77 pages • 2 hours read
Paulo CoelhoThe Alchemist
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1988A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Urim and Thummim
Urim and Thummim are two stones—supposedly with magical properties—that Melchizedek gives to Santiago. The stones (one white, one black, both placed inside a small bag) are said to help with the decision-making process. When asked an objective question, they will provide an answer and remove any doubts that might be clouding Santiago’s mind regarding his quest to fulfill his Personal Legend. Though Santiago rarely uses the stones, he keeps them with him at all times. They remind him of Melchizedek and, by association, of the importance of his journey. Because they are plucked directly from Melchizedek’s breast plate, they are a permanent reminder of why Santiago is on his quest and how it was set in motion. At times of doubt, they can remind him to keep moving forward.
While the stones have a clear narrative purpose, their symbolic meaning can be more difficult to interpret. Though they are said to have magic powers, Santiago refrains from using Urim and Thummim to help him make decisions. Instead of actually using the stones to read an omen (a narrative purpose), Santiago relies on them to function as a reminder of the lessons he has been taught on his journey (a symbolic purpose). Santiago does not need to ask them a question to fulfill their use; instead, their very existence helps Santiago to move forward, closer to fulfilling his Personal Legend.
This symbolic meaning is made most explicit at the end of the novel. When Santiago finally finds his chest of buried treasure, he looks inside and discovers riches beyond his wildest dreams. There is enough there to ensure that he will be a rich man for the rest of his life. When Santiago looks at these treasures, he decides to add Urim and Thummim. They are small stones and seem particularly worthless on their own, as confirmed by the Englishman. To Santiago, their symbolic meaning is priceless. They have helped him on his journey, reminding him of the lessons that he has learned. In that respect, they have come to represent the value of the journey itself. By placing the stones into the box, Santiago confers onto them a financial value, equivocating Urim and Thummim with the vast horde of buried treasure that he has just uncovered. By the end of the novel, Santiago has come to see the equal value between the pile of treasure and the lessons that he has learned.
Sheep
The sheep of Santiago’s flock might seem mundane, but they carry a trove of symbolic meaning. At the beginning of the novel, when Santiago is still a roaming shepherd, he guides the animals across the landscape. They are not particularly clever or useful animals; they go where they are told and never stray too far from the flock. In this respect, they symbolize the majority of people who do not pursue their Personal Legends. This makes them no less worthy of love and Santiago has a great deal of affection for his sheep. His ability to understand their wants and needs is the beginning of his understanding of the language of the world. He understands their limitations and acknowledges the lack of ambition or desire in their lives, contrasting them with his own. All they want is food and water while he desires much more.
While the sheep are walking through the Andalusian countryside, focused on the ground and their next meal, Santiago is looking up at the stars and gazing at the faraway mountains. He is dreaming of the girl in the village and hopes one day to marry her, once he has found his treasure. Santiago holds these dreams and ambitions while the sheep do not. Because of this, he pities them. In one of his wilder fantasies, he imagines that he could kill every one of them, one at a time, and it would be a long time before the flock realized what was happening. Symbolically, the sheep represent everything Santiago does not want to be. During his travels, he will meet with men like the baker and the crystal merchant. To Santiago, they will be little more than human versions of the sheep. They will carry the same symbolic meaning. They will not be able to speak the languages or read the omens and they, unlike Santiago, will never fulfill their Personal Legends.
The Desert
After leaving behind Spain and his sheep, Santiago finds himself on a new continent, in a new country, and facing a huge journey to reach Egypt. He learns that he must cross the desert and, at this point, he is introduced to one of the most potent symbols in the novel. The desert is a vast and empty expanse. Despite this, it is a harsh and threatening place, filled with death. Not only does it pose the threat of dehydration and starvation, but there are numerous tribes hidden among the dunes. When a war breaks out, this threat is heightened. The more time Santiago spends in the desert, the more he realizes that it is a very hostile environment.
In order to fulfill his Personal Legend, Santiago will need to overcome these incredibly harsh conditions. After they meet in the desert, the alchemist reminds Santiago that such tests are an important part of the journey toward succession. They help with the process of spiritual growth, providing an environment where Santiago can apply the lessons that he has learned. At the end, when he is digging through the sand dunes near the pyramids, two armed tribesmen appear out of the desert and rob Santiago. As they question him further, Santiago tells them the whole truth and they walk away, an echo of an earlier encounter in which the alchemist had done similar. Santiago witnessed the incident and then put the lesson into practice; the desert proved to be a learning ground that is vital for Santiago’s growth as a character. This is particularly true when Santiago is challenged to turn into the wind; in doing so, he puts into practice everything he has learned in the desert, turning the hostile environment into a means of achieving success. Whereas the heat and the sand storms were once threats, Santiago befriends the wind and the sun and turns both to his advantage.
Related Titles
By Paulo Coelho
