning in this passage of Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" (1988) is The desert represents the struggles everyone must face if they want to realize their dreams..