M. Schlauch's Blog about Some Things

One aspect of this book that I dislike is that whenever Santiago is learning from any of his mentors, they give him some vague advice that would leave almost anyone else confused or struggling, but then Santiago figures out some knowledge about the universe without any explanation. The example that annoyed me the most was after the Alchemist's speech about how you have to listen to your heart no matter what. Before this conversation, Santiago was having a lot of struggle trying to listen to his heart, and this was causing him a lot of distress. However, after a conversation about WHY it was important to listen to your heart, Santiago magically learns how to listen to his heart, as it is said, "The boy continued to listen to his heart... He came to understand its dodges and tricks... He lost his fear, and forgot about his need to go back to the oasis." It bothers me that Santiago was struggling with how he could listen to his heart, and then after a vague and confusing exp...

While Santiago is journeying through the dessert with the Alchemist, the old man relays a lot of knowledge that is very useful to Santiago's journey. However, one of the most important things that the Alchemist talks about is how Santiago always has to follow his heart, even if it is starting to become a burden, because the heart will never remain silent. This is shown in the conversation where Santiago is questioning the Alchemist about his heart's intent and how his heart is keeping him from getting rest, in which the Alchemist responds, "'Well, that's good. Your heart is alive.'" The Alchemist goes on to say that your heart came from the Soul of the World, and will help you find ;your way to the Soul of the World. The Alchemist also says that even if you try to ignore what your heart is trying to tell you, you "will never again be able to keep it quiet," which would put you at a state of eternal unrest.