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Santiago In John Steinbeck's 'The Alchemist'

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1. Santiago’s parents wanted their son to become a priest. To them, this was a way to bring pride to a simple family of farmers. They worked hard for the boy’s well being and he received a great education. Unfortunately, Santiago’s pursuit in life was to travel. The thought of viewing different towns and countrysides appealed to him greatly, and it was no surprise when he decided to pursue after him dream. Being a shepherd allowed him to do so, which is why you see him become one. The significance of this however is the fact that Santiago is stepping away from his old life and is ready to take on whatever his new way of life has in store for him. Here he matures and you find him listening to his heart, an important virtue the alchemist emphasised when Santiago was under his guidance. 4. Santiago is helped by many people on his way to finding the treasure. First was the gypsy woman that deciphered his dream and gave him a little nudge to get his journey started. The King played a more significant role, as he was the …show more content…

The alchemist also mentioned that “‘wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find you treasure’” (128). While the mind deals with tangible things such as money and people, the heart makes unconscious decisions without using logic, sometimes grasping ideas that the mind cannot even comprehend. The mind isn’t able to grasp these concepts simply because they don’t make logical sense. However, the heart doesn’t know this, and will continue wanting things, and it’s up to the individual, Santiago in this case, to follow these ideas of not. The alchemist pointed out that if Santiago believed in reason and logic, he would never realize omens and furthermore his own personal legend, but if he believed in his heart his fears could be dismissed and he would once again reunite with

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