"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable"-Helen Keller.
There are many traits that each characterizes different persons and a trait that describes how I am a participant in my destiny would be adventurous. I travel with my family on most of the holidays we have, which allows me to explore the world and gain more understanding about it.
Traveling to different places is something that I will never grow tired of. I also like re-visiting places that I find extraordinary. If I have to go somewhere to achieve my destiny, like Santiago in The Alchemist, I will be more than excited to go. I am not afraid of trying things that are new to me.
In The Alchemist, the main character, Santiago, goes on a journey to achieve his destiny. The story starts when he dreams of the Great Pyramids and is told by a dream interpreter that it is his destiny to travel there and find a treasure. Santiago must work hard to complete his journey. Along the way he becomes friends with most of the persons that he meets. Santiago also meets a woman with whom he falls in love. He heavy-heartedly parts with her and goes to search for The Great Pyramids. Because Santiago is friendly, knowledgeable and religious, the shepherd from Andalusia is able to fulfil his destiny and find true love.
During his journey, Santiago makes several friends. One of the first is a crystal merchant whom Santiago starts working for. They trade stories about their lives. When Santiago earns enough money to continue his journey, he leaves the merchant and starts his journey through the desert. There he meets an Englishman that reads books about alchemy and wishes to find an alchemist. He explains to Santiago that the world has a soul and that there is a universal language called the Language of the World. Santiago also makes friends with the camel driver who leads him through the desert, and it is he who teaches Santiago not to fear failure.
Santiago is also a very knowledgeable boy who understands most things quickly. He knows how to read and how to communicate and speak with his sheep in Andalusia. Santiago contributes with some clever ideas to improve the business for the crystal merchant. When he comes to the desert he quickly observes that the guides communicate in their own way and he uses this knowledge to understand more about the desert. The alchemist demands that Santiago finds life in the desert before he will help him find the pyramids. Santiago uses his horse because he already knows that animals notices when other animals are present.
In addition to friendship and knowledge Santiago’s religious belief helps him on his journey. In the desert Santiago swears on his God that he will listen to his guide during the trip, and he makes it through the desert safely. Santiago also believes in the word “maktub”, which means, “it is written” according to the Islamic god, Allah. This gives him hope. God also helps Santiago, when his life relies on his ability to turn himself into the wind. “The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and saw that it was a part of the Soul of God. And he saw that the Soul of God was his own soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles.” (145)
At the pyramids, Santiago was told to go back to the church where he originally started his journey and there the shepherd from Andalusia finally found his well-deserved treasure. The wind also carried Fatima’s love to him. Because of his friendliness, knowledge and religious beliefs, Santiago was able to fulfill his destiny and find true love.
written by lea at 6:34 AM