Personal Legend in The Alchemist: Embracing Destiny

Introduction

Urim and Thummim falling out of Santiago’s pocket show the force pushing him to make his own decisions. Although Melchizedek gives these stones to Santiago, the true meaning of them is not solely in their physical presence. Rather, they symbolize the constant guidance Santiago receives from the universe. Santiago must keep these stones as a reminder to embrace his personal legend in The Alchemist, resist the allure of external forces, and take ownership of his journey.

Personal Legend in The Alchemist

In the Islam religion Allah writes one’s destiny and whatever we experience occurs because it is meant to be. This is called “maktub” meaning “it is written” (Coelho 61). Maktub comes up multiple times in The Alchemist and relieves Santiago and other characters of the stressful decisions they are faced with due to their belief that everything is already written for them. Traveling through the desert, Santiago becomes friendly with the camel driver who has ridden alongside Santiago. The driver tells Santiago stories of his own life struggles and of his newfound trust in the world. “We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions and 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 79). In this quote, the camel driver expresses to Santiago that he should not be afraid of death or losing possessions and property. If one lives in the moment and without fear, one will realize the fear vanishes.

The history of the Jewish religion began when God promised a man named Abraham that one day he would be the leader of great people if he obeyed the rules of God. Much like Santiago, Abraham had a guiding force making him reach his goal. In the Bible, God speaks to Abraham telling him to obey his instructions and leave the city of Haran eventually making it to Egypt. “Melchizedek....blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abraham by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’” (Genesis 14:17-20). This quote from Melchizedek shows the resemblance between the blessing for Abraham and the blessing for Santiago. Santiago’s dream of being transported to the pyramids of Egypt and God speaking to Abraham was the ultimate push to start their own journeys. Both are unsure of where this journey will lead them but the messages sent are worth the sacrifice of leaving home.

Conclusion

Andalusia, Spain is where Santiago’s story ends. Santiago’s story was one of passion to find himself instead of diving deep into the hole of temptation. Coelho uses characters like Melchizedek, King of Salem, to get messages through to Santiago. Being the “King of Salem” in the Bible forces the reader to realize the importance of Melchizedeks words. Without Biblical allusions like the ones of Melchizedek Urim and Thummim, Maktub, and Abraham The Alchemist would lose the sacred nature. These allusions create life lessons that the reader is able to think about throughout the entire novel. All humans relate to the story of Santiago because everyone is in search of a deeper meaning to their life and in order to do that one must listen to their heart. The way Santiago pushes through the obstacles in his journey shows his will to fight for his Personal Legend. Through this, Santiago learns to appreciate that life is as much about the experience as the search of religion, wisdom, and fulfillment. All in all, The Alchemist teaches the reader that there will be multiple sacrifices in order to reach not only your Personal Legend but the Soul of the World.   

References

1. Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist. HarperOne, 2014.