1. The prologue of The Alchemist includes
a unique retelling of the myth of Narcissus.
- What do you know about this myth?
The myth of
Narcissus is a very old greek myth which is about the flower, the narcissus. The myth is about a young man
who loves to look at his self in a mirror. He does it every day by the lake,
when he looks at the water. One day a leaf falls on the water and the leaf made
a wave which distorted his reflection. He was upset about that because he
thought he is ugly. He died from the shock being ugly and the the spot where
somebody found his corpse, there grew a beautiful yellow narcissus.
- What is the traditional interpretation of this
myth?
The traditional
interpretation is about the young man who loved himself and who was really
concerned about his beauty. The end of the story is kind of ironic and shows,
that self-love can make things worse. The young man was totally blinded from
his beauty and probably forgot about the really important things in life. That
he died because of a wave which distorted his reflection shows, that he didn’t
have any time to think about the reality and real life.
- What is the relationship of the prologue to the rest
of the story?
The prologue
introduces the theme of self-love and the realization of your dreams. In the
prologue you can see that self-love can be important to reach your goals. I
also think that the prologue should show the reader that a little bit of egoism
is needed to succeed and to get satisfied. It is also related to the internal
conflict of the boy who still doesn’t know what he is going to do because of
opinions of others.
2. Tell where the boy comes from and in what
part of the world much of the story is set. What might be the significance
of the setting in the book?
The boy is from
Andalusia which is an area in the south of Spain. It is a really try and banal area
where is not much to get product of except agriculture. Especially the
profession of a shepherd was common around the 1500 and 1600 hundreds. Because
of the area the choices of jobs are very small for Santiago. It is also a very
poor area and not many people could afford to travel. That is probably a reason
why travelling is such a desire and special thing for the boy. As a son of a
poor family there are not many ways how he could travel, besides being a
shepherd.
3. Talk about the role the merchant's daughter
plays in the boy's quest. What themes does her introduction bring up?
The merchant’s
daughter is one of the biggest reasons for the internal conflict of the boy. The boy
falls in love with the merchant’s daughter and the fact the he loves her even
he doesn’t really know her shows the reader, that it is something special and
magical for the boy. You can see how important the merchant’s daughter is for
the boy on page 11 when Santiago says: “I haven’t thought of other women since
I met the merchant’s daughter.”
Another quote on page 10 shows
Santiago’s special attraction to the merchant’s daughter: “he had already seen
many castles and met many women (but none the equal of the one who awaited him
several days hence).” The merchant’s daughter is probably the reason why he is
not sure about if he should go to Egypt, Africa to search the treasure he
dreamed of. The girl and the internal conflict of Santiago are part of Santiago’s
discovering of his personal legend. The fact, that the shepherd doesn’t know
his personal legend yet, “The boy didn’t know what a person’s personal legend
was” (page 21), and the theme of finding his personal legend introduces the
main conflict and theme of the story. The uncertainty of something new and an
adventure makes the boy think about his future and what he is going to do next.
You can see that the love to the merchant’s daughter holds the boy from realize
his dreams without worrying about past and home.
4. What is the boy's original motive in the
quest that takes him across the Mediterranean? What rewards, material or
nonmaterial, do you think the boy will reap from his journey? What might this
say about the relationship between material and spiritual rewards?
The main reason why
the boy is a shepherd is because he wants to see as many parts as possible of
the world. I think his original quest what takes him across the Mediterranean is
because he wants to travel and he is also looking for an adventure and
challenge. I think the boy is going to get rewarded by seeing the world and
maybe he will find his personal legend at the end of his journey. It is very
hard to compare the material rewards with the spiritual rewards, but even if
the will be disappointed if he is not going to find a treasure, after a while
he will be happy about his experience.
