IndexIntroductionPersonal Legend and Development in The AlchemistSantiago's Call to AdventureChallenges of Santiago's Personal LegendConclusionReferencesIntroductionThe heroic journey appears in almost every story ever written. Throughout the story, the main character develops, faces diversity and most of the time overcomes it. The character is always more influenced by some passages than others. This is difficult to understand and people seem to understand character development but don't know how each step affects the character differently and how much they change through the steps of their personal legend. The Alchemist shows the 12 steps of the heroic journey through the main character, Santiago, as he embarks on his personal legend. In the book, Santiago's whole life changes when he takes 3 small steps in his life journey. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Personal Legend and Development in the Alchemist Santiago's dream changed his life forever. He didn't know it at the time, but that dream would affect him in many ways. The call to adventure in the story is probably the place where it changed the most. He is a shepherd living in a field with his sheep, when suddenly his speech is interrupted by a dream he had. He wonders what this dream means and can't stop thinking about it. When he dreams the same dream for the second time, he knows it's time to act. The famous essayist Henry David Thoreau said: “You cannot dream of becoming a character; you must hammer and forge one yourself” (“Goodreads”). Santiago knew that to know what his dream was trying to tell him, he had to take action. The dream called him to embark on his adventure. His heart knew what he wanted, but his brain had no idea what it was. He wanted to know, and if he wanted to find it, he had to come across the person his heart wanted. Buddha once said: “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one can. We ourselves must walk the path” (“BrainyQuote”). Santiago knows he will have to take some action to find out what his dream is, but he doesn't expect what kind of adventure will come next. The gypsy helps him interpret it, shocks him with the results and tells him what to do. He must go to the Pyramids to find his treasure. He doesn't like the idea of ​​interrupting his herding lifestyle and feels uncomfortable embarking on that journey because it turns his world upside down. Buddha shows that if he ever wants to realize his life goal/personal legend, he will have to leave. There is no other way. Author Jose N. Harris once said, “When you find your way, you must ignore fear. We must have the courage to risk mistakes. But once you're on that road...run, run, run, and don't stop until you reach the end” (“Goodreads”). When Santiago is informed that he has to go to the pyramids, he doesn't know how to react. He is very afraid of what might happen to him. He simply needs to leave this fear behind and focus on achieving his personal legend. He has found the path he was supposed to take and wants to follow it to the end. Santiago's call to adventure has a big impact on his world and he knows that he will be changed a lot by his next steps in life. Santiago's Call to Adventure Meeting the mentor changes Santiago in big ways along with the call to adventure. The king taught him so much that without him he would have no direction. The king talks to him about how he helps people with their personal legends and helps them realize their legend. Santiago is given the elements of Urim and Thummim to help himto guide him along the way. These elements help Santiago in some important moments in his journey to the pyramids. They also help him remember all the things the king teaches him during their time together. The information he is taught is more valuable than the guidance of the stones themselves, and he benefits greatly from the king's teachings. He is given guidance, wisdom, and trust by the king during their short days of conversation. He is given proper advice on how to succeed in his journey. They are taught how the world works and how not to be fooled by people like gypsies. The most important aspect of meeting the mentor is that he gains confidence in his decision and is ready to embark on his journey to the pyramids and find his goal. He is taught that, even though he may not know it, he is in full control of what he will end up doing. He has the chance not to realize his personal legend, and the chance to complete it, and the outcome is totally up to him. The king of Persia said to Santiago, "at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what is happening to us, and our lives become controlled by destiny. This is the biggest lie in the world'” (Coelho 18) .The king helps teach him that he can control everything in his life. It gives him the confidence to fulfill his legend and embark on his journey. Santiago is really unsure of himself and doesn't think he wants to make his journey to the pyramids. Meeting the king gave Santiago a whole new perspective on the situation. He is taught that his personal legend is to go to the pyramids, but he is not obligated to complete it if he chooses otherwise. His life is not controlled by fate and he can choose to do what he wants. This reassures him that if he makes the right decisions he can complete his personal legend. Santiago had been taught that his life was controlled by destiny and that nothing happened by itself. The famous martial arts teacher Bruce Lee once stated: "If you follow the classical pattern, you understand the routine, the tradition, the shadow - you don't understand yourself" ("GoodReads"). Santiago wanted to follow the pattern, continue being a shepherd and stay in his box, where he felt comfortable. He still doesn't understand his heart. He needs to see that his heart knows what he wants and will show him the way if he is willing to listen. The king really helps him understand this by giving him urim and Thummim because this makes him listen to his heart and see what he wants. It shows him that when he listens to his heart, he will be able to make decisions and follow the right path. When he is able to step out of the shadows and truly listen to himself and only himself, that is when he will finally understand himself. . The king also teaches him that: '“The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon'” (Choelo 32). When the king tells the story of the kid and the spoonful of oil, Santiago is a little confused at first. The boy focused so much on the oil the first time around the castle that he didn't see anything around him, but then the second time he focused too much on his surroundings and missed the oil. The king helps Santiago understand that he must be able to focus on his destination but also never forget what his goal is. He learns that he needs to find a balance and focus on both things at the same time. The destination may be important, but the journey is just as significant as the destination. If Santiago focuses too much on getting to the pyramids, he will never meet Fatima, nor learn anything from the alchemist himself. Throughout The Alchemist he is reminded of the importance of this story and benefits greatly from its teachings. The challenges of Santiago's personal legend After. 2023.