Kuper Academy

Free Will - The Alchemist Literary Response

Qianlang(Frankie) Xun

Mr. Dixon

English 211

Oct. 18th
 According to Paul Coelho, “You buy into the world's greatest lie the moment you agree

to

obey rules that are not your rules” (citation?). This quote describes the fact that many people can

not make decisions for themselves. They are controlled by others, and do not have free will. Free

will is defined by Merriam-Webster as the “freedom of humans to make choices that are not

determined by prior causes or by divine intervention” (“Free will” Not the proper way tp cite an

online dictionary). In other words, free will is the ability to make one’s own rules. Free will and

the lack of free will is a theme in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume,

and the movie The Minority Report by Steven Spielberg Would help to describe how. The theme

of free will, and the lack of free will, is expressed through the character Melchizedek in The

Alchemist, the character Davey’s mother within Judy Blume’s Tiger Eyes, and the protagonist

John Anderton in Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report.

To begin, in The Alchemist, Melchizedek is a symbol of free will Not quite, his actions

can occasionally symbolize free will. Melchizedek is a

God-like character in The Alchemist and he guides people to their personal legends. Santiago is

the protagonist of the novel. Melchizedek tells Santiago about the world’s greatest lie, which is

the idea that people are not in control of their own destiny. Melchizedek proves this when he is

talking to Santiago about the book that Santiago is reading. He, he says “It’s this: that at a certain

point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by

fate” (Coelho 20). When Santiago meets an obstacle and wants to move on from his dream, he

would remember Melchizedek, and it reminds him that he is in control. Pursuing one’s dream is

one’s only obligation, but one can choose whether to work for it or not. The crystal merchant

chooses not toto not follow his dream because he is afraid that he would be lost afterfor having
achieved his dream. This is proven by the crystal merchant himself who, he says, “Because it’s

the thought of Mecca that keeps me alive. That’s what helps me face these days that are all the

same [...] I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living” (Coelho

57). The crystal merchant’s dream is to travel to Mecca, but he decides not to do so because he is

afraid of being lost after achieving his goal repetitive. Since Melchizedek is a shapeshifter, the

crystal merchant could be an example of Melchizedek trying to help Santiago. He could

transform into the Crystal merchant, to make Santiago realize that one’s life is controlled by

one’s self. However, in some places, the characters lack free will. For example, people’s

personal legend is written, decided, and we do not have control over what our personal legend is

unclear. Yet, it is up to one’s self to decide how to achieve it. People can change their own future

because they are in control. In contrast, the free will in Tiger Eyes is being free from authority.

Next, in Tiger Eyes the theme of free will is demonstrated by Davey’s mother. Davey is

the narrator and the protagonist of the novel. Walter is Davey’s uncle. At the beginning of the

novel, the readers are informed that Davey’s father has died from a robbery, and Davey’s family

has gone to her aunt and uncle’s house to take a break. For everyone in the family, this is a big

shock. When the family moves in, Walter feels that he should be in control and take care of

them, and he wants to decide for the family. The family is still struggling with the death of her

father, and they need time to move on. Davey’s mother listens to Walter, and lets him decide

everything. Walter tries to control Davey's life, and Davey does not have free will. Nor so does

her mother. For example, during an argument between Walter and Davey, Davey says to her

mother, “‘Can’t you think for yourself anymore? Do you have to let them decide everything?’”

(Blume 162). In this quote, Davey is mad because Walter and Bitsy do not let her go toet a

driver’s educationEd, and her mother tells her to listen to Walter. In other words, Davey is angry
because her mother is losing her free will, and her mother is controlled by Walter. Furthermore,

the free will in Tiger eyes is quite different from the free will in The Alchemist. In The Alchemist,

free will is being free from the destiny that is caused by divine intervention. In contrast, Tiger

Eyes explains free will as being free from authority. Nevertheless, both ideas argue that people

should be in control of themselves. Walter thinks that he is helping the family, but actually,

Davey’s mom should decide for herself because that is the only way for them to be happy. At the

end of the novel, Davey’s mother gains back her free will back, and has her own opinion. For

example, she decides to go back to Atlantic City, and she is not easily convinced by Walter and

Bitsy. She says to Walter and Bitsy, “We’re going home. We’re going home to Atlantic City. [...]

I can’t let safety and security become the focus of my life” (Blume 214-215). In this quote,

Davey’s mother is very certain that they will be going home, and is not convinced by Walter and

Bitsy. She has her free will back. Free will is also an important theme in the movie The Minority

Report.

Lastly, In Steven Spielberg’s movie The Minority Report, John Anderton takes control

ofver his own future. John Anderton is a police officer in the Precrime police department, and he

prevents crime before it happens because they can know recent future crimes through three

people who can predict the future. One day, the system predicts that Anderton will commit a

crime, and it is not a mistake. Through a series of adventures, Anderton finds out that a man

called Leo Crow killed his son. He wants to kill Crow, and that is also the future that is

predicted. However, at the very last moment that he is going to pull the trigger, he decides to let

Crow live, and free will comes into place. It looked like Anderton’s future had been decided

already, and it was his fate to meet this person, find out about his son, and kill the person.

However, he decides to use his own free will and decides to not kill Crow. Also, one of the
people that can predict the future is called Agatha, and she tells Anderton to choose not to kill

Crow. For example, she says, “But you still have a choice. The others never had a chance to see

their future. You did” (Spielberg). In this quote, Agatha tells Anderton that he has a choice: to

kill this man, as predicted, or to choose not to kill him. Throughout the movie, Agatha repeats to

Anderton “Anderton, you can choose... You can choose” (Spielberg) multiple times because she

wants to emphasize the free will that one has over one’s life. Anderton understands that he

should not carry hatred from the past to the present, and he knows that he should move on.

Therefore, with his own logic and his own sense of morals, he can choose his future. The whole

world has believed in predestination for many years, the fact that people’s lives are controlled by

fate, and Anderson’s decision of not killing Crow proves that people have free will.

In conclusion, everyone should be in control of their lives and have free will Need to re-

state your thesis. First, in The Alchemist, Santiago has free will by deciding to follow his dream,

and not giving up. Second, in Tiger Eyes, Davey lacks free will because Walter tries to control

Davey, and Davey struggles against her authority. Third, in Minority Report, John Anderson has

free will because he decides to let Crow live and let go of his hatred. At Paulo Coelho’s early

age, he experienced his own struggles with authority. His parents wanted to control his future,

and this made him realize he could express his free will. Although both The Alchemist and

Minority Report state that predetermination and free will exist at the same time., However,but in

real life, is there a predetermined fate that affects people’s lives, or is real life closer to the life

described in Tiger Eyes?

Great work Frankie. There tends to be more synopsis than necessary, and it would have been
good to focus on the analysis of your argument, but your argument is smart, and well written. It
is well ordered and logical. There are some minor issues with grammar and sentence structure,
but overall, this is a great response. Well done!
 Works Cited

4)Winfrey, Oprah. “Oprah Talks to Paulo Coelho: Learns the Secret to Paulo Coelho's Timeless
Wisdom” http://www.oprah.com/inspiration/oprah-talks-to-the-alchemist-author-pau
lo-coelho/all. Accessed on 15 October 2020.

2)Coehlo, Paulo. The Alchemist. 1988. HarperCollins Publishers, 2014.

1)Blume, Judy. Tiger Eyes. 1981. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2014.

3)Minority Report. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Performance by Tom Cruise, Samantha

Morton,
and Colin Farrell. 20th Century Fox, 2002.

Needs to be in alphabetical order