What are the symbols in The Alchemist?

What are the symbols in The Alchemist?

In The Alchemist, characters learn to accept the desert, even listen to it. Gold: Gold represents the knowledge, work, and time necessary to achieve something desired. Hawks: Hawks are symbolic of aggression, which can be tamed. Horse: The horse is a symbol of strength and passion; like hawks, horses can be tamed.

What does The Alchemist symbolize in The Alchemist?

The symbols in The Alchemist serve to represent self-development, humility, interconnectedness, and the value of life. Through Santiago’s journey to the pyramids of Egypt, these representations are depicted through Santiago’s sheep, alchemy, and the pyramids of Egypt.

How does the king help Santiago?

The king of Salem gives Santiago a white stone and a black stone to help him read the omens to find his treasure. Santiago is a young shepherd boy in search of treasure.

What does the Gypsy symbolize in The Alchemist?

The gypsy woman represents those who take truth and twist it for personal gain, like soothsayers; and The Alchemist is the master teacher and Christ-like figure who teaches Santiago what he needs to know to achieve his goals.

What do the stones symbolize in The Alchemist?

Urim and Thummim Symbol Analysis The stones are black and white, with their colors representing “yes” and “no” answers to questions—so Melchizedek tells Santiago that he must only ask objective questions of the stones. Because of this, Urim and Thummim symbolize certainty and objective knowledge.

What is the world’s greatest lie in the Alchemist?

There you will find a treasure that will make you a rich man. 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. That’s the world’s greatest lie.

What is Santiago’s personal legend?

A Personal Legend, as it’s referred to in The Alchemist, is one’s destiny in life. It’s identifying your purpose in life and pursuing it. When Santiago meets the old King of Salem, Melchizedek, he teaches him what a Personal Legend is. He says that a Personal Legend is “what you have always wanted to accomplish”.

What is the moral of The Alchemist?

The constant theme in The Alchemist is to pursue your dreams by following what your heart desires. During the young boy’s journey, he learns to listen to the heart and to follow the language of omens. Each lesson teaches the young boy that he must always follow his heart, as it is the language of God.

How does alchemy symbolize life in the alchemist?

Both the Englishman and the alchemist describe the practices of alchemy to Santiago, and in both cases, the specifics of alchemy symbolize larger life lessons. The Englishman explains that the pursuit of the Master Work, in which alchemists spend years carefully studying and purifying metals, actually purifies the alchemists themselves.

Who is the king of Salem in the alchemist?

by: Paulo Coelho. Melchizedek, who claims to be the King of Salem, appears to Santiago as an old man living in the Spanish town of Tarifa, and although he appears only briefly in the book, he plays an important role as he introduces several of the key concepts that we see repeated throughout The Alchemist.

What are the symbols of Egypt in the alchemist?

Sycamore Tree: This tree represents Egypt, the place where sycamores come from. Thieves: Thieves represent everyone who tries to find a shortcut to his or her Personal Legend; the journey is necessary, according to The Alchemist. Water: Life is synonymous with water in the novel, and perhaps for love too.

What are the symbols of the oasis in the alchemist?

Oasis: The oasis symbolizes life, love, and domesticity. Pyramids: The pyramids represent the ancient and inscrutable. Sacristy: The sacristy represents conventionally sacred things, which often must be abandoned to achieve true spirituality.