This seems like a good place to put it...
I look forward to reading,
AK
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
In the beginning was the word...
Berwick Academy's World Literature class. A blog that dabbles in Universal Truths and steeped in true thoughts. A judgment free zone that promotes thoughtful conversations about difficult questions.
Search This Blog
The Invisible Man
In the beginning was the word...
13 comments:
Coelho’s Blog
The ideas Coelho shares with us on his blog summarize the same path that the book, The Alchemist, takes, with one glaring exception. Santiago faces the first three obstacles along his journey and overcomes them. However, the fourth obstacle, “the fear of realizing the dream,” never seems to be a major struggle for the shepherd boy. Perhaps it is because Coelho does not want to draw attention to our extremely self-destructive tendencies. He is portraying a world where only good can come from the realization and pursuit of our personal legends. In The Alchemist, He is encouraging us to break completely away from the idea that we might fail. If Santiago had failed he would have been telling us the story of defeat and ruin, but this is not what he wants. He broadcasts a message to believe in hope and success because this is what we want to hear; this is not our reality, and this will be our downfall if we don’t understand the content of his message appropriately. In essence, he is saying is that we need to see ourselves as immensely important individuals, who get what they dream of because they fought for it. How can we even fathom this to be true? Some will fight and many will lose. Sure, if we had not embarked on the journey to begin with we never would have the possibility of success, but how much are we willing to risk for the cause? By allowing people to believe, Coelho is feeding our already self-destructive condition. We will lose everything in the pursuit of our dreams and legends, and then we will blame ourselves for our destruction, and rightly so.
Perhaps this is all a matter of perspective. We push the world to be the way we understand it to be, and nothing more or less. Our destructive nature only exists because we believe that the world must subsist on destruction. As Coelho says, “most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.” (131) However, there must be a reason why we see the world this way. I don’t believe it’s because we are brought up accustomed to failure and impossibility as Coelho suggests, but we are cynical because we have experienced the world as it stands. Anyone who has faced challenges shares a perspective, understanding that happiness is not abundant because reality encompasses a full spectrum of obstacles that rarely amount in success. We have not been told a lie all these years, but we have been feeding off an uninhibited truth, our reality.
I think that the need and desire for spontaneity is laced throughout The Alchemist and Coelho’s blog. He speaks of “unexpected suffering” versus “suffering that is apparently bearable.” The first is derived from passion, and is the less painful of the two. However, the second is the more honest of the two; it is the makeup of our existence. Our suffering is extended and unrelenting. The problem is that we breed minds that can withstand the accumulation of small bouts of pain that are born from everyday grievances. The human condition is one of constant suffering, which occurs with or without spontaneity.
Santiago meets all of the criteria necessary to be defined as one who has crossed the threshold to become a hero, but why then does his story, his journey, fall short of what I consider truly heroic? I am not sure whether or not the pursuit of one’s personal legend qualifies as an act of heroism and thus I am not sure whether or not following the “Hero Journey” is enough to identify Santiago as a hero.
First Santiago stumbles upon his call to adventure, or in this case the call to the desert. The King of Salem appears and becomes Santiago’s guide as his journey commences. From this point on Santiago’s life follows a textbook description of the hero journey. Encountering obstacles when the thief robs him upon his arrival in Africa, when he doubts himself and decides to return to his Sheppard lifestyle, and again when he gets distracted by Fatima in the desert, Santiago temporarily refuses “the Call” multiple times. Each time however, there is an omen or some kind of supernatural reminder of his destiny that allows Santiago to focus once again. Ultimately, Santiago does indeed cross a threshold and demonstrate bravery when he begins to understand the desert and the concept of alchemy because “Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World” (111). Even when he is lying bleeding in the dirt, the belly of the whale if you will, Santiago manages to laugh at the pyramids, “his heart bursting with joy. Because now he knew where his treasure was” (163).
Check, check, and check. Hero Journey complete. Something in his journey seems flat to me though. Perhaps it’s my fault for buying into society’s narrow-minded view of a hero for so long: the person who always saves the day by risking their life for another or something equally dramatic. We just love those moments when, in a seemingly irresolvable situation, everyone stops and is unable to act but then just in time some brave person reacts quickly and nobly in a way gets them on ABC news as their “Person of the Week.” I know this idea of a “hero” is a limited one, but at the core of it there is an aspect of selflessness and a commitment to something larger than oneself that we admire when we see it displayed in others. I find that selflessness largely absent in The Alchemist. While I don’t mean to say that the quest for a personal legend is inherently selfish and unworthy of attention, it is, at least on the surface, about what is right for the individual rather than a larger truth or a greater good. “Personal” implies private, singular, for the self.
That said, I am wrestling with the idea that perhaps there is truth in the notion that “The Soul of the World is nourished by peoples’ happiness” (22). Maybe its core the quest for Santiago’s personal legend is the search for a consciousness of his worth and the control he has over his own life, but also a way to contribute to the Soul of the World and its wellbeing. I keep quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson on this blog, but he said “Self-trust is the essence of heroism” which speaks to the idea present within the Alchemist that, “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation. All things are one” (22). Santiago’s journey is one that carries him into the desert but more importantly into the sacredness of the active human mind and soul that struggle to listen and understand not only the identity of the individual but also the universal truths of the world. That journey is not a simple one and it is not a public one, but perhaps it is just as crucial an act of heroism for the depth, understanding, and self assurance it requires of its participants. I am inclined to say that Santiago’s journey is the pre-hero journey; more focused on internal wisdom which can later be translated into more bold, heroic actions.
Post on Coelho's Blog by Apu November 12, 2009
sir, i have recently finished reading the alchemist second time. Its awesome book .Very very inspiring but i have certain doubts
the concept of destiny troubles me. how do we know we are on our way to destiny or not? does the destiny really exist? if it exist then what happens to the concept of will power of man to move against the tide.
i would also like to know if any one really come across and realised that it was omen. how do we know soul of the universe? how do i know what is my destiny? often i start a thing and then i wonder is it worth time and effort.
i m sorry if these doubts sound silly but please clear my doubts. thank you
My Response:
This question of destiny versus freewill is a very important one in The Alchemist. From what I gather in your post, you seem to feel that The Alchemist is strongly advocating in favor of destiny. I on the other hand would say that The Alchemist is arguing the opposite or a combination between the two. The constant mention of "maktub" is not to say that a person has no power over what happens to them, but rather to establish a common misconception by the human race. Much like the world's greatest lie is a lie that most everyone tells themselves when they don't want to sacrifice in order to achieve their personal legend, "maktub" is a word that people use when they don't want to be responsible for the bad or even the good things that happen in their life. I would argue that people use this word, "maktub," in order to justify the worlds greatest lie to themselves because they don't want to be responsible if their own personal legend is not achieved. Early in the book, I feel that this would be a hard concept to grasp, but when Santiago becomes the wind, it really solidifies itself for me. The one hand that people refer to when they say, "maktub," is seen mainly as a mystical being, but Santiago really personalizes it and realizes that the soul of the world is his own soul and that the one hand is his own hand. This tells me that although the future may be written, we are the ones that write our own future, because we are part of the soul of the world. I, personally, have very different beliefs when it comes to destiny and freewill, but they are laced with science and do not relate to The Alchemist, so I will leave them out of this post.
On the topic of omens. I came across one thing in particular that I believed to be an omen. In the course of two days I was plagued by very bad drivers. I was almost hit twice, people were speeding, and people were tailgating me. I have pretty much no experience with omens, but I sort of felt like someone was trying to tell me that I shouldn't drive for a while. Needless to say, I continued driving and nothing happened. I'm not saying that they don't exist, but only that I probably don't have enough experience to notice or interpret one.
In my understanding of The Alchemist, I was led to believe that the soul of the universe is actually our own soul. So, in order to know the soul of the universe we must know ourselves. This task is much more difficult than it sounds.
As for how you know what your destiny is, I don't think that I am qualified to give you an answer for that. In fact, I don't think that anyone is qualified except for you. You could try looking at your aspirations or your passions in life, but I think that it probably differs from person to person. Some people may fall into their destiny, like the candy seller. Others may see it in a dream, like Santiago. I have no idea what my destiny is, and although I would some day like to find it, I am in no hurry. I hope that my response helped you find the meaning that you were looking for in The Alchemist. It certainly helped me organize my own thoughts and for that, I thank you.
Though I would prefer to say that Santiago is not a hero, the definition provided to us in class would say other wise. Santiago follows the hero journey down to the last grain of sand.
Santiago's call to adventure is as simple as the either when he had the dream about his treasure by the pyramids in Egypt or talking to the Gypsy dream interpreter in Tarifa about his dream. Santiago no longer thinks about his life as just being a shepherd who will roam the towns and settle down with the girl he falls in love with. He now recognizes his dreams and begins to think of them as possible realities. But to go with the hero journey, Santiago refuses to give in to his dreams and follow them where they may lead. Not just yet he thinks. Giving in will only lead to trouble. He gets past these worries with the help of the Old King who shares with him, Urim and Thumim and gives him the advice he needs to trust himself, follow the omens, and pursue his personal legend. The King is the supernatural aid in this story. He manifests himself in other ways throughout the story and as readers we can never be sure who he will appear in the form of. Santiago's steps over the first threshold are when he goes and pays to be part of the caravan to cross the desert. This is where danger is present much more so than ever before. Not only is there the danger of the tribal wars in the desert but there is the danger of a world that he has seen so little of. As a shepherd he kept track of his sheep and his route. Food and water, it was that simple. But now he is completely out of his comfort zone. There is no turning back and though he doesn't know it so much yet. He comes to realize that there is much more to the world than just food and water. As the caravan goes further into the desert, the journey seems to have faded. The distraction of Fatima is great and he gets very close to letting love prevent him from pursuing his personal legend. The women of the desert understand that it should not prevent wanderers from wandering but he had to learn that in his own experience. When he meets the Alchemist, he jumps into the mouth of the whale. He is just in the whales throat though and he gets stuck. The Alchemist guides him though and with help he gets unstuck. He learns the lessons of the desert women who can send messages on the wind, and he understands that everything is connected. He slides down the throat and though I'm not sure of the anatomy of a whale I am guessing that the mouth is not just connected by a couple inches of throat to the belly. Whales are longer than that. Santiago is now sort of in the middle of the body not quite to the belly. Here is where he takes his jaunt with the Alchemist and they have the “life attracts life” experience. He learns more and more and slides closer to the belly of the whale. Plop! (That was not the right word for entering the stomache of a whale but im not sure really what is) He is in the belly. He turns himself into the wind and demonstrates that he has gained the final separation of the known world and himself. Success. (I guess?)
If one were to take a look at the hero journey cycle, and then compare it with the events of Santiago’s life, they would see that the two are nearly identical. It seems that Coelho might have even tacked up an image of the hero cycle above his desk while writing The Alchemist, the two share so many similarities. The one qualm I have with Santiago and his hero journey is his reason for beginning his adventure. Many of our fabled heroes such as Odysseus, Robin Hood, or Aragorn all have a call to arms or adventure, but theirs is much different than Santiago’s. For Odysseus his call to adventure is his kingdom and wife, from whom he has been away from for two decades. For Robin Hood the call comes in the form of the unjust rule of the Sherriff of Nottingham. And Aragorn is called to return to the throne of Gondor which is rightfully his. To me these causes seem noble and just, but Santiago’s does not really. His call to adventure comes in the form of a dream. A dream that tells him to drop everything and begin a quest for a hidden treasure at the Pyramids of Giza. To me this seems far less moral than many other hero journeys. Some people would say that Santiago is a hero because he was a poor boy following his dreams to some day find his treasure and pull himself up out of poverty. But I would disagree. I do not think Santiago was even that destitute. He was in seminary school and about to become a priest when he decided to forgo that career and become a shepherd instead. While Santiago’s journey follows that of a hero, I believe that he is no hero.
Like I have said, Santiago follows the path of the hero almost flawlessly. It seems as though Coelho had a checklist of the things associated with the hero journey, and he made sure that Santiago accomplished those things. And although I believe that the premise of Santiago’s quest is not as heroic as it could be, his journey could lead us to believe otherwise.
But fortunately the journey that Santiago undertakes brings about more than just material wealth. Throughout his journey Santiago is able to gather intellectual wealth as well as the treasure he is able to discover at the end of his journey. I think that even if the epilogue had not existed he would have had a successful journey. I think that he lessons he learned from his journey, from the Desert, and from the Alchemist are as much wealth as he could ever ask for. I think the fact that Santiago does find the treasure only validates my opinion that he is not a true hero. If he were a true hero the journey and everything he had learned would be enough treasure. But since no one wants to hear the treasure hunter story where the treasure hunter does not find the treasure, Santiago must find the treasure. Why must we always subject to the whims of the masses?
Santiago is never referred to by name. Throughout the story, he is merely "the boy." This is because he is not some inaccesable action hero of the sort that populate our culture today, but because he is an existential hero, of the sort that we all can and must become. Mastering himself is the purpose of his journey, and like all journeys of discovery, it cannot begin until the call to adventure has been given.
Often, the call to adventure alone is not a significant event. In Santiago's journey, it begins as simply as a dream. As he sleeps, deep within a church, deep within Andalusia, deep within himself, his quest is begun with a mere image. The Pyramids of Giza. Hardly enough to derail his life, he continues on to the town where he speaks to the old women. It is when he speaks to her that the call begins to take shape. Like the rest of us, he needed the suggestion to be given before he could begin.
Unfortunately for all heros, this is the point at which the seed of adventure had been planted, but the trailhead is completely indistinguishable. Should Santiago spend his life saving up to go to the Pyramids when he is older? Should he go now? Should he ignore the call completely? The call has been given, but he is more lost than ever. The hero is in need of a guide to help him begin upon his path of self-discovery. This guide appears in the form of the king. He gives Santiago what he needs to begin, and nothing else. Any more would be harmful to the hero, because he must make the next step alone.
That next step is the plunge into the abyss. This is where the hero takes a deep breath, holds it, and steps out into the darkness. He is now outside of Spain, outside his sphere of comfort, and outside of the web of preconcieved notions that make up the "self." Literally, he is in Africa. This is the point at which he can finally begin to grow.
Many people reach this point in their lives, but are called back by family, friends, careers, and other aspects of home. Santiago is tempted constantly by the desire to return home, resume a life of ease, and cut short his self-discovery. The thief steals his money, and with it all of Santiago's delusions that the hero journey is an easy one.
Santiago works for the crystal merchant, and is indirectly inspired by the mistakes he has made in his life. After over a year, Santiago finally commits himself to the desert. By doing so, he is committing himself to the last main stretch of the journey. At this point, he is well used to the abyss, and he thinks he is closing in on his goal. As he crosses the desert, he is challenged by violence, love, and money. However, crossing the desert is ultimately an act of establishing his bearings. As he rejects these offers, he becomes increasingly aware of his place within the world, and within himself.
The final act of discovery does not come until he has reached the Pyramids. It is the point at which all heros think they have already completed their journey, only to come to a startling discovery. At the farthest point of his travel, Santiago is told something by one of the bandits that attack him. He is told that, while his journey was not pointless, it was not moving towards his goal. He spent years moving farther and farther away from himself, rejecting one by one everything the world had to offer him. Then, at the Pyramids of Giza, staring into the blackness of space, he sees that it is the self that will be the source of his happiness. Finally, the hero understands not just the concept of looking inside himself for happiness, but he has realized the reality of it. He is aware, he is trancendant, and he is exactly the same as he was. He returns home, and probably returns to the life of the shepherd. However, he does it not with the self-pity of defeat, but with awareness. Now, as he returns to the old abandoned church, he finds that the church is exactly the same as it was. The only difference is that he knows where to start digging.
I have to agree with Rose and Jim when they point out that Santiago’s journey follows the hero journey by the book. I, too, wish that I could say that Santiago is not a hero… After all, all he does is follow his Personal Legend, and that is expected of each of us. I mean, if I had an old king give me some rocks, I’d probably be a “hero” too.
Santiago is a hero to many because he finds and moves for his destiny. Other people have touched on the idea, or maybe misguided idea, of destiny. Daniel describes it as, “a concept that simultaneously justifies our defeats and robs us of our victories. It comforts us by telling us that it couldn't have been any other way, and that our best was good enough.” Does this sound courageous? No. If you follow the path to your destiny, and let omens make your decisions for you, you will never own up to your mistakes or take credit for the choices in your life. To me, a hero must be courageous. And courageous because they are unapologetically themselves. They may not always make the “right” choices, or do what others expect of them, but they take ownership of their actions. (Maybe this is why it was established that I am a fan of the antihero.) And so in this way, I do not agree that Santiago is a hero, or that anyone who follows the hero journey is automatically so.
In fact, I respected Santiago a lot more when we first met him. He was following the path that he chose of his own free will. Although he had attended seminary and his parents wished him to become a priest, he knew he wanted to travel, and so he became a shepherd instead. To know what you want and go for it because you choose to is so different from going the path that God has blessed you with. Also, Santiago already defied the expectations of others in his choice to become a shepherd. He didn’t need the king to point out to him the importance of being himself, he already knew that. Most importantly, Santiago was more than content. He was happy. I’m not saying that he would continue to be happy for the rest of his life as a shepherd, but I had faith in him that he could choose whenever he wished to be something else. This loss of free will under the influence of the king and the alchemist really is a tragedy. They have stripped Santiago of his ability to choose, brainwashing him with the idea of omens and the pressure of the Soul of the World on him to bend to its greater will.
The concept of destiny is comforting… Kate understands it as, “[destiny] justifies the wrong turns and ensures that where you end up is where you were meant to be.” But I can’t give up my free will for that… I would rather have personal regrets and accomplishments than a sense of duty to a greater “good.” I guess I’m not a hero… or maybe I am the hero and Santiago isn’t.
Santiago's call to adventure appears in the form of a dream, which tells him of a treasure at the Pyramids of Giza. The king, his guide or mentor, then appears and teaches him about the idea of a personal legend and the soul of the world. He makes him more aware of the world around him and his purpose in it. He crosses the threshold when he travels to Africa over the ocean, and begins his journey. Here, as the hero journey predicts, he is robbed of all his mony by the boy he had asked to guide him to the Pyrids, and is then stuck in the same town for the next year.
Santiago learns while working in the crystal shop that he must follow his personal legend so as not to end up like the crystal merchant. It could be argued that the merchant acts as a "magic ehlper" in that he leads Santiago down the right path. Another magic helper is the caravan leader, who teaches him to live in the present and be aware. He then arrives in the desert, where he meets Fatima, his gift, and the Alchemist, who will lead him to the Pyramids.
When Satiago and the Alchemist are stopped by a warring tribe, Santiago is asked to turn himself into the wind in order to prove that he is really an alchemist. He then communes with the desert, the sun, and finally God, and manages this impossible task. From this moment in, Santiago is finally in touch with the soul of the world and his heart. He learns that his treasure is actually in the church in the start of the story, and crosses the thrshold of adventure again to "return to the world". His boon, of couse, is the treasure he finds in the church, and the peace in kowing that his personal legend has been fulfilled.
He now must integrate all the he has learned into his life, in order to live in this state of "hyperconciousness".
The one i was missing:
I’m not sure if this at all an extension of what we were talking about in class but it was sparked by the thought that we should challenge ideas and question things rather than the actual topics of the class discussion. I was pondering this and trying to figure out the textual support for my idea for most of the class period.
I believe that this whole story is a sexual fantasy that Santiago is having. Most likely bisexual, as he shows desire for Fatima as well as a desire to like the Alchemist. I don’t believe that the Alchemist is a particularly homosexual figure in this book but I do believe that Santiago thinks of him in more ways than just a teacher.
On page 62: “The boy… once again had the strange sensation that the old king was nearby.” This strange sensation is an erection in this scene. Santiago desires and longs for the king. The king gave Santiago Urim and Thumim earlier on in the story and here he picks them up and takes them with him when he leaves the crystal seller’s shop. For the time he is with the crystal seller, he polishes the crystal and suggests that they serve tea in the crystal. These are two strong sexual images as well. We all know that there are many different terms that have come about as slang terms for this action but it is undeniable that polishing crystal sounds similar in sexual nature to beating off.
Also on this page, Coelho states: “”When you want to do something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it,” the old king had said.” This statement is the old king’s way of telling Santiago that there is more to his life that just masturbation and that other things can make him happy as well. Later on in the story, Santiago falls in love with Fatima. This is his exploration of his sexuality. By exploring this, he ends up taking his fantasy further than he expects. This leads him to talk to the Alchemist and therefore confront what he had been feeling before but not coming to terms with.
When he is close to leaving the oasis and taking the journey into the desert with the Alchemist, He speaks with him and on page 177 the Alchemist pulls a snake out of a hole. When he withdraws his arm from the hole, Santiago leaps away. “”Watch out for his venom,” the boy said.” In this moment, the Alchemist unveiled his sex organs. Santiago “leapt” back and was shocked as he took a moment to overcome his conformist instinct. He relaxes somewhat after he becomes more comfortable with the situation. The statement:”watch out for his venom,” is another sexual innuendo. The venom is… well, you know what it is.
As a basic part of the story, the physical treasure is his physical sexual pleasure. This is why he attains the treasure in the epilogue. This moment back in the church was probably left out of the story to make it more pleasing to a wider audience. In class Christian’s hating that he attains the physical treasure led me to wonder if the personal legend part of the story is more about choosing what we want to do and doing it than knowing what we are supposed to do and doing. This choice is why Santiago is rewarded at the end with his physical climaxing.
To connect this to our actual class topics, the desert is the “safe space” or area where one can have dreams like this homoerotic one and not be cast out. The desert is where there are tribal wars but they are not over sexual preferences. They are most likely fights over territory or religion; all of which are ridiculous reasons to fight.
Hero Journey
The boy’s Journey parallels with the Journey of the Hero, so does this mean that the boy is in fact a hero?
In my opinion, it’s all about perspective. To some people he may not be seen as a hero but to others he may, depending on where one is in their life. If someone has already achieved their dreams and goals, why should they feel the need to see that another person just like them is a hero? On the other hand, someone like Santiago who is lost before they realize there is something more out there, the boy could indeed be perceived as a hero, someone to look up to.
The first step in the journey is acknowledging the call to explore and adventure. The boy knows there is something out there, beyond his sheep. His gut feeling points him in the direction of a Gypsy that so she could interpret his dreams and desires. She states “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” (12-13). It is up to the boy to understand his dreams, which really means he must understand himself in order to fulfill his journey to the Pyramids and to find his treasure. The second step is finding the guide of mentor. For the boy this starts out being the king who gives him Urim and Thumimim, two stones he can use if he conflicted about a decision. However, the king insists on trying to make you own decisions first and to try to follow the language of omens. With this information the boy is able to cross the ocean, this being the first threshold he overcomes in order to pass into the unconscious state. The trials he must face are many but one that stands out in particular is was his first experience in Africa. The boy thought that he had found another guide but instead it was really a robber taking advantage of the boy’s ignorance and naivety by asking the boy for the money in advance. In some ways this could be seen as another omen, possibly good, because it forces the boy to rely on himself and not on money or other items that hold “value”. After this the stones are what brought him to the conclusion that “he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure” (42). This was the turning point where the boy realizes “there must be a language that doesn’t depend on words...I can learn to understand the world” (43-44).He is receiving the gift of alchemy whether he knows it or not. This is the first step of him following through his journey. It is from here on out that he becomes one where he connects within himself and depends on only himself, not others. The journey continues though because yes he has learned to follow his heart but still hasn’t found how to master the language of the world, the one without words. The point where he emerges and shows his leadership is when he reaches the oasis. The boy receives a message from Allah and senses that danger is present. It is now his duty to confront the chieftains who didn’t trust him but because the boy proved himself and led the fight the tribal chieftain presented him old and asked the boy to become the counselor of the oasis. It’s the advancements made within himself and the personal position he has now ranked himself as that led to the chieftain granting the title of counselor. The boy has emerged into the world as a new person who can see things in different ways. What drove the boy to reach his goal and to follow through with his journey were unknown languages and the drive to master them.
The Hero’s Journey
Santiago is a hero, but this says nothing about his character. According to the king, “…that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie” (18). Santiago’s life follows the worlds greatest lie. The king is part of the boy. He is the confidence within the boy that makes decisions for him. Santiago believes in “Maktub”, showing that he believes that his life has already been decided for him. He favors fate over free will. He lets his life be controlled by fate. He always needs guidance when making the initiative to go after his personal legend. I believe a hero is one who acts out of fate, not freewill. The brave act out of freewill. Heroes are men of action because they act on what they believe is morally right, but this is only because they want to be recognized for doing so. The actions they carry out may be altered if it were not for an audience. This is why they are admired. One does not have to be a hero to be righteous and morally courageous. The reason they are not heroes is because they are not recognized as widely as heroes are. Heroes are not always as innocent as they are seen. They are characterized as heroes because of their image and reputation. “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing,” (Abraham Lincoln). Assumptions are sometimes made about the character of heroes based on their reputation, but these are two very different things. The title of hero is based on reputation. Often in this world the people of a high level of character are not seen as heroes because they are humble. They do not boast their charisma because they do not need to. It is what people do when no one is looking that show their true character. It is what heroes do when everyone is looking that makes them heroes. The characterization of hero gives people’s character credit that they do not deserve. Santiago is a hero because his actions are made when everyone is looking. When the tribe members see him talk to the sky towards the end of the story, they admire him without knowing anything about him. Although Santiago is a hero, I am unsure of his character. He needed help in finding his personal legend and depended on the other characters to reach his goal. The people who admire him do not see what he does when no one is looking. He nearly quits on his journey after he is robbed when he crosses the African border.
Often in world literature, the dictionary can be as good an instructor as the literature we read. A definition of hero that intrigued me was… “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” Although Santiago did not act out of courage, he acted out of ability and he is admired. He had the ability to be an alchemist throughout the story; he just needed help to find the confidence to show his ability.
Sorry for being so late....
Dylan Martini
Santiago’s travels are that of a hero. He’s pursuing something that will ultimately determine him. He follows exactly what is described in the Hero Journey. The old man is the mentor that first guides the boy and leads him in the direction of following his Personal Legend. The boy already feels a desire to pursue something greater than being a shepard. He crosses the threshold when he starts on his journey across the desert and starts opening himself up to the desert. When he realizes that there is a universal language is, I think, when he mentally crosses that threshold. All the experiences that he has along the way, good and bad, are the trials that a hero must face. He comes face to face with love and has to leave it behind him in order to continue in pursuit of his Personal Legend. When Santiago meets the alchemist he’s discovered his magical helper and is beginning the process of understanding what he needs to be able to realize his Personal Legend. When the boy is at the pyramids alone and gets “mugged” by the robbers, it’s his return to the world. The attacker that tells him about the dream that he had and how he didn’t try to find the treasure he dreamt show Santiago what he needs to know. He returns to the world because he realizes that his treasure was where he had been before, it’s something that he’s ‘always had with him.’ The concious/ unconsious aspect of the Hero Journey is also very prevalent in Santiago’s travels. While Santiago is learning what h does from the alchemist he is unaware that he is actually learning something useful and something that will help him realize his Personal Legend and find him his treasure. He becomes concious when he finally realizes where his treasure is and understands how all the pieces the alchemist gave him fit together.
sorry it's late.
Post a Comment