The Alchemist is a story of a young man who leaves his life as a Spanish shepherd after a vision he had tells him to go the pyramids to seek a treasure. Encouraged by an old, wise king and directed by omens, he sets out on his way to seek his "personal legend." He encounters problems along the way, but perseveres until he reaches the pyramids and eventually finds his treasure close to home.On the surface, it seems the message of the book is to seek out our own personal legends. The journey toward our dream may be fraught with dangers and discouragement, but it is worth it. Yet, there seemed to be an underlying theme of "living in the present." One of my favorite quotes was from a seer that the boy sees, wanting him to tell him the future. "If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise," said the seer. "If bad things are, and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur." ... "The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And if you improve the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity." Eventually the boy learns that his treasure was closer when he was home tending sheep than to the pyramids. This message seems somewhat conflicting. Was the boy living in the present by selling his sheep and heading to the pyramids or was he focused on some future thing? Could he have discovered the treasure by staying closer to home? Of course, along the way he learned many things and found his love, so the journey itself was a big part of his life after the treasure was obtained.
I am a little conflicted about seeking our own personal legends as well. I firmly believe God has a plan for his children and that when we have decisions about our life to make, that God cares and will help us make the best decision. That being said, I also believe He wants us to "do many things of [our] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness." (source) And I don't know if there is one thing that we are "supposed" to accomplish. If there is, I haven't figured it out for myself yet. Is there something I am missing? Is there a risk I am not taking, that I should? You could say that being a mother is my personal legend, but then, that is not something that you mark off of a life to-do list and then move on to something else, like the shepherd boy could do.
Overall, I liked to book. It was interesting, and it definitely didn't end like I thought it would. In some ways I felt that the story was incomplete. I found myself wanting more about his life after the treasure, and why it was called "The Alchemist." Perhaps I am missing something. It will be one that I go back and reread in the future.
Have you read "The Alchemist"? What did you think?
6 comments:
We missed you last night! I wish I could post the whole discussion here for you but I won't. I liked the book, too, and I agree with your take on the Personal Legend, a lot of us couldn't think of one specific thing that we would consider our own Personal Legend. We did have a little discussion about the whole selfish side of it - the idea that pursuing your own Personal Legend is the most important thing and all other things, like career (he left his sheep) and family (Fatima), can and should be put on the back burner. Is that justifiable? What are your thoughts?
That is interesting and I thought a similar thing. Perhaps not everyone's personal legend is as selfish as Santiago's. For instance, maybe my personal legend is being a mother, and that is very unselfish. But then, that is not really one thing that you can just accomplish and say that it is done.
The themes I took from the book to apply to my own life were to enjoy the journey and not just focus on the destination. And that throughout the journey, the experiences you have during that time shape your character and who you are. So, ultimately, the journey really is just as important as the end goal.
Sara M, those were the themes I thought were applicable to me too. I liked the book, but I thought it was a little too simplistic.
So, I was just thinking (and it is possibly far fetched and only crossing my mind because it's Sunday)that we could apply this story kind of like Abraham's story. Sara M. mentioned in our discussion that she thought of the Holy Ghost's influence while listening to the story. So I am thinking that Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son (I guess he wouldn't call it his personal legend), so he went on that journey and though in the end he didn't have to actually fulfill that sacrifice his son, he had learned who he was able to become and the potential and qualities that would shape him in the end. I think we are all in a search of a treasure and that is reaching our potential with our heavenly given gifts/ attributes. In Santiago's case: learning the language of the world, alchemy... I think you might understand my view on this. I hadn't thought of it until now. Oh and, Santiago may have gone back to his ways of being a shepherd only he added more qualities to himself and acknowledging all that has been given to us. This reminds me of the story Pr. Uchtdorf told about the guy on the cruise (you should watch the mormon messages video). Okay, I am done! :)
Interesting, Andrea. I remember that story P Uchtdorf told. It is a shame to go through life and not realize all the blessings available to us. Santiago was willing to not only go out on his journey but noticed all he gained from the journey besides just the treasure at the end.
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