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A discussion
Posted: 20 Apr 2020, 12:56
by iheartyte
Hello everyone, I was recently sitting down at my book club reading The Alchemist, when discussing the book my friend brought up that she was once asked to prove that the title character of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is Santiago and not the alchemist who lives in the oasis. None of us have a clear certain answer hopefully you guys can help. Thank you
Re: A discussion
Posted: 28 Apr 2020, 02:29
by Liz Alice
Most books having a character's name in the tittle is named after the protagonist. Jane Eyre, Emma, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Anna Karenina, Matilda, Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, etc are a few examples.
Santiago is the protagonist, but for some reason Paulo Coelho doesn't place any emphasis on the name, since it's mentioned only once in the entire book. Hence, The Alchemist. Santiago also transforms himself literally into the wind. I think it's about the one who is becoming an alchemist and not the one who is already an alchemist.
Re: A discussion
Posted: 23 May 2020, 06:28
by Barbie_sidhu
I have read Adultery by Paulo Coelho and it gave an insight to the human mind. Learned a lot from it and now looking forward to read The Alchemist.
Re: A discussion
Posted: 18 Nov 2020, 17:33
by Bigwig1973
I think it could be interpreted many different ways and perhaps that it what the author intended. Perhaps the hesitancy to make the notion of the identity of the alchemist a concrete concept in the reader's mind somehow mirrors the magical nature of an alchemist. Like a magic trick - once you know how it works it seems less magical, they say.
Re: A discussion
Posted: 27 Jul 2021, 12:56
by Linda S 1
I think Santiago is the protagonist and the title is apt because he becomes an Alchemist. He learns to listen to the Universe and also he transforms his body into wind which indicates that Santiago is indeed an Alchemist.
Re: A discussion
Posted: 12 Mar 2022, 00:06
by AlphariusRE
Santiago might not be an alchemist in the start, but he goes on to become one later on in the book. So I feel, the title is very much justified.
Re: A discussion
Posted: 21 Mar 2022, 14:13
by Samuel Mamo
Why would he give the title for the nonmajor character? It is of course Santiago–the alchemist.
Re: A discussion
Posted: 25 May 2022, 08:19
by Anuvamsha S A
Yeah, I felt it too. Santiago becomes an Alchemist later that's how it is I think.
Re: A discussion
Posted: 16 Aug 2022, 10:56
by fire_spice
Liz Alice wrote: ↑28 Apr 2020, 02:29
Most books having a character's name in the tittle is named after the protagonist. Jane Eyre, Emma, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Anna Karenina, Matilda, Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, etc are a few examples.
Santiago is the protagonist, but for some reason Paulo Coelho doesn't place any emphasis on the name, since it's mentioned only once in the entire book. Hence, The Alchemist. Santiago also transforms himself literally into the wind. I think it's about the one who is becoming an alchemist and not the one who is already an alchemist.
I agree that it is about alchemists in general. I think it's about both the one becoming an alchemist and the one who is already an alchemist. There's something to be learned from both.
Re: A discussion
Posted: 16 Aug 2022, 10:58
by fire_spice
Ultimately it's about the meaning of an alchemist altogether. We are all curious about this at the start of the book and by the end we all acquire a deep understanding of this.
Re: A discussion
Posted: 01 Dec 2022, 01:51
by Victoria Elizabeth Apili
iheartyte wrote: ↑20 Apr 2020, 12:56
Hello everyone, I was recently sitting down at my book club reading The Alchemist, when discussing the book my friend brought up that she was once asked to prove that the title character of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is Santiago and not the alchemist who lives in the oasis. None of us have a clear certain answer hopefully you guys can help. Thank you
I don't think there is a character who is solely marked out as the alchemist. I think the title of the book is meant to define and describe who the alchemist is. To talk about everything that concerns the alchemist. In a way I feel that all who understand the message of the book become the alchemist. But that's just my view!
Re: A discussion
Posted: 23 Dec 2022, 01:23
by Sarah Sonbol
Of course he meant Santiago by the alchemist. It is hard to believe that he meant the other alchemist who was not the main character in the book.
Re: A discussion
Posted: 23 Dec 2022, 01:30
by Hazel Mae Bagarinao
Words that I heard in the Alchemist, and I love it is, "When you want something, all the universe conspires to help to achieve it". So nice! And it's true!
Re: A discussion
Posted: 28 Dec 2022, 06:54
by Alexandria Sarai Mitchell
The protagonist is indeed Santiago, but I think the reason the book is titled The Alchemist is because, that is the culmination of the book. All the roads Santiago took eventually led him to the Alchemist, who when we scrutinize it further, we will see was always present throughout the journey. But ultimately, Santiago finally learns his biggest lesson in life after meeting the alchemist in the desert