Perseverance, steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. From a juvenile age, perseverance is in all mankind. When a child first learns to walk, he may fall, however, he’ll proceed to get back up instinctively. The same characteristics of perseverance are found in Santiago, the main character in The Alchemist. In the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago is portrayed as a young shepherd, destined for adventure and travel, and would eventually learn of his strong trait of perseverance. Santiago learns of his destiny to travel to the pyramid of Africa to find his treasure. Throughout The Alchemist Santiago is faced with many challenges, but his perseverance guides him through the desert and ultimately to his treasure.
Santiago’s perseverance comes from a great force of knowing the…show more content… Perseverance came into play after Santiago accepted his fear of failing. Leaving his flock of sheep, and his comfortable lifestyle didn't come easily, “Here I am, between my flock and my treasure, the boy thought. He had to choose between something he had become accustomed to and something he wanted to have”(Coelho pg.15). Santiago proceeded with the journey, accepting the fact that loss and failure will occur, and being successful every time is unrealistic. As the journey went on, more and more failure and issues came up, but Santiago’s perseverance guided him the right way. The alchemist explained to Santiago his fear of failure, “It was my fear of failure that first kept me from attempting the Master Work. Now, I’m beginning what I could have started ten years ago. But I’m happy at least that I didn’t wait twenty years”(Coelho pg.54). Santiago’s fear of failure, enlightened him with this excitement to succeed. The excitement to succeed was a part of Santiago’s perseverance that lead him to his