The Alchemist

Sign Posts: Part one

Word of the wiser- After leaving from the merchant's house, Santiago decides to visit an old gypsy woman, who can interpret his dreams, at the town of Tarifa. After interpreting his dream, she tells him to go to the pyramid in order to find the treasure in return of 1/10 of the treasure as her payment for reading his palm. However, Santiago decides to go to the plaza in order to read his book, and there he encounters a strange yet mysterious old man, Melchizedek. He tells Santiago that the book carries a huge lie to it, and the lie is basically that fate rules a person and they can't choose their destiny. He then promises to meet Santiago on a specific date, and that day he will tell him about the way to find the treasure in return of 1/10 of his sheep. The gypsy woman and the old man acts as an advisor to Santiago, and they both provides a push that is needed for Santiago to achieve his dream. The lie that the old man told about the book can be considered very significant to Santiago, because he doesn't have to live as a shepherd for the rest of his life, and he can possibly change his destiny through his hard work. They also discussed about how every person has a personal legend, a dream they want to achieve, and this also aids in him pursuing his dream in his life. The old man was also able to get the Santiago's attention and his trust only because of the conversation about the book with him, and this gives the idea of how Santiago values and respects education as well as the people who can read, in general.  

Setting the scene- Santiago went to the merchant in order to sale wool, but that was not the only reason for him to pay a visit there. He also wanted to see the girl, the daughter of the merchant. "The girl was typical of the region of Andalusia, with flowing black hair and eyes that vaguely recalled the Moorish conquerors. The merchant was busy with the shop, so he asked Santiago to wait till the afternoon. He and the merchant's daughter had a long conversation about the village and how he learned to read etc. "As the time passed, the boy found himself wishing that the day would never end..." and this tells about how Santiago is starting to develop affections towards the merchant's daughter. Later in the chapter, Santiago encounters and old man, Melchizedek, and in order to prove the reliability to Santiago, the old man writes down the names of the people whom are close to Santiago on the sand. The old man then talks about how bakers are more preferable than shepherds, and immediately Santiago thinks about "There was surely a baker in her town", and this shows his affections towards the merchant's daughter are sincere. This foreshadows that Santiago might change overtime because of the girl, and the change might make him want to pursue his dream and to accomplish the treasure, for a better life.

Reflection:

Characters- In the first part of The Alchemist, we met many characters such as the protagonist of the novel, the boy or Santiago, Melchizedek, gypsy woman, the merchant and his daughter.
So far, I really like the character of Santiago, and there are many reasons for me liking his character. One of the main reason for me liking his character is that I like his personality of being idealistic. He is also a very open minded person, and he also values his freedom. When the merchant's daughter asks Santiago, "Well, if you know how to read, why are you just a shepherd?" then Santiago responded, "The boy mumbled an answer that allowed him to avoid responding to her question... the girl would never understand...". This shows how much he values his freedom, and even if he has affections towards her; it doesn't stop him from being a shepherd. I also like how Santiago listens to people who are trustworthy or creditable, and doesn't trust any strangers. For example, the only reason Santiago paid attention to the old man was because of his ability to read and his interest in the book, and this proved that the old man was a reliable person. Because of such reasons, I really like the character of Santiago in The Alchemist.  
Questions:
1. Will Santiago be able to achieve his treasure?
2. Will his shepherd herding cause him to be not able to pursue his dream?