Abstract:
Existentialism is a fascinating exploration of the human condition, delving into themes of freedom, choice, and the search for meaning in this hostile universe. Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian novelist known for employing rich symbolism to convey his characters’ spiritual journeys. In his novel ‘The Alchemist’ Paulo Coelho emphasises the significance of man’s free will and his perception of the world through the captivating journey of a young boy named Santiago. This research paper will look at the usage of Existentialism in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.
Keywords:
Existentialism, Santiago, Coelho, Alchemist.
Introduction:
Existentialism is a philosophical movement. It arose in the 19th and 20th centuries. It combats with fundamental questions about human existence, purpose, and freedom. At its core, existentialism emphasises individual experience and the responsibility of each person to define their respective existence. Unlike many other philosophical schools, existentialism does not provide a predetermined set of values or truths; rather, it encourages individuals to confront the existential realities of life on their own.
The writers apply existentialist philosophy in their texts to underpin the efforts of dejected, tormented, alienated humans and how they find themselves facing certain choices in the world. It is based on the concept that humans should choose their paths in life independently and try to make rational decisions in the indifferent universe. In this way, it liberates them from the clutches of societal norms and religious beliefs. Several literary pieces of the modern age demonstrate this philosophy in one way or another.
Coelho was raised in Rio de Janeiro. He rebelled against his Roman Catholic upbringing and, as a result, was temporarily admitted to a psychiatric hospital by his parents. Later, Coelho dropped out of law school in 1970 and travelled broadly. In 1972 he returned home and began writing pop with Raul Seixas, a well-known Brazilian singer-songwriter. Coelho was briefly imprisoned for alleged subversive activities against the Brazilian government in the year 1974.
After his release, he worked for a record company till 1980, and later he embarked on spiritual journeys in Europe and Africa. This extensive journey, inflected by a renewed interest in Catholicism, formed the basis of his first book The Diary of a Magus in 1987, reissued as ‘The Pilgrimage’. In 1988 Coelho published ‘The Alchemist’. Having sold over 65 million copies worldwide, ‘The Alchemist’ continues to inspire many people worldwide with its life-changing narrative.
Existentialism in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist:
The tale begins with a young boy named Santiago who works as a shepherd in Andalusia, Spain. He recollects his want to travel the world and leave his house for the same years before. This depicts the essence of Existentialism which is the freedom of choice. He currently resides in an abandoned church with his herd. The old church has a sycamore tree in the centre under which he sleeps at night. He seems an avid reader who loves observing his surroundings to learn about life. “Well, usually I learn more from my sheep than from books” (Coelho 5).
The boy is a big thinker, which represents the thought process underlying the Existentialism philosophy. “We have to be prepared for change, he thought…” (Coelho 7). He also thinks about a girl, the daughter of a dry goods merchant who lived in a village that he would reach in about four days. Santiago seems to have a crush on that girl and he plans on how to impress the girl on his visit to her father’s place. However, he had met the girl only once before falling deeply for her since his last visit.
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting … hurried his pace” (Coelho 11). He then goes to Tarifa to groom himself for his visit to the merchant’s daughter. In Tarifa, he decides to visit an old gypsy woman for the interpretation of a strange dream he had twice that week. After reaching the old woman’s place, he told her his dream of being led to a treasure in the pyramids of Egypt by a young girl. Hearing that, the old gypsy lady assures him that he will find the treasure for sure at the pyramid.
After his reading with the gypsy woman, Santiago is met by an old man who introduces himself as Melchizedek, the King of Salem. Though the ways of the old man seem a bit strange to Santiago, he believes in his advice given the old man’s authenticity. “… our lives become controlled by fate. That is the world’s greatest lie” (Coelho 17). This conversation between these two characters states the philosophical perspective of Existentialism, that man alone is solely responsible for determining his own life.
The all-knowing mysterious old man also assured Santiago, that he would find his treasure in Egypt. He taught him about love, the powerful language of the world and omens. “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires, in helping you to achieve it” (Coelho 21). While leaving the old man told Santiago to meet him the next day with one-tenth of his sheep to prepare for his departure to Egypt. Santiago met the old man the following day after selling the rest of his sheep to his friend for a good price.
The old man blesses Santiago as he embarks on his daring journey to find his treasures. He also gives Santiago a black stone called Urim, and a white stone called Thummim to guide him along his journey. Thus, the novel’s protagonist Santiago embodies Existentialism by beginning his quest towards the treasure, his life’s purpose. “I am an adventurer, looking for treasure” (Coelho 40). He then reaches Egypt after a three-hour travel by ship. After reaching Spain he goes to a local bar to have some refreshments.
Sadly, in that bar, he gets robbed by a cunning man in a short period. Losing all his wealth in this unknown land soon after his arrival made Santiago cry. He even slept in the streets of the market given his pitiful circumstance. The next day he gained back his strength and with hope he went in search of a job to support himself in the strange new land, where people talked a strange new language, he was unaware of. Luckily, he found a job at a crystal shop which is located at the top of a regional hill.
Santiago helped the crystal shop owner immensely to increase the profit of the shop with his brand-new ideas. He suggested the owner start selling tea in crystal cups and having a crystal display case in front of the shop to attract more customers. As it was successful, Santiago was fairly paid with a high commission rate for each sale he made. Though the shop owner was a bit grouchy, he was a good man by heart so he wanted Santiago to earn enough for his further travel as soon as possible. It has been eleven months and nine days since he started working in the crystal shop.
At present, he became rich by acquiring a decent amount of wealth and became well-versed in Arabic, their regional language. Hence, he decided it was high time to return to his country Spain and he went to the port where he got robbed months ago on his arrival to this country. Reminded of the old man’s advice “You must always know what it is that you want” (Coelho 53), he cancelled his plan of returning to Spain and resumed his journey towards his treasures in Egypt.
Santiago was more confident in himself now than ever. Santiago joined a caravan group that crossed the Sahara Desert to reach the pyramids. There, he met an Englishman who came in search of a 200-year-old Alchemist in Al-Fayoum oasis, a place in between Tarifa and the pyramids. Soon both became good friends while their caravan was traversing across the desert. They even shared books and discussed their different perspectives on alchemy with one another.
Santiago still had doubts about the decision he had made, but he had a strong resolve that he would carry on with his quest to find the treasure that awaited his arrival at the pyramids. He knew that it was his destiny and he wilfully chose this path on his own. He was also determined to succeed in this adventure by being patient and determined throughout his exciting journey. The very nature of Santiago being resilient and definite in his approach here, depicts the philosophy of Existentialism in a bewitching manner.
Amidst the rumours about the dangerous tribal wars in the desert, the caravan safely reached the Al-Fayoum oasis. In this large oasis, war is prohibited since it has a huge number of women and children as its residents. Both Santiago and the Englishman were at peace. Soon the English man along with Santiago went in search of the old alchemist in the oasis. Luckily, they met him and the Englishman cleared his doubts regarding alchemy. The journey of the Englishman depicts his distinct life choice and the sacrifices he made to achieve it.
Again, this stands as an eminent example of the deployment of Existentialism by the author in his novel ‘The Alchemist’. Santiago says “… we’re both in search of our destinies, and I respect him for that” (Coelho 80). He stayed over a month in the oasis due to the ongoing tribal wars during which he found his true love. Santiago and a maiden named Fatima an inhabitant of the oasis fell head over heels for each other at their first sight. Both met daily by the well and conversed with each other.
And, one fine day when Santiago was having his usual stroll in the desert had a sudden vision of an attack by the enemy tribesmen on their oasis. Immediately he informed the oasis leader and they successfully won against the enemy tribal men. Given his contribution Santiago was awarded heavily by the oasis head. Post this incident, Santiago was called by the 200-year-old Alchemist to resume his journey towards the pyramids along with him. Santiago then bid farewell to the Englishmen and Fatima before resuming his adventure.
He promised Fatima that he would return and marry her for sure. Then, both bid him farewell. And, Santiago started travelling towards the pyramids along the Alchemist. During their journey, the Alchemist taught Santiago to be brave in this journey called life. “Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World” (Coelho 106). This again embodies the concept of being fearless in his/her pursuit of dreams, a hallmark of the Existential philosophy.
Both continue their journey for a week. One day while travelling, they were taken captive by an enemy tribal group in the desert who mistook them for spies. Then to prove that they are not spies but alchemists, Santiago was asked to change into wind by the tribal leader within three days. Finally, Santiago succeeded in that venture as well, by transforming himself into the wind in the desert where everyone could see him. “… when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too” (Coelho 143)
Both were escorted to the pyramids by the tribal guards in their honour. This as well portrays the usage of Existentialism in the novel ‘The Alchemist’. The Alchemist then said his goodbyes to Santiago and continued his journey. After, a couple of hours Santiago reached his dream destination, the pyramids. But to his dismay, he could not find his treasure no matter how hard he tried. Suddenly, he was also attacked by a group of robbers. Santiago suffered severe injuries and was driven to tears.
When leaving the head of the robbing gang mockingly told Santiago that once he had a dream of finding a treasure under a sycamore tree in an old church. But he did not make the foolish choice of going to that destination as he did. Santiago was perplexed, he couldn’t believe his ears. Soon after they left, he enthusiastically left to return to his homeland Andalusia. He returned quickly to Spain by using his remaining inheritance and to his belief he found the treasure. Next, he got ready to meet Fatima and marry her, as he promised.
Conclusion:
Thus, Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ unquestionably encapsulates the ideology of Existentialism. Throughout the novel, he emphasises the necessity of being fearless in pursuing one’s unique life path and being determined to succeed no matter what. “It’s true; life is generous to those who pursue their destiny…” (Coelho 160). And, according to the author Paulo Coelho, Personal Legends serve as the only means by which an individual can live a satisfying life.
References:
- “Existentialism – Examples and Definition of Existentialism – Literary Devices.” Literary Devices, 21 Feb. 2019, literarydevices.net/existentialism.
- Calvert, Michael T., and Richard Pallardy. “Paulo Coelho | Books, Facts, and the Alchemist.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Dec. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Paulo-Coelho.
- “Exploring Existentialism in Literature (through 11 Examples) – MAY CONTAIN PHILOSOPHY.” Maycontainphilosophy.com, 11 May 2024, maycontainphilosophy.com/existentialism-in-literature/.
- “SparkNotes: The Alchemist: Themes.” Www.sparknotes.com, www.sparknotes.com/lit/the-alchemist/themes/.
- Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist. London, Harper Collins, 1993.
