The Alchemist

Reading Sheet 1

Choose 9 of the following questions to answer

P. 4 He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water. “They are so use to me that they know my schedule,” he muttered. Thinking about that for a moment, he realized that it could be the other way around: That it was he who had become accustomed to their schedule.

Question: How does the bolded statement, and this section in general, fit in with the theme created by the prologue? Is Santiago a character that seems narcissistic?

p. 7 If I became a monster today, and decided to kill , one by one, they would become aware only after most of the flock had been slaughtered, thought the boy. They trust me, and they’ve forgotten how to rely on their own instincts, because I lead them to nourishment.

Question: Santiago has chosen a specific lifestyle of a shepherd. How is he like, or unlike, the sheep that he is leading?

p. 9-10 The boy could see in his father’s gaze a desire to be able, himself, to travel the world—a desire that was still alive, despite his father’s having had to bury it, over dozens of years, under the burden of struggling for water to drink, food to eat, and the same place to sleep ever night of his life.

Question: The narrator hints that the father may have wanted more from life then what he has. Why do you think that Santiago’s father was willing to allow Santiago to quit the seminary and become a shepherd?

p. 11 I couldn’t have found God in the seminary, he thought, as he looked at the sunrise.

p. 12 It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting, he thought, as he looked again at the position of the sun…

Question: What is Santiago’s dream? Do you think he is a spiritual character?

p. 14 “It’s a dream in the language of the world,” she said. “I can interpret it, but the interpretation is very difficult. That’s why I feel that I deserve a part of what you find. And this is my interpretation: you must go to the Pyramids in Egypt. I have never heard of them, but, if it was a child who showed them to you, they exist. There you will find a treasure that will make you rich.”

Question: What do you think of the idea of a “language of the world?” How does this relate, or not relate, to Santiago’s decision to leave the seminary and become a shepherd?

P. 18 “What’s the world’s greatest lie?” the boy asked, completely surprised.

“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.”

Question: Do you agree that this is the world’s greatest lie? Why do you think that the old man is stopping to talk to Santiago about this? How do the boys encounter with Melchizedek change Santiago futures?

P. 21 “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. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend.”

Question: At what point in his life is Santiago? If he was a shepherd for four years, or ten years, do you think he would react the same way to the King of Salem as he is now, having been a shepherd for two years?

P. 38-39 That morning he had known everything that was going to happen to him as he walked through the familiar fields. But now, as the sun began to set, he was in a different country, a stranger in a strange land, where he couldn’t even speak the language. He was no longer a shepherd, and he had nothing, not even the money to return and start everything over.

Question: What events in life does this passage relate to? What things can happen that can leave us, at then end of a single day, in a completely different place or different frame of mind?

P. 43 When the stall was assembled, the candy seller offered the boy the first sweet he had made for the day. The boy thanked him, ate it, and went on his way. When he had gone only a short distance, he realized that, while they were erecting the stall, one of them had spoken Arabic and the other Spanish.

Question: Santiago’s second day in Africa starts in a more positive way. What realizations is he coming too, and how does it reflect personal growth for Santiago as a character?

P. 44 The Crystal merchant awoke with the day, and felt the same anxiety that he felt every morning?

Question: What point in his quest for a personal legend is the Crystal Merchant at? Would he believe in the World’s Greatest Lie?

P. 47 “I can give you the money you need to get back to your country, my son,” said the crystal merchant.

The boy said nothing. He got up, adjusted his clothing, and picked up his pouch.

“I’ll work for you,” he said.

And after another long silence, he added, “I need money to buy some sheep.”

Question: At the end of part one, what path does it appear that Santiago is travelling down? What major events are shaping him as a character? What path would you choose, or what do you think the omens are point him towards?

P. 24 The old man related that, the week before, he had been forced to appear before a miner, and had taken the form of a stone…

Question: What does the story of the miner and the emerald reveal about Melchizedek’s view of an individuals quest for their Personal Legend, and how Melchizedek will assist the quest?

P. 31-32 “’Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,’ said the wisest of wise men. ‘The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.’”

Question: How does the story of the wise man, the boy, and the spoon relate to Santiago? Think about this story as a separate fable, what is the moral of the story, and how would it relate to your life? What is the oil in your spoon, and what is the bigger picture?

P. 34 “A practice of infidels,” he said to himself. As a child in church, he had always looked at the image of Saint Santiago Matamoros on his white horse, his sword unsheathed, and figures such as these kneeling at his feet. The boy felt ill, and terribly alone. The infidels had an evil look about them.

Question: What is Santiago’s view of the country he has travelled too? Do you think a view of people, or treatment of people in this way, will help or hinder Santiago on his quest for his personal legend? Why or Why not?

P. 35-37 The new arrival was a young man in Western dress, but the color of his skin suggested he was

from this city. He was about the same age and height as the boy.

Question: Why is Santiago willing to immediately trust the young boy who talks to him in the bar? What happens to Santiago after he decides to trust the boy? After the setback, would you continue on the quest for your personal legend/treasure?