Name: Khun Khut Vorakwadh & Hun Keoveasna Lecturer : HAK Novuthy

The Alchemist

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, from Sao Paulo, first published in 1988 became one of the best-selling books by selling more than 65 million copied. The alchemist consists of two part and epilogue.

A boy named Santiago, a shepherd from Andalusia (southern of Spain), had a dream which he could not understand by his own-self. Then, he met a lady; he told that old lady about his dream. He said. I dreamed that I was in the field with my sheep, when a child appeared and began to pay with the animals. I dont like people to do that, because the sheep are afraid of strangers. But children always seem to be able to play with them without frightening them. the boy continued: and suddenly, the child took me by both hands and transported me to the Egyptian pyramids. That old lady translated the dream and told the boy that if he comes to that pyramid, he will find a hidden treasure and she said that she wanted one-tenth of that treasure. They agreed. The boy laughed and he did not believe that old lady the old lady said that she could only interpret; she could not turn in into reality. The boy was disappointed with that.

Along the way in the town he met an old man who wanted to talk with him. The shepherd first thought that he was annoyed by that man but, after a few talks they enjoyed it and carried on the conversation. The old man said many things that the boy could not understand such as the worlds greatest lie. It is this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of whats happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate, Said the old man. The old man wanted one-tenth of his flock, but the boy refused as he wanted the old man to have one-tenth of his treasure instead. The old man disappointed and said, if you start out by promising what you dont even have yet, youll lose your desire to work toward it. Then the boy agreed after a few moments. Before the old man vanished, he gave the boy two stones Urim and Thummim. He also told the boy that he had his own personal legend and he suggested the boy to carry on his personal legend. The boy first did not understand what personal legend is, but later on in the story he understood what it is. He decided to move on toward his treasure. Along the way he heard that in order to get to the pyramids he had to cross the desert. In the port of Tarifa, he met one young man and that man cheated him and stole all of his money.

He was upset and at the next stop he claimed the hill and met a merchant who had a crystal shop. He was please to stay in the shop and help the merchant to sell the crystal. The shop and the hills were a quiet place since there were not many shops on it but since the boy came, he introduced new idea to the owner and the business seemed to be better and better. The boy stopped thinking about the treasure; he thought that after working in the shop he would have enough money to buy his sheep back and return to his life as a shepherd. One day he and the owner talked about their own life and the owner told the boy about his dream of visiting Mecca since he is a Muslim. A Muslim needs to visit Mecca once in his life time. One day after realizing his personal legend again and remembered the old king he decided to move on his dream of searching for his treasure. He said good bye to the owner and left.

He met up with other travelers and decided to move across the desert together but along the way there were wars between tribe men. Then, he needed to stay in the oasis with other travelers and waited the wars to be over. In oasis he met Fatima a lady of the desert. He fell in love and everyday he waited at the same well to see Fatima coming again and again. They talked and shared their story every day. In addition, he met the English man who dreamed to meet the Alchemist. They were a good pair and always keep in touch every day. As time went by, one day he had a vision that the tribe men would attack the oasis. He told the guard and the chief to be ready. Everyone in the camps agreed and armed themselves. The next morning, they made a trick and saw a tribe men with horses entered oasis and attacked the empty tents which the planned. A man from oasis died and all of tribe men were captured along with their commander. The commander said that they needed food and water for carry on their war that why they chose to attack oasis. The oasis was a neutral place and no one ever attacked it and if so, dead sentences would be carried; the commander and the tribe men were hanged. Santiago became a chiefs consultant. At that time, he and Englishmen met the Alchemist who lived in the different camp a larger one. They discussed and the Alchemist said like he knew everything about the boys dream. As he became a consultant, he again felt nothing about his hidden treasure. He did not want to carry on his dream. He wanted to stay and marry Fatima, but the Alchemist disagreed by saying that Fatima was the woman of desert, she knew how to wait. He carried on. if you dont find your treasure while your omens are still visible to you soon you would feel sad when the omens stop showing you to your treasure. Then, Fatima would understand that she was the reason the made you change direction. Still, you felt sad about your decision.

Santiago seemed to buy that speech and he agreed to move on with the Alchemist. He and Alchemist talked about personal legend and language of the world. Those men of desert walked the desert and went across the tribe men camps which were hardly to pass until they told the tribe men that they were just passengers. Then, they arrived at other tribe men camps which were the enemy of the previous camp. The guard did not let them pass by accusing them of spying their camp for those tribe men who they just came from. They denied it but the tribe men did not listen and the Alchemist gave the Santiagos coin and gold to the chief of the tribe by saying that Santiago is the alchemist who could turn himself to a wind in 3 days. Santiago got shock with those words. He was not able to understand why the real alchemist told that to the chief and gave away his gold which he hardly saved up for his latest year with merchant and at oasis. One day passed and other days came.

On the third day, the chief with his commanders and the Alchemist went to the cliff and waited the boy to turn himself into a wind. The boy finally learnt the language of the world and could talk to the desert at which he stared for a whole day before. He talked to the desert with a strange language that the chief and tribe men could not understand. Meanwhile, the Alchemist was very gleeful to see that happened. Santiago talked with the desert and desert brought a wind a strong wind that generation of men in desert had never seen he asked the wind to turn himself into a wind but the desert refused as he did not know how to turn a man into a wind. Somewhere you are holding the person I love, Santiago said. So, when I look out over your sands, I am also looking at her. I want to return to her, and I need your help that I can turn myself into the wind. The desert could not turn the boy into the wind, but in contrast the desert sent his sands to help the wind to blow. Then, the wind came and helped to blow the military camps with a strong force. Two of the chiefs commanders feared that wind and as the wind disappear that two men were dismiss because the chief believe that the men of desert feared of nothing. After the wind had gone, they allowed the alchemist and Santiago to carry on their journey and the chief ordered some men to be with them and helped them through the desert. Finally, they arrived and the tribe men left as the Alchemist ordered. In the last night they were together, the Alchemist made a golden plate. He shared two parts to Santiago, a part for the monk who allowed them to stay a night and he kept one.

The boy needed to carry on his final day alone as the time has called the Alchemist. He arrived at Pyramid and started digging for a whole day. At night he met a group of soldier and they seized him and asked what he was doing. Out of idea, he gave the golden plate that the Alchemist had given to him and by remembering the Alchemists quote what good is money for you if you are going to die? -- he shouted and told the men about his digging for treasure. The men left and boy and said that there were no treasure here. The boy felt other omen and that omen told him to go to the broken church near the pyramid. He started digging again and that time his shovel hit something solid. It turned out to be a chest of Spanish gold coin which had long been forgotten. He smiled and said that Im coming, Fatima.