The Alchemist: Difference between revisions
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{{work}}
{{Infobox book
[[File:thealchemist_1756.jpg|frame]]▼
| title = The Alchemist
| original title = O Alquimista
| image =
| caption =
| author = Paulo Coelho
| central theme =
| elevator pitch =
| genre =
| publication date = 1988
| wiki URL =
| wiki name =
▲}}[[File:thealchemist_1756.jpg|frame]]
Santiago is a shepherd living a peaceful, carefree life tending his flock in the fields of Andalusia until one day he comes across a strange old man who offers to tell him the secret meaning of a dream he has and gives him two mysterious stones named Urim and Thummim. Thus begins Santiago's adventure to the east...
Not to be confused with [[The Alchemist (play)|the 1610 play by Ben Jonson]], [[The Alchemist (short story)|the 1908 short story by H. P. Lovecraft]], [[The Alchemist (film)|the 1981 horror film]], or ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]''.
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* [[Blithe Spirit]]: Santiago, pretty much wherever he goes, but especially in the crystal shop.
* [[Book Ends]]: The story begins and ends with Santiago in a church.
* [[The Dulcinea Effect]]: Santiago loves a girl he met only once a year ago. What?!▼
* [[Earn Your Happy Ending]]: A journey from Andalusia to Egypt, which takes well over a year.
* [[
* [[Hidden Depths]]: Melchizedek at first appears to be an annoying old man who asks to see Santiago's book. {{spoiler|He's actually an angelic figure whose job it is to encourage people on their quests to find their own Personal Legends}}. Santiago appears to be just another shepherd, but is actually literate and quite intelligent. {{spoiler|He was training to become a priest but left the seminary to pursue a life of adventure.}}
* [[It's the Journey That Counts]]:
* [[It Was with You All Along]]: Santiago's knowledge of alchemy, which helps him {{spoiler|transform into wind to escape from hostile Arabs, and find the treasure}}.
* [[I Will Wait for You]]: Fatima to Santiago, before he leaves the oasis for Egypt.
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* [[Last Girl Wins]]: Santiago is infatuated with a girl from the village at first, and it looks like it might go somewhere. But at the end of the book, he decides to go back to {{spoiler|Fatima}}.
* [[Love At First Sight]]: Santiago and Fatima.
* [[The Obi-Wan]]: Melchizedek, and the Alchemist, who may or may not be the same person.▼
* [[The Power of Love]]: Directly invoked. Santiago's "listening to his heart" allows him to finally understand the secrets of alchemy and {{spoiler|lets him turn himself into wind}}.▼
* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]: The Alchemist is over 200 years old, since he has the Elixir of Life.
* [[Shallow Love Interest]]: Arguably, Fatima. But the merchant's daughter at the beginning of the book is even more shallow, seeing as Santiago doesn't know her name.
* [[Shown Their Work]]: Coelho mentions a lot of details about Islam and North Africa which he mostly gets right, as well as Christianity, classical mythology and of course [[Captain Obvious|alchemy]].
▲* [[The Dulcinea Effect]]: Santiago loves a girl he met only once a year ago. What?!
▲* [[The Obi-Wan]]: Melchizedek, and the Alchemist, who may or may not be the same person.
▲* [[The Power of Love]]: Directly invoked. Santiago's "listening to his heart" allows him to finally understand the secrets of alchemy and {{spoiler|lets him turn himself into wind}}.
* [[This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself]]: The Alchemist leaves Santiago on the last stage of his journey.
* [[Wanting Is Better Than Having]]: The crystal merchant and his pilgrimage to Mecca.
▲* [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic]]: The book is pretty heavy on Christian symbolism, including many Bible references, as befits Coelho's devout Catholicism.
{{The Big Read}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Latin American Literature]]
[[Category:The Great American Read]]
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