TEMPLATE FOR LITERARY WORK PRESENTATION

PRESENTED BY JULLIE DAY P. TROZO

COURSE AND YEAR BEED –II
LITERARY ANALYSIS
PART 1 BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE LITERARY WORK
TITLE

THE ALCHEMIST
(Novel)

DATE OF ITS ORIGINAL  The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimist) was first

PUBLICATION published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it
became a widely translated international best seller 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.
GENRE  Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction
AUTHOR’S NAME  Paulo Coelho
BASIC BACKGROUND OF THE  Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian author. When Coelho was 38
AUTHOR years old, he had a spiritual awakening in Spain and wrote
about it in his first book, The Pilgrimage. It was his second
book, The Alchemist, which made him famous. He’s sold 35
million copies and now writes about one book every two
years.
 Known For: Brazilian writer/novelist
 Born: August 24, 1947 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 Parents: Lygia Araripe Coelho de Souza, Pedro Queima
Coelho de Souza
 Spouse: Christina Oiticica
 Published Works: "The Pilgrimage," "The Alchemist,"
"Brida," "The Valkyries," "By the River Piedra I Sat Down
and Wept," "The Fifth Mountain," "Veronika Decides to Die,"
"The Devil and Miss Prym," "The Witch of Portobello,"
"Aleph," "Adultery," "Hippie"
 Awards and Honors: United Kingdom’s 2004 Nielsen Gold
Book Award, France’s Grand Prix Litteraire Elle in 1995,
Germany’s 2002 Corine International Award for fiction
 Notable Quote: “And, when you want something, all the
 universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ("The
Alchemist")
BACKGROUND OF THE LITERARY  Coelho wrote The Alchemist in only two weeks in 1987. He
WORK explained that he was able to write at this pace because the
story was "already written in his soul."The book's main
theme is about finding one's destiny, although according to
The New York Times, The Alchemist is "more self-help
than literature".
 The Alchemist tells the story of a young shepherd named
Santiago who is able to find a treasure beyond his wildest
dreams. Along the way, he learns to listen to his heart and,
more importantly, realizes that his dreams, or his Personal
Legend, are not just his but part of the Soul of the Universe.
LIST CHARACTERS (STARTING  Santiago
FROM CENTRAL CHARACTERS Santiago is the protagonist of the The Alchemist. Born in a
TO OTHER CHARACTERS) WITH small town in Andalusia, Santiago attends the seminary as
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EACH a boy but longs to travel the world. He finally gets the
(BULLETED FORM) courage to ask his father's permission to become a
shepherd so that he can travel the fields of Andalusia.
 Melchizedek
Melchizedek is the king of Salem, a mysterious far-off land.
Melchizedek appears to Santiago in the town square of
Tarifa, where he tells Santiago about the Soul of the World
and his Personal Legend for the first time. Melchizedek
always appears to people who are trying to live their
Personal Legend, even if they don't know it. While he
appears at first to be dressed in common Arab dress, at
one point he pulls aside his cloak to reveal a gold
breastplate encrusted with precious stones. He also gives
Santiago the magical stones Urim and Thummim.
 The Englishman
Santiago meets the Englishman on the caravan to Al-
Fayoum. The Englishman is trying to become a great
alchemist and is traveling to Al-Fayoum to study with a
famous alchemist who is rumored to be over 200 years old
and to have the ability to turn any metal into gold. Santiago
learns much about alchemy from the Englishman, who
lends Santiago his books while they travel across the
Sahara.
 Fatima
A beautiful girl who lives at the Al-Fayoum oasis. Santiago
falls in love with her at the well there. He and Fatima talk
everyday for several weeks, and finally he asks her to
marry him. Fatima, however, insists that he seek out his
Personal Legend before they marry. This perplexes
Santiago, but the Alchemist teaches him that true love
 never gets in the way of one's Personal Legend. If it does,
then it is not true love.

 The Alchemist
Very powerful alchemist who lives at the Al-Fayoum oasis
in Egypt. Initially, Santiago hears about him through the
Englishman, but eventually Santiago reveals himself to be
the Alchemist's true disciple. The Alchemist dresses in all
black and uses a falcon to hunt for game. The Alchemist is
also in possession of the Elixir of Life and the Philosopher's
Stone.
 The Shopkeeper
Gives Santiago a job in Tangiers after he has been robbed.
Santiago takes the job at the crystal shop and learns much
about the shopkeeper's attitude toward life and the
importance of dreaming. The shopkeeper, while generally
afraid to take risks, is a very kind man and understands
Santiago's quest - sometimes more than Santiago himself.
This is the case when the shopkeeper tells Santiago that he
will not return to Spain, since it it is not his fate.
 The Gypsy Woman
She is the first one Santiago consults about his dream. She
is mysterious and yet religious as can be attested by the
Sacred Heart of Jesus picture on her wall. She tells
Santiago that because it was a child who took his hands in
the dream and led him to the pyramids, he must go.
However, before she tells him anything, she makes him
promise that he will give her one-tenth if he finds his
treasure. He eventually brings her the price, because he is
honorable and he has promised.
 The Old King
He is the second to help Santiago and gives him the stones
named Urim and Thummim. He also advises Santiago to
never stop dreaming and follow the omens. His name is
Melchizedek and he is a Biblical figure who had once
helped Abraham on behalf of God. He is sometimes
believed to be Jesus Christ.
 The Crystal Merchant
He is a man for whom Santiago begins to work and who
profits from the boy’s aptitude in improving sales. He
teaches Santiago how important it is to follow through and
not give up on his dream. His dream had been to travel to
Mecca on a pilgrimage, but because he never does, he’s
afraid that the reality will destroy the dream and so he never
goes. His sense of regret encourages Santiago to take what
he has earned there and buy a ticket to Tangier.
  The Camel Driver
Santiago meets him on the caravan journey to the oasis
and from him learns all about the importance of the present.
He had lost everything to the flooding of the Nile, but now
he is content to work as a camel driver and take one day at
a time.
 The Tribal Chieftain
He demands that Santiago turn himself into the wind and in
the process, discovers that the boy has seen the glory of
God.

A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE Andalusia The story begins in an area of southern Spain called
SETTING Andalusia. This is where the main protagonist, Santiago, is from. It
shows how this area is where he travels with his sheep as a
shepherd. Also he uses the surrounding towns and villages for his
main area of
commerce for his
sheep products.
Inside of this
region it mentions
a church in a rural
area where he
visits to sleep and
later he will
accomplish one of
the major feats of the
story here. The region is also very lush and fertile for grass, which
makes a good habitat for his sheep. Overall Andalusia is a setting
that is briefly mentioned but takes a big role in the plot of the story.

Tarifa This town is a merchant town in the Andalusian region

where Santiago goes to sell his wool. Here he meets a merchant
who has a daughter that Santiago takes an interest in This small
city makes a huge impact in the story as there is an old man who
changes Santiago’s outlook on life and makes him strive to
achieve his personal legend. Then Santiago is sent out on a ship
to arrive at the next setting in the book, Morocco.

Tangier Tangier is the port town where Santiago gets off his
boat. He makes some mistakes here because of his lack of
experience with people in the world. He loses all of his money to a
thief and is left with nothing. Due to this he is lead to find work
which happens at a crystal shop to raise the funds he needs to
 accomplish his personal legend by traveling to the pyramids in
Egypt. This shop plays a large role in how Santiago looks out on
life and how he accomplishes his personal legend. Once he
receives the money that he needs to get to Egypt he leaves to go
to travel the Saharan desert.

The Saharan Desert is a setting that is mentioned frequently

in the story. This place is where Santiago travels to get to Egypt.
With his caravan he meetes new people along the way. The desert
is a very quite lonesome and hot place (page 63). When the
caravan is endangered by armies they go to our next destination
the oasis.

The Oasis is a vital

setting to the Alchemist. Here he meets the Alchemist and Fatima.
Also he becomes very popular and successful. The oasis is a
retreat from the desert and is supposed to be a safe haven from
war. There are many palm trees yet because it is in the desert the
heat is still in escapable. Once Santiago leaves the oasis he
heads back to the desert and to the final new setting of the book,
the pyramids.
The pyramids Once Santiago reaches the pyramids we realize
that they are nothing different from the desert. He is only there for
a short amount of time, one night and one morning, so we do not
get a full description of the area; although it is mentioned that
there is sand and not much else. After this he returns back to the
beginning setting of Andalusia.

POINT OF VIEW  The book of The Alchemist was written in 3rd person
omniscient point of view, which means that the author is not
in the story and knows what all of the characters are
thinking. This effected how we understood the story by not
only being able to know what the main character, Santiago,
is thinking, but what other characters like the englishman
and the alchemist are thinking. It also gives us a deeper
understanding into what is actually happening, rather then
what the main character thinks is happening. If the book
had been written in first person, the readers may have

PLOT (A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE
MAIN EVENTS OF THE STORY,
GIVEN IN CHRONOLOGICAL
ORDER)
gotten a better look into Santiago's thought while he was
going through struggles like the time his money was stolen
by his "friend".
 The Alchemist tells the story of a young shepherd named
Santiago who is able to find a treasure beyond his wildest
dreams. Along the way, he learns to listen to his heart and,
more importantly, realizes that his dreams, or his Personal
Legend, are not just his but part of the Soul of the Universe.
 Santiago is a humble shepherd whose desires are few–he
wants to be free to roam with his sheep, to have some wine
in his wineskin and a book in his bag. Fate intervenes,
however, in the form of the recurring dream of a great
treasure hidden thousands of miles away at the base of the
Egyptian Pyramids. When Santiago meets Melchizedek, a
strange wise man who claims he is a king from a far-off
land, he decides to seek his treasure. The next day,
Santiago sells his sheep and embarks to Africa to pursue
his dream.
 Upon arriving in Africa, though, it becomes apparent that
things will not be as easy as he thought. The first day
Santiago is in Tangiers, he is robbed and left completely
alone, unable to speak a single word of Arabic. At first
Santiago contemplates giving up and turning around. He
remembers the words of the wise man, though, and decides
to carry on–getting a job at a local crystal shop. After
working at the crystal shop for a year, learning much about
life and about his Personal Legend, Santiago earns enough
money to buy a new flock of sheep and return home. At the
last minute, though, Santiago decides to risk it all and join a
caravan to Egypt.
 Once in the caravan, Santiago meets an Englishman who
has come all the way to Africa to seek a renowned
alchemist. As they travel through the desert, the
Englishman tells Santiago about the secrets of alchemy.
Santiago finds the Englishman's ideas to be very similar to
Melchizedek's. They both speak of a Soul of the World to
which we are all connected and of the necessity of following
our heart's true desires or our Personal Legend. Santiago,
however, prefers to learn these secrets by observing the
world, while the Englishman prefers to learn from complex
books. While they travel, they begin to hear rumors of a
coming tribal war.
 When they finally arrive at the Al-Fayoum oasis–the home
of the titular Alchemist–Santiago meets a beautiful girl
named Fatima with whom he immediately falls in love. He

PART II
LITERARY STYLE USED (INCLUDE
BRIEF ILLUSTRATIVE
INDICATIONS FROM THE STORY
discovers that love, like the Personal Legend, comes
directly from the Soul of the World. While walking in the
desert, Santiago has a vision of an upcoming battle. He
rushes back to warn the elders at the oasis and, when his
vision is confirmed, they offer him a position as a counselor.
Santiago considers staying at the oasis with Fatima, but the
Alchemist finds Santiago and tells him that he will lead
Santiago to his treasure.
 Once again on the move, the Alchemist teaches Santiago
to listen to his heart. Hearts can be treacherous, but the
best way to keep them from fooling you is to listen to them
intently. Almost to the pyramids, Santiago and the
Alchemist are taken prisoner by a warring tribe. The
Alchemist tells the tribesmen that Santiago is a powerful
magician who can turn himself into the wind. The tribesmen
are impressed and will spare the lives of the men if
Santiago can do it. The only problem is that Santiago has
no idea what he is doing. After three days of meditating,
Santiago uses his knowledge of the Soul of the World to
ask the elements to help him. First he asks the desert, then
he asks the wind, then he asks the sun and, finally, he asks
the Soul of the World. Immediately, the wind whips up, and
Santiago disappears and reappears on the other side of the
camp.
 The Alchemist takes his leave of Santiago, who continues
on to the Pyramids. Once there, Santiago is attacked by
robbers. Asked what he is doing there, Santiago replies that
he had a dream of a treasure buried at the base of the
Pyramids. One of the robbers laughs at him, and says that
he has had the exact same dream, except that in his the
treasure was buried in Spain. Santiago realizes that the
treasure was back in Spain the entire time.
The story then jumps forward in time and finds Santiago
digging a hole at the base of the tree where he had had his
first dream. Sure enough, he finds a trunk full of gold–
enough for him and Fatima to live happily for a long time.
DEEPER INTERPRETATION OF THE LITERARY WORK
 Paulo Coelho's writing style in The Alchemist is allegorical
and has used a third person mode of narration. The novel
is basically a symbolic parable emphasizing on the
importance following one's dreams. As in many of Paulo
Coelho's other books, this novel also has an element of

THE STORY’S MAIN THEME (ONE
SENTENCE ONLY)
CONECTION OF THE LITERARY
WORK TO THE CULTURAL
CONTEXT
CONNECTION OF THE LITERARY
WORK TO THE HISTORYCAL
CONTEXT
EVALUATION OF THE STORY AS A
WHOLE (YOUR PERSONAL VIEW)
philosophy and mysticism in it.
 Always follow your dreams and listen to your heart.
 Though the beginning of the plot is set in Spain, the major
part of the story takes place in the northern deserts of
Africa. The story takes us through different cultures and
beliefs. Characters in the story are superstitious and believe
in omens and predict the future upon their occurrence.
 As a contemporary novel, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist
responds to the concerns of a generation growing up in an
age of rapidly advancing technology and globalization.
Published during continued international Cold War tensions
in the late 1980s, the novel deals directly with themes of
fear and control. The Cold War between the US and the
USSR prominently and publically featured massive military
technological advancements, and nuclear warfare was a
real possibility.
 Coelho’s novel directly cautions against letting fear
overpower one’s individual life decisions. The novel also
strongly advocates for the power of the individual to take
charge of his future. This message has impacted people
across cultures in a generation when international exposure
to the horrors of the world has paralyzed many people. In
addition to this contemporary context, The Alchemist also
responds to a much older history in terms of the role of
religion and spirituality in the novel.
 The story was inspired by Coelho’s pilgrimage on the
Camino de Santiago, a route of pilgrimage that became
popular in the Middle Ages, leading travelers to a shrine for
the apostle James in Northwestern Spain. The parallel
between this journey and Santiago’s quest in the novel is
clear, as Santiago’s route also features Spain and
emphasizes the spiritual development acquired by pilgrims
along the journey. Coelho’s Catholic background influenced
his understanding of religion, but he departs from strict
Christian terminology in his novel, instead using terms such
as “The Soul of The World” to refer to a spiritual force
connecting all of creation.
 The alchemist is an enticing and inspiring novel filled with
optimism. The novel instills in us a belief that anything is
possible if only you could have the courage to believe in
your dreams and pursue it. All of us can identify with
Santiago because all of us have dreams and would have
had momentary fears of failing to achieving them. I
personally feel you have to be in a reflective mood to enjoy
the book. If you are feeling cynical or expecting too much,
 you might not like it. More over the story has so many
different layers and depths to it, that you might not get a full
grasp of the book in the first read itself. All the same, the
Alchemist is a combination of philosophy and wisdom
making it on the whole an inspiring read.

References
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 "The Alchemist > Editions". Goodreads. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
 The Alchemist, HarperCollins paperback, 1998, p.21
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January 27, 2012.
 Cowles, Gregory (October 8, 2009). "Inside the List". The New York Times.
Retrieved January 28, 2012.
 Flanagan, Mark. "The Alchemist".
 Retrieved 2019-05-16.
 "Interview with Paulo Coelho". Goodreads.com. March 2008. Retrieved January
27, 2012.
 ""O Alquimista" vira filme de Hollywood - Cultura". Estadão.
 Itzkoff, David (July 6, 2010). "Graphic Novel of 'The Alchemist': Words Into
Pictures". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
 Gardner, Lyn (January 11, 2002). "The Alchemist, London" – via
www.theguardian.com.
 "The Alchemist".
 "I saw the Bhagvad Gita in The Alchemist: Ashvin Gidwani". mid-day. April 18,
2009.
 Walter Taieb (February 1, 2017). "The Alchemist's Symphony". Retrieved
December 12, 2017 – via YouTube.
 Schweitzer, Vivien (September 15, 2009). "Inspiration From Bjork, 'The
Alchemist' and the Sea". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2012