Characters
What is the name of the protagonist (main character) of The Alchemist?
Santiago.
Who first people to encourage Santiago to pursue his personal legend?
The fortune teller and Melchizedek.
Who says "...whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth"?
Melchizedek
What is the moral of the story Melchizedek tell Santiago about the oil and the spoon.
That you need to focus on the dreams in life but still enjoy the world around you.
What are the names of the rocks that Melchizedek?
Urim and Thummim.
What is the name of the girl that Santiago falls in love with when he comes to the oasis?
Fatima
How is Santiago's money stolen in Tangiers?
Her gave his money to a boy he meet who said he would guide him to the pyramids.
Who says “…every blessing ignored becomes a curse. I don't want anything else in life. But you are forcing me to look at wealth and at horizons that I have never known. Now that I have seen them, and now that I see how immense my possibilities are, I'm going to feel worse than I did before you arrived. Because I know the things I should be able to accomplish, and I don't want to do so.?
The crystal merchant
What lesson dose Santiago learn when his money is stolen in the Tanagers?
He should not see the world interns of what he would like to see but how it accurately is.
What is the product of alchemy that can turn lead into gold?
The Elixir of Life.
Who is Melchizedek?
The King of Salem
What is the climax of the story?
When he turned himself into the wind as the Alchemist told him to do so.
Who says “We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions or our property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand” ?
The camel driver.
What lesson dose Santiago learn from the crystal merchant?
He leans that some people are afraid of realizing their dream because then there would be no reason to go on living.
What is the product of alchemy that can turn lead into gold?
The Philosophers Stone.
What personal story dose the crystal merchant share with Santiago?
He has the desire to take a pilgrimage to Mecca, but the he thinks that the thought of going is what keeps him alive.
What dose Santiago realize about himself and his journey at the end of the story?
That true treasure comes from within his journey because that is where he gain valuable lessons.
"The alchemists spent years in their laboratories, observing the fire that purified the metals. They spent so much time close to the fire that gradually they gave up the vanities of the world. They discovered that the purification of the metals had led to a purification of themselves” What dose this summarize?
The key insight that connects the practice of transforming metals through alchemy with the idea of human beings attaining spiritual perfection by pursuing their Personal Legends.
What test is the Alchemist giving Santiago when he meets him? How dose he do this?
He tests his courage. He dose this by pointing a sword at his head and see how he responds to his questions.
Why does Santiago choose to dig in the dune by the pyramids?
He sees a scarab there.
How dose Santiago meet the Alchemist?
When Santiago is in the desert the Alchemist shows up to test him with a sword to his head.
What omen did Santiago see in the desert? What dose this represent?
Two dead hawks. It represents the death on both sides, which means the coming pf war.
“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. That’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one ‘dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.’ What dose this summarize?
The alchemist explains to Santiago why he had to endure so many trials if the universe, as the alchemist and others have said, does actually want him to fulfill his Personal Legend.
How dose Santiago feel when he meets a man who had a dream but did not follow it?
He feels happy and reassured the he made the decision to go on the journey he can see that the man that did not follow his dream is ignorant.
What job does the Al-Fayoum tribal chieftain offer Santiago to reward him for warning of invading armies?
Counselor of the Oasis.