The Alchemist By: Paulo Coelho
1 Having read the myth of Echo and Narcissus you can determine that the myth is not only a warning towards self absorbance but the love of one who can not or will not love you back as well. The original version I have read, as there are many different ones, says that as punishment for his rejection of the nymph Echo’s love he brought the wrath of the gods. It was said that a blind seer told his mother when he was born that he would live a long and happy life should he not recognize himself. The gods’ punishment towards narcissus was that he would feel himself how it feels to love something and never be loved back by that which he loves the most. In the story after being punished by the gods Narcissus comes to…show more content… The lake was not sad because it missed Narcissus but because it missed seeing its own beauty reflected in his eyes. The lake really was only being selfish. The point of the story in itself is to follow your own Personal Legend. The story in itself is both selfish, because he gets treasure in the end, but also a story of sacrifice, in the beginning Santiago had to give up his sheep, and towards the end even love came second to what Santiago and the alchemist planned to do, and even though Santiago chose to leave Fatime to fulfill his Personal Legend the Alchemist had also made it clear that had he stayed he no longer would have been able to provide for Fatima after a period of only a couple of…show more content… Just below this in actuality is the area of Andalusia, Spain. Andalusia is on the southern tip of Spain in real life as well which makes you think its not all fiction. Even Disney says dreams can come true if you try hard enough! On a Map The area of Andalusia there is but a small strait (the Strait of Gibraltar) that stands between Andalusia and the Africa known to be home to many muslims. This is where the cultural and/or spiritual aspects come in. After getting robbed Santiago has no choice but to find a job and place to stay. While staying in the Shopkeeper’s home it is near impossible not to learn the language and the ways of the people. This is one way that the cultures of this book