Importance of Love In Santiago's Journey Compared My Journey

Rachel Igoe

Mr. George

English Honors

5 January 2011

The Importance of Love in Santiago’s Journey Compared to my Journey

            In the novel, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the main character Santiago grasps the meaning of true love at the end of his journey. True love is a reoccurring theme throughout The Alchemist. Santiago engages with two different women that exemplify the disparity between love and true love. Santiago’s first encounter with love proves to be just a spiritual attraction with the merchant’s daughter. He realized that this kind of love kept him from pursuing his Personal Legend, which is why he is able to forget about her so easily. He meets his true love when he arrives at the oasis and converses with Fatima. She is willing to wait forever for Santiago to accomplish his Personal Legend, which signifies how she is part of Santiago’s fate. The primary difference between true love and love is that true love does not stop an individual from pursuing their dreams and accomplishing their goals, which is how Santiago’s journey relates to my journey.

            The first time that Santiago experiences love is in the beginning of the novel with the merchants daughter. He is attracted to her Moorish eyes and raven colored hair. After meeting her, Santiago aspires to stay in one place for the rest of his life and he fantasizes about her for a year until the merchant returns for more wool. “He recognized that he was feeling something he had never experienced before: the desire to live in one place forever” (Coelho 6). His experience with the merchant’s daughter causes him to come to a crossroad where he has to choose between love or his personal legend. Santiago makes his ultimate decision when he utters to himself, “I know other girls in other places” (Coelho 6). He is able to forget about the merchant’s daughter because he does not want to let love interfere with his dream of finding the treasure in the pyramids. The merchant’s daughter is only one of the two girls that Santiago comes across throughout his journey.

            Another woman that Santiago meets when he travels to the oasis is Fatima. Without much conversation Santiago falls in love with her immediately. “At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him” (Coelho 92). Santiago feels as if the Soul of the World is speaking directly to him when he first meets Fatima, which is important because he is able to feel whole and happy. Santiago is presented with another decision with which he struggles. At the oasis, Santiago has the girl he loves, the cattle he has always wanted and a well paying job. He has everything he has ever wanted and he must decide whether he wants to continue his journey.

            When Santiago meets The Alchemist he claims that Fatima is the greatest treasure that he has ever won. The alchemist cautions Santiago when he says, “She wasn’t found in the pyramids either” (Coelho 115). The alchemist encourages Santiago to pursue his journey to the pyramids. A major turning point in the novel is when the alchemist tells Santiago, “Love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, It’s because it wasn’t true love” (Coelho 120). The Alchemist refers to the romance with Fatima and he suggests that true love comes with the personal legend and will never stand in the way. Fatima proves this point when she councils Santiago to continue his journey and tells him she will wait for him. Fatima urges him to engage in his dreams when she says, “But if you have to go before then, go on in pursuit of your dream” (Coelho 97). Fatima represents true love because she does not get in the way of Santiago following his dreams. Santiago does not have to choose between love and his Personal Legend, therefore his love with Fatima is true love.

            As a teenager I always made goals for myself whether it was a difficult or simple task. My journey is similar to Santiago’s journey because I also experienced true love along the way. One goal that I desired to attain since middle school was to get into college for lacrosse. One of the most challenging journeys that experienced was choosing a college where I would be happy learning and playing lacrosse. Each college had a lot to offer but one was close to home and the other was a two-hour flight away in North Carolina. My family had a major impact on my decision. I know that they did not want me to go far, but they told me that I should follow my heart. This is similar to Santiago because at a certain point in the novel the alchemist tells Santiago to listen to his heart, “You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say” (Coelho 129). Along the way I realized that my family and I shared true love because they never wanted to stop me from my personal journey. This relates to Santiago’s journey because he finds true love when he meets Fatima. She is more of support system because she does not stop him from pursuing his dreams and goals. “You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend” (Coelho 120). My parents represent true love because they never get in the way of my dreams and do not stop me from living life to the fullest. Every day we experience the difference between love and true love whether it is our family, someone we meet or our friends. If someone stops your from chasing your dream than it is not true love.

            In the novel the merchant’s daughter denotes love where as Fatima signifies true love. True love never stops an individual from reaching their goals. If one had to choose between love and their Personal Legend then it is not considered true love. Similar to Santiago I have reached points in my life were I discovered the meaning of true love.