Here are some questions I found on-line that might help to guide the discussion of this month's book. Feel free to comment on some or all of them, or to comment on other aspects of the book not mentioned here. Also, check back after commenting to see if someone else has something to say about your opinion. Just like a regular book club, it's okay to make more than one comment.
1. At the start of his journey, when Santiago asks a Gypsy woman to interpret his dream about a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids, she asks for one-tenth of the treasure in return. When Santiago asks the old man to show him the path to the treasure, the old man requests one-tenth of his flock as "payment." Both payments represent a different price we have to pay to fulfill a dream; however, only one will yield a true result. Which payment represents false hope? Can you think of examples from your own life when you had to give up something to meet a goal and found the price too high?
2. Paulo Coelho once said that alchemy is all about pursuing our spiritual quest in the physical world as it was given to us. It is the art of transmuting the reality into something sacred, of mixing the sacred and the profane. With this in mind, can you define your Personal Legend? At what time in your life were first able to act on it? What was your "beginner's luck"? Did anything prevent you from following it to conclusion? Having read "The Alchemist," do you know what inner resources you need to continue the journey?
3. One of the first major diversions from Santiago's journey was the theft of his money in Tangier, which forced him into taking a menial job with the crystal merchant. There, Santiago learned many lessons on everything from the art of business to the art of patience. Of all these, which lessons were the most crucial to the pursuit of his Personal Legend?
When he talked about the pilgrimage to Mecca, the crystal merchant argues that having a dream is more important than fulfilling it, which is what Santiago was trying to do. Do you agree with Santiago's rationale or the crystal merchant's?
4. The alchemist tells Santiago "you don't even have to understand the desert: all you have to do is to contemplate a simple grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation." With this in mind, why do you think the alchemist chose to befriend Santiago, though he knew that the Englishman was the one looking at him? What is the meaning of two dead hawks and the falcon in the oasis? At one point the alchemist explains to Santiago the secret of successfully turning metal to gold. How does this process compare to finding a Personal Legend?
5. Why did Santiago have to go through the dangers of tribal wars on the outskirts of the oasis in order to reach the Pyramids? At the very end of the journey, why did the alchemist leave Santiago alone to complete it?
6. Earlier in the story, the alchemist told Santiago "when you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed." At the end of the story, how did this simple lesson save Santiago's life? How did it lead him back to the treasure he was looking for?
7. Are omens really out there and are they important? What are omens? Are they just illusions that we see to justify something we feel or want to do, or are they something more?
8. What was the point of finding the treasure close to where it was first dreamed about?
Was the journey or finding the treasure more important? What does this mean about life? What happens in life when one actually achieves their personal legend?
9. Does the simplistic and primitive style of this book add or detract from the main goal, what ever you think the main goal is?
10. What does it mean to say "the universe conspires to help you achieve what you want"?
Thursday, January 17, 2008
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4 comments:
Great deep & insightful questions Shauna! I'll have to do some pondering before posting some of my thoughts though.
I think I will just answer one question, since I can be long-winded.
I read this book a few years ago, for the first time. I was in Portland, Oregon visiting my place of origin and my sister suggested it. The irony of reading The Alchemist at this time of my life is irresistible. I had recently become a therapist and was constantly bombarded by my clients' complicated life dilemmas I took personal ownership to 'cure'. The Alchemist brought me to an awareness about the importance, and privilege, of walking alongside others on their life journeys. As a result of this book I am a better therapist.
But, The Alchemist has reframed my own life journey as well. The joy of life may be intermittent, but the learning is constant. And it's the learning that makes the joy one-hundred fold.
I love this book for its realistic optimism. I have read several of his other books but I thinks The Alchemist is his finest work.
1. The payment to the Gypsy woman represents false hope b/c she asked for something that Santiago didn't have yet. This gave him hope b/c she was basically saying that she believed he would find the treasure, even though she didn't give him any new information on how to find it.
3. While having a dream is very important, I feel that the fulfillment of it is more important b/c the journey is what measures a person's character. Everyone has some type of dream or goal. It's what you do to make it come true, that tells what kind of a person you are. I think some of the most important lessons Santiago learned along his journey were patience, perserverance, faith, and learning to listen to his heart.
7. Omens, signs, warnings . . . Although I'm not superstitious, I do tend to believe in some "signs" and especially in the way I feel inside--kind of like how Santiago's heart was talking to him. I think that if you pay attention to your surroundings, you will notice little things that let you know you are on the right path.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
"Maybe God created the desert so that man could appreciate the date trees." (pg. 91)
"It's the simple things in lie that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them." (pg. 15)
"The hand of God is firm, but infinitely generous." (preface, pg. vi)
A quote I did not agree with:
"We only accept a truth after we have first wholeheartedly rejected it." (preface, pg. vi)
What are your thoughts on that?
3. I think one of the most important lessons he learned through his experience in Tangier was how much his own attitude and expectations colored his outlook and shaped his actions.
After he was robbed he was thinking about how this experience could leave him jaded and distrustful of humanity. Later he reflects that he can choose to see himself as a victim, or as an adventurer seeking for treasure. His decision to see himself as an adventurer allows him to live with courage and purpose (instead of fear), and eventually acheive his goal.
8. I really enjoyed the fact that he found the treasure right where he dreamed about it. I think that the tangible treasure he found was really only a small part of the treasure he gained through his quest. Had he simply been insstructed to dig where he was sleeping, he would not have learned "the language of the world," nor would have been blessed to meet his true love. He wouldn't have learned the benefits of tests and perserverance, and so much more.
When we live life as adventurers and enjoy the journey, instead focusing on the treasure we do not yet have, we are much happier in life. We learn more about ourselves and the world around us.
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