The Life of Paulo Coelho as Reflected in the Alchemist: An Expressive Approach. Fajriani West Sulawesi University

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1 The Life of Paulo Coelho as Reflected in the Alchemist: An Expressive Approach Fajriani West Sulawesi University Abstract: The title of this research is The life of Paulo Coelho as Reflected in The Alchemist. The researcher modifies to choose the topic because of the following reasons; first, the researcher wants to discover what the similarities between Paulo Coelho as the author and The Alchemist as his masterpiece, to discover the differences between Paulo Coelho s life and The Alchemist; second, because The Alchemist reaches the first place in bestselling lists in 39 countries in the world. The result shows that the impression of the character of Santiago is similar to Paulo Coelho character. There are some similarities between Coelho s life and Santiago in The Alchemist; both of them have same desire to travel; they have decision bitterly opposed by their parents; they have purpose to fulfill their own spiritual journey through travel; they work at some professions to realize their dream; and the last is both of them likes reading. But to make The Alchemist more interesting to read, Coelho creates a few parts that come from his imagination that actually never happen in his real life. For example; both of them have different reason why they decide to travel; both of their parent s have different reason oppose them to travel; Coelho has experienced in shock treatment and mental frustration but Santiago never has experienced in it; both of them have different professions; Santiago has two spiritual friends named Melchizedek and The Alchemist while in his real life Coelho never has friend like them. Thereby, the researcher concludes that Santiago is Paulo Coelho himself, it means that a novel can really be the reflection of the author himself. Keywords: Paulo Coelho, the Alchemist, Expressive Approach 1. Introduction Life is experience and activities that are typical of all people s existences. In relation with literature, there is connection between literature and life. Literature is expressive. Literature is an expression of the individuals who wrote it. Their

2 personalities, emotions, and beliefs are bound up in their works based on their life experience. The expressive element in works of literature is often elusive. It may be solely a matter of language, in which the author maintains a consistent style from work to work, or it may be a philosophical outlook that carries from work to work, and it may be an autobiographical treatment of events in the author s life ( Writing Essays about Literature, 1994: 36). Even though works of literature are fictional, they have the capacity for being true. The fictionality of literature can be true in conveying the human experience. Simple examples of the interpretive quality of literature are fables and fairy tales, whose characters and events may be fantastic but whose lessons are true to our own experience. Related with that explanation, The Alchemist is a novel like a fairy tale and fables in which Paulo Coelho as the author not only creates The Alchemist based on his real life but also he adds some imagination to make his work interesting. In this case, Paulo Coelho is expressing his views of what the real world is like, but his views of the real world inevitably influence his construction of imaginary one. A work of literature creates an imaginary world, and this world embodies a theory about how the real world works. All in all, literature can be true by presenting the experience of reality. Dealing with the explanation above, the researcher will discuss the life of Paulo Coelho as reflected in his work The Alchemist. He reflects his life into his work. He writes his real life and his imagination into his work The Alchemist. So, the researcher thinks that the approach which is appropriate to analyze this novel is expressive approach. It means that the writer must analyze the work in relation to the author of the novel itself. This quotation below shows description of Paulo Coelho s opinion about the relationship between his literary works and his life experience: 70

3 The book is based on many of my own experiences as a writer and as a human being. Every book has an autobiographical side to it, since all we can do is to transform our own experiences. I would say then that the book is more inspired by my philosophy of life rather than by life. Anyway I don t feel afraid of exposing myself. I actually feel a bit of relief. You see, truth is fundamental in the dialogue with readers. That s what makes us free. I had already opened up my soul with my readers in my second book, The Alchemist. This time I can do this with my readers and it s a fantastic experience ( Paulo Coelho s book, 1996: par 1). From the quotation above, the researcher gets challenge to use expressive approach to analyze this novel. Besides, because some authors develop their stories based on themselves, especially their emotional reaction when something happens to them. From their works, the readers can find some information about the authors. The readers have brief descriptions about the authors that are reflected in their works. In other word, the readers may be drawn to a work because they are drawn to the author. In his book the mirror and the lamp: Romantic Theory and The Critical Tradition (1979:7), Abrams divides the ways of critical approach, namely: Objective/Structural, Mimetic, Pragmatic and Expressive Approach. According to Abrams, from the four theories, the only one approach that focuses the study of the work (novel) in relation to the writer himself is called expressive approach. A novel is a fiction prose tale, dealing with the adventures of feeling of imaginary persons. So as to portray, by the description of action through life and character (Webster, 1986:255) the author may express his feelings, experiences and the things that have passed. The surrounding especially his life background will influence his works. That is one reason why expressive approach is a challenging analysis. By using expressive approach, the researcher will know deeply about the relation between the author and his masterpiece. The researcher will also know how the author s personal influences toward his literary work seen from his biography and his experience in his life. The life of Paulo Coelho (his experience) is the subject of this research 71

4 because literature and life of the authors are related each other. Relating with this explanation, the researcher is fascinated to analyze about the similarities and the differences between Paulo Coelho s life and his masterpiece The Alchemist. The Alchemist is a reflection of Coelho s life. He has followed a dream in a quest for fulfillment. His own dream, to be a writer, met with frustration throughout much of his early adult life, a time in which he worked at various professions, some of them materially rewarding but spiritually unfulfilling. The Alchemist is a story that was first published in 1988, two years after Paulo made journey, precisely in 1986, he experienced one of the defining moments of his life: he walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. Alchemist (O Alquimista) is a book which he claims as a metaphorical adaptation of his own spiritual journey which he undertook on his pilgrimage. Clearly, the name of the protagonist in The Alchemist is a nod to Coelho's experience on the Camino de Santiago. ( Gradesaver LLC, 2008: par. 1) The Alchemist is also interesting to be analyzed due to it tells about the journey of a young dreamer looking for himself, looking for his destiny. It portrays the dream of an Andalusia shepherd boy named Santiago who dreams of travelling the world in search of a treasure buried in Egyptian desert. Actually, the means of treasure itself is self-discovery of the main character Santiago in fulfilling his destiny or his personal legend. The Alchemist and Melchizedek are the companion characters as the spiritual guide in The Alchemist. Here, Coelho adds his imagination namely the companion character to help main character Santiago to finds his destiny or his personal legend. Santiago is portrayed as character whose experience same as Paulo Coelho s experience. They are adventurer; they like traveling to see the world to find their destiny or their personal legend. From the explanation above, the researcher draws the following reasons why she chooses to analyze the life of Paulo Coelho as reflected in The Alchemist. The first reason is the researcher wants to analyze the relationship between author s life and his literary work. The researcher wants to know what the historical background in it. That s 72

5 way the researcher uses expressive approach. Second, The Alchemist gives the readers not only pleasure but also aspect of education which consists of wisdom, philosophy, message, values of life, and moral teaching. It is also spiced with colors, flavors, and subject, like a fairy tale that makes the researcher fascinated toward its story. Third, the researcher is interested in the author. Paulo Coelho is considered as one of the great novelist in the world. He got many prestigious international major prizes and decorations. 2. Method of Research The method of research consists of some subtitles, as follows: a. Source of Data In this research, the main data are taken from Paulo Coelho s The Alchemist including words, phrases, sentences, and statements existing in the novel. The supporting data are obtained from books, articles, internets which related to the topic. It will help the writer to complete the data. The research data are all that indicate the life of Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist in concepts of expressive approach. b. Method of Collecting Data The method used in collecting data are reading and writing technique. This method is used to collect the data, by reading the major source seriously carefully. The writer firstly performs close reading to the novel, The Alchemist as the main source. In so doing, the resarcher notes some words, phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, and conversations in the novel and writes the data like the original ones stated in the novel. Secondly, the resarcher collects data and information about literature itself from internet, lecturer, brain storming with friends, and some books. c. Method of Analyzing Data The method of analyzing data is the process of organizing and classifying the data into a pattern, category, and basic unit of analysis. Therefore, the method includes some ways, they are: 73

6 1. The resarcher identifies the data collected from Paulo Coelho s The Alchemist 2. The resarcher describes and interprets the data of the life of Paulo Coelho as reflected in The Alchemist 3. The resarcher concludes the life of Paulo Coelho as reflected in his work The Alchemist based on the research. 3. Discussion In this research, the resarcher uses the expressive approach to analyze the life of Paulo Coelho as reflected in The Alchemist. But to make clearer explanation, the resarcher would explain Abram s Expressive Theory to support the statement about expressive approach in this research. M. H. Abrams in his book The Mirror and The Lamp proposes a theory which is called Some Co-ordinates of Art Criticism. According to Abrams, there are four approaches that can be used to study a literary work. According to Abrams theory, a literary criticism should be aware of four elements in the frame work, namely (1) the work or the artistic product itself, (2) the artist or the artificer, (3) the universe or nature or society, and (4) the audience or the reader, the spectator, or the listener. Expressive criticism. It is the study of literary work which has relation to the author or the writer. It is the expression of the author to show the imagination, thought and feeling In this research, the resarcher focuses on the similarities between Paulo Coelho s life as the author and The Alchemist as his masterpiece and the differences between Paulo Coelho s life and The Alchemist as his masterpiece. A. The Similarities between Paulo Coelho as the Author and The Alchemist as His Masterpiece The Alchemist is a novel which is included into the work of fiction, and the real elements of any works of fiction are the element of the author s personality. Having read The Alchemist for the first time, the resarcher gets the impression that the character of 74

7 Santiago in this novel is similar to Paulo Coelho s character in seeking his personal legend. Personal legend is something where the mere act of following the path, just working towards goals and objectives set in those lines gives one pleasure, the actual outcome of those efforts are important but the effort itself gives a satisfaction. According to Edmund Wilson (Abrams, 1980:228), the real elements of any work of fiction are the elements of the author s personality; his imaginations embody in the images of characters, situations, and scenes the fundamental conflicts of his nature or to cycle phases through which it habitually passes. His personages are personifications of the author impulses and emotion; and the relation between the author and his stories are connected each other. It is necessary to know Paulo Coelho s life in order to know that his life influences his literary work. There are many aspects of Paulo Coelho s life that influence his work. These aspects include his life background, his book-loving (reading habit), his experience from his spiritual journey fulfill his dreams to reach his destiny, his desire to travel, and the traditional path led to his parents committing him to a mental institution. These characteristics of his life are described in his works, including in his most well-known novel, The Alchemist. Paulo Coelho has a dream to become a writer. So, to make his dream come true, he decides to travel. By travel, he can understand the world and understands his self. His desire to fulfill his destiny or personal legend to become a writer by travel is the basic of the story. The characters of The Alchemist are mostly taken from people when he made a journey in Compostela and in Egypt precisely in 1986 till Part of characters in The Alchemist also adds some imaginations of Paulo Coelho. He experienced one of the defining moments of his life: he walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. Clearly, the name of the protagonist in The Alchemist is a nod to Coelho's experience on the Camino de Santiago. After comparing The Alchemist with Paulo Coelho s life background, the resarcher can find the similarities between the main character of the novel, Santiago and the life of Paulo Coelho as well as the events that had ever happened in his real life. 75

8 Paulo Coelho wrote most of his literary works based on his life and his experiences in order that agony he felt should be part of writing. In the last chapter, it is said that The Alchemist is metaphor of Coelho s own life. Metaphor is like analogy which compares two things directly. Metaphor also can be defined as a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity. For instance; young man is the backbone of state. So, young man is like the backbone of state. The statement is the same as Coelho s life in creating The Alchemist. Coelho also uses some metaphors to make similarity or comparison between his real life and his literary work. From the explanation above, the resarcher draws the following metaphors or the similarities between Paulo Coelho s life and the life of main character Santiago in The Alchemist. 1. Both of them have same desire to travel The Alchemist story is about life s trials and tribulations of discovering who ones are, following their dreams and knowing where their destiny lies. The novel is the story of the young boy named Santiago who travels from his home the Andalusia area of Southern Spain to Egyptian desert to pursue his dream and his Personal legend (his destiny). He lives as simple shepherd life, herding his sheep from place to place, finding them good food to eat and clean water to drink, and occasionally selling their fleece to fill his purse. He is simple and innocent and he has only a few need, he does not like to settle, fascinated with the mysterious of life, he likes adventure, and he wants to travel to fulfill his destiny or his personal legend to make his dream come true. Paulo Coelho as the author also has fascinated in travelling like the main character of The Alchemist, Santiago. He also wants to travel to see the world, to see new places, and to meet new people. The things which Paulo Coelho wants in his life are journey, adventure, taking risks, confronting him with obstacles and feeling alive. For Coelho and Santiago the 76

9 journey is the most important part of the treasure. The statement of Paulo Coelho about the journey is described in his work The Alchemist. The quotation may show the description. Santiago knew a lot of people in the city. That was what made traveling appeal to him-he always made new friends, and he didn t need to spend all of his time with them. He said that when someone sees the same people every day, they wind up becoming a part of that person s life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 15-16). It was the old man who spoke first. Why do you tend a flock of sheep? Because I like to travel (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 22). From the quotation above it is clear that between Paulo Coelho and Santiago really have the same purpose in their life, namely to travel. Relating with their purpose of life, there is connection between the term Personal legends in The Alchemist and Coelho s and Santiago s desire to travel. Personal Legend is a being's reason to live. Everything in the world has a Personal Legend, and to reach the Personal Legend, people must be related to the Soul of the World, the purity of the world. The quotation below shows the description. There is the principle that governs all things. He said. In alchemy, it s called the soul of the World. When we want something with all our heart, that s when we are closest to the Soul of the World. It s always a positive force. Everything on earth is being continuously transformed, because the earth is alive and it has a soul. We are part of that soul, so we rarely recognize that it is working for us (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 78-79). 77

10 In the story the Alchemist, the boy (Santiago) reaches the Soul of the World and see that it is a part of the Soul of God. As it has been mentioned in chapter two, Coelho involves and studies symbolic language Regnus Agnus Mundi or Soul of the World. He believes in the concept of the Soul of the world. He sees that the Soul of God is his own soul. And that he, through Santiago, could perform miracles. No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he does not know. The quotation shows the description. Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 127). Personal legend is one thing to follow dreams and to believe in the signs that guide one on his way. So, Coelho and Santiago have a goal to reach it. The quotation below may show the description. Personal Legend is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. Even when all you want to do is travel? Yes or even search in treasure. To realize one s destiny is a person s only real obligation. All things are one. And when you want something, the entire universe conspire you to achieve it (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 21-22). 2. Both of them have decision bitterly opposed by their parents In the story The Alchemist, Coelho describes that between Santiago and his parents have the different desire about Santiago s future. Santiago wants to travel and especially to pursue his dream seeking for his treasure while his parents want him to become a priest and thereby a source of pride for a simple farm family. 78

11 The quotation may show the description. It s this, that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That s the world s greatest lie. That s never happened to me, Santiago said. My parents wanted me to be a priest, and thereby a source of pride for a simple farm family but I decided to become a shepherd. Much better, because I really like to travel (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 18). Coelho also does not want to follow traditional path from his parents. Coelho s parents are contradicted with Coelho s decision to travel and become a writer. Coelho s parents have wished in order that Coelho enrolls in law school and forgets his dream to be writer. His father is an engineer and his mother is a home-maker. His parent is logical, reasonable with a very clear vision of the world. From the explanation above, the resarcher concludes that between main character Santiago and Coelho have the same desire to pursue their personal legend by traveling and becoming their own self without the force of their parents. Their desire in life is an adventure, taking risks, confronting self with obstacles and feeling alive. The quotation below may show the description. People from all over the world have passed through this village, son, said his father. They come in search of new things, but when they leave they are basically the same people they were when they arrived. They climb the mountain to see the castle, and they wind up thinking that the past was better than what we have now. They have blond hair, or dark skin, but basically they re the same as the people who live right here. But I d like to see the castles in the towns where they live, the boy explained. Those people, when they see our land, say that they would like to live here forever, his father continued. Well, I d like to see their land, and see how they live, said his son. The people who come here have a lot of money to 79

12 spend, so they can afford to travel, his father said. Amongst us, the only ones who travel are the shepherds. Well, then I ll be a shepherd! His father said no more. The next day, he gave his son a pouch that held three ancient Spanish gold coins. I found this one day in the fields. I wanted them to be a part of your inheritance. But use them to buy your flock. Take to the fields, and someday you ll learn that our countryside is the best, and our women the most beautiful (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 9-10). The quotation above shows that the main character Santiago really has desire to travel. And his desire to travel finally gets permission from his parents. So, as the consequence of his desire, he has to leave their parents. Here I am, between my flock and my treasure, the boy thought. He had to choose between something he had become accustomed to and something he wanted to have. I left my father, my mother, and the town castle behind. They have gotten used to my being away, and so have I (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 27-28). Santiago, who brings himself seeking self-awareness and a cause for that self, does not set outstanding goals nor does he expect more of himself than any one person should. Those goals and expectation are the same as Coelho s that is just wants to travel. Coelho later remarks that: It wasn't that my parent wanted to hurt me, but they didn't know what to do... They did not do that to destroy me; they did that to save me. (Al- Ahram weekly, 2008: p.4). From the explanation above it is clear that finally the opposition from Coelho s and Santiago s parents is just want to save them and let them to fulfill their personal legend or their destiny. 80

13 3. Both of them have purpose to fulfill their own spiritual journey through travelling In the story The Alchemist, Santiago goes to the markets of Tangiers, and from there he goes to Egyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him. He always learns about spirituality with people whom he met during his journey looking for his treasure. In The Alchemist story, it is described that Paulo Coelho has visionary blend of spirituality and magical realism so he describes himself as the main character Santiago to complete his spiritual discovery. The quotation below shows the description. I couldn t have found God in the seminary, he thought, as he looked at the sunrise. Whenever he could, he sought out a new road to travel (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 10). Disaster taught us understand the word of Allah: people need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want. We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it s our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 76). There is only one way to learn, it s through the action. Everything we need to know we have learned through our journey. The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect. God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could understand his spiritual teachings and the marvels of wisdom. That s an action (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 125). 81

14 Quotation above shows that Paulo Coelho is fascinated in the spiritual quest dates back to his hippie days when he travels the world learning about secret societies, oriental religions, etc. Coelho gets spiritual experience when he makes a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (a catholic pilgrimage route in the northwestern Spanish state of Galicia) and completes his spiritual experience when he also makes journey in Egypt in Both of them work at some professions to realize their dream in their early adult life Coelho in his early adult life works various professions. It is similar with the main character in The Alchemist, Santiago. In the way to pursue his personal legend in his journey he also works at various professions. He ever works as a shepherd and works as a servant of a crystal merchant. Before deciding to make journey and in the way to fulfill his personal legend, Coelho also works as a playwright, a theatre director, actor, a journalist, and a song writer. Here, Coelho uses metaphor of his own life to make analogy about his some professions with Santiago s. The quotation below shows the description. He decided to take a chance. A shepherd always takes his chances with wolves and with drought, and that s what makes a shepherd s life exciting (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 13). I can work for the rest of today, the boy answered. I ll work all night, until dawn, I ll clean every pieces of crystal in your shop. In return, I need money to fulfill my personal legend and seeking my treasure in Egyptian desert (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 47). Santiago believe that there is the language of enthusiasm in work, namely the people language that successes in their work, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 62). 82

15 From the quotation above the resarcher concludes that through Santiago, Coelho explains that if someone wants to reach successful, ones must surrender their self totally at work which ones do. Without delivering their selves, ones could not concentrate on their job. Coelho also teaches patience in working, indirectly Coelho describes himself as Santiago about how he is enthusiastic in working and doing all kinds of work to realize his dream. 5. Both of them like reading Paulo Coelho likes reading. Santiago also likes reading. As a shepherd, he spends his time with reading in his journey wherever he is. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down; using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 3). The shop was busy, and the man asked the shepherd to wait until the afternoon. So the boy sat on the steps of the shop and took a book from his bag (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 5). He started to read the book he had bought. On the very first page it described a burial ceremony. And the names of the people involved were very difficult to pronounce. If he ever wrote a book, he thought, he would present one person at a time, so that the reader wouldn t have to worry about memorizing a lot of names (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 16). From the quotation above it is clear that Coelho and Santiago have the same hobby, namely reading. As the writer mentions in the last chapter, Coelho learns to write through reading, reading and reading. Santiago in The Alchemist is also described as a man who likes reading. 83

16 B. The Differences between Paulo Coelho s Life and The Alchemist as His Masterpiece Paulo Coelho writes his novel based on his own life. But to make his novel more interesting to be read, he adds some of his imagination in The Alchemist that never happens in real life. If Paulo Coelho writes his novel just from his own life and if he does not add his imagination, it will make the reader bored. Below, the resarcher will draw the differences between Coelho s life and Santiago in The Alchemist: 1. Both of them have different reasons why they decide to travel It has been mentioned that Coelho wants to travel because he wants to look for inspiration to write in pursuing his dream to be writer and he also decides to travel because he refuses the term happiness. Coelho thinks that happiness is not a value and it is like a Sunday afternoon something finally quite boring. The one who he wants in his life is an adventure. While in his work The Alchemist, Santiago is narrated as a shepherd that wants to travel looking for his treasure in Egyptian desert in which the treasure itself in the end, he realizes that it is his self discovery. The people who come here have a lot of money to spend, so they can afford to travel, his father said. Amongst us, the only ones who travel are the shepherds. Well, then I ll be a shepherd! said Santiago (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 9). In his real life, Coelho not only makes journey in Egyptian Desert, but he also travel to Compostela (northwestern Spain) when he makes pilgrimage. In the story The Alchemist, Santiago just travels to Egyptian Desert. 2. Both of their parents have different reasons to oppose them to travel Coelho s parents contradict with Coelho s desire to travel because of the state of censorship under the military dictatorship at the time which often persecutes artists and 84

17 intellectuals. Not only that, Coelho s parents want that Coelho enrolls in law school. His father is an engineer and his mother is a home-maker. His parents are logical, reasonable with a very clear vision of the world. While In The Alchemist, Santiago is narrated as a son of simple farm family in which his parents want him to become a priest. Santiago said. My parents wanted me to be a priest, and thereby a source of pride for a simple farm family but I decided to become a shepherd (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 18). From the quotation above it is clear that the reason between Coelho s parents and Santiago s parents are different concerning their son s future. 3. Coelho has experienced in shock treatment and mental frustration but Santiago never has experienced in it In his early adult life, Coelho has experienced in shock treatment and mental frustration when his parents contradicts his dream to be a writer. Not only that, because of his frustration he drops out and gets involved in drugs. In the story The Alchemist Santiago never has experienced in it. If he feels hopelessly he just like drinks wine. The boy was disappointed; he decided that he would never again believe in his dreams. The day was hot, and he thought that the wine could make refreshing. He found a bench in the plaza where he could sample the new wine he had bought (Paulo Coelho, 1998:15). 4. Both of them have different professions during the pursuit of their destiny In the real life of Paulo Coelho, before dedicating his life completely to literature, he works at various professions like as a playwright, a theatre director, actor, a journalist, and a song writer. In the story The Alchemist, Santiago just works in two kinds of professions, namely as a shepherd and as a servant in Crystal shop. 85

18 I ll clean every pieces of crystal in your shop. In return, I need money to fulfill my personal legend and seeking my treasure in Egyptian desert (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 47). 5. Santiago has two spiritual friends named Melchizedek and The Alchemist while in his real life Coelho never has friend like them Many people know what their Personal Legend and how to achieve it. In the story The Alchemist a shepherd boy named Santiago achieves his Personal Legend with aid from two companion characters who teach him many important things. From that explanation, the writer would present those companion characters. a. Melchizedek (The King of Salem) Melchizedek is a fable King of Salem. He is a spiritual guide for Santiago. He is an imaginative character that just usually exists in fairy tale and he does not really exist in the real world. He knows what Santiago is thinking and he knows about the events that have happened in Santiago s life in the past including about his family, the girl who he has not known, and other things that Santiago has never told anyone. Coelho imagines him as a god who always appears in one form or another to help someone who is trying to realize their Personal Legend likes Santiago. He sometimes appears in the form of solution, or a good idea in anything appearance or even in the form of stone. He promises to tell Santiago where to find his treasure. The quotation below shows the description. There is a force that wants you to realize your Personal Legend; it whets your appetite with a taste of success, said the Melchizedek to Santiago. In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you (Paulo Coelho, 1998: 29). 86

19 To complete his aid to Santiago, Melchizedek also gives him Urim and Thummim. Urim and Thummim are the stones in which one black and the other white, the black meaning yes and the white no. Both the stones are miraculous stone that is only found in fable. They could help Santiago to make decision if he asks them. The stones would give Santiago the omens if he does not know what he will do in hesitancy to decide something. Take these, said the old man, holding out a white stone and a black stone that had been embedded at the center of the breast plate. They are called Urim and Thummim. The black signifies yes, and the white no. When you are unable to read the omens, they will help you to do so. Always ask an objective question. But if you can, try to make your own decisions (Paulo Coelho, 1998:30). From the explanation above the resarcher concludes that Melchizedek is imaginative character that just exists in fairy tale and in the Coelho s own life he does not really exist. In the real life, Coelho never meets with Melchizedek and he realizes his self-discovery without aid spiritual man or others. b. The Alchemist The alchemist is also imaginative character in the story The Alchemist. He also helps Santiago in his journey find his Personal Legend or his treasure in Egyptian desert. The Alchemist is the same as Melchizedek, a spiritual guide of Santiago. He is not ordinary alchemist like alchemist in the real life. He is a Super Alchemist. He not only can transmute common metals into gold but also he can create The Philosopher's Stone and Elixir of life. Both those alchemy s stones are physical representations of the Soul of the World, the Master Work, which is the result of completely purifying metals. The Philosopher's Stone, being completely pure and powerful as the Soul of the World, has the property of turning metals into gold, the most advanced ("evolved") and purest of all metals. The Elixir of Life cures all illnesses and gives immortality. These objects 87

20 represent the purity of the world, and in people trying to reach their Personal Legend. But sometimes life creates an alternate answer for the meaning of a person's soul. That s the philosopher s Stone and the Elixir of Life. It s the Master Work of the alchemists. Whoever swallows that the elixir will never be sick again, and a fragment from that stone turns any metal into gold (Paulo Coelho, 1998:133). In the real world it is impossible if ones are sick and drink the elixir of life ones would never been sick again. Elixir of life is the same as the philosopher s Stone. It will never exist in the real world because there is no stone which is called as philosopher s stone. In the story The Alchemist, The Alchemist also has the wisdom of the ages (His age is two hundred years old), he can talk directly to the Soul of the World and can even become the wind. The quotation below shows the description. Continue in the direction of the Pyramids and to pay heed to the omens, said the alchemist. What you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we ve learned as we ve moved toward that dream (Paulo Coelho, 1998:132). If I m not able to turn myself into the wind, we re going to die, the boy said. You re the one who may die, the alchemist said. I already know how to turn myself into the wind (Paulo Coelho, 1993:143). The quotation above shows that the alchemist no ordinary person. Paulo Coelho describes him as his imagination that never really exists in his life. The Alchemist also knows the destiny of Santiago. He tells Santiago what will happen to him if he does not follow his Personal Legend (his destiny). In The Alchemist Santiago learns more about his new surroundings which lead him to his Personal 88

21 Legend. He also tells Santiago that all alchemists have achieves their Personal Legend and that alchemists can turn lead into gold. The alchemist is the biggest who gives help in Santiago's journey because he is not only a good teacher, but he is also a good friend. The alchemist also teaches Santiago to listen his heart in order that he can speak the Language of the World. He always knows what should be done Santiago and what will Santiago do. He also has the power of supernatural to know about the past event and the future event which has been happened and what will be happen in Santiago s life. In the real world, many people who can tell fortunes to someone but sometimes right and sometimes wrong. In The Alchemist story, the prediction of the alchemist is always right about the Personal Legend or the destiny of Santiago. 4. Conclusion Paulo Coelho, as it has been mentioned before, wants to pursue his dream to become writer through journey while his parents oppose with his decision. In his work The Alchemist, he describes that the main character Santiago is similar with him. He also wants to make journey for seeking his treasure (his self-discovery) in Egyptian desert to fulfill his personal legend or his destiny. In the story The Alchemist, Coelho uses metaphor of his own life to make his work more interesting. The Following are the similarities and the differences between Paulo Coelho and Santiago that the writer finds in The Alchemist. The similarities between Coelho and Santiago in The Alchemist are: both of them have same desire to travel; they have decision bitterly opposed by their parents; they have purpose to fulfill their own spiritual journey through travelling; they work at some professions to realize their dream in their early adult life; and the last is both of them like reading. The differences between Coelho and Santiago in The Alchemist are: both of them have different reasons why they decide to travel; both of their parents have different reasons to oppose them to travel; Coelho has experienced in shock treatment and mental 89

22 frustration but Santiago never has experienced in it; both of them have different professions during the pursuit of their destiny; Santiago has two spiritual friends named Melchizedek and The Alchemist while in his real life Coelho never has friend like them. Those similarities show that Paulo Coelho writes line by line of his own stories based on his own experiences. From the explanation above, it is true that the author and his literary works often have close relationship one another. It is the same as Paulo Coelho himself. It means that a literary work can really be the reflection of the author himself. References Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literature Terms. New York: Cornel University Abrams, M.H. The Mirror and The Lamp: Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition. London: Oxford University Press Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist. New York: HarperCollins Publisher Inc Crowther, Jonathan. Oxford Advanced Learner s Dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press Dhani Dwi Wardana. The Role of Companion Character in the Main Character s Adventure in Seeking Treasure as Reflected in Paulo Coelho s The Alchemist: A Psychological Analysis. Undergraduate Thesis. Yogyakarta: Universitas Ahmad Dahlan Griffith, Kelley. Writing Essays about Literature. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publisher Umi Akhiriyah. The Struggle of Santiago to Find the Treasure in Paulo Coelho s The Alchemist: a Structural Analysis. Undergraduate Thesis. Yogyakarta: Universitas Ahmad Dahlan Yudistira Satyadarma. The Meaning of Hope as Philosophical Teaching. Undergraduate Thesis. Yogyakarta: Sanata Darma University

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