Book Review: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Here’s my experience of reading a masterpiece.

Author’s note, on page 10, Coelho quotes Oscar Wilde, “ Each man kills the thing he loves.”, and goes on to explain the guilt carried upon by every soul that deems itself unworthy of gaining victory, for all it has known is to suffer and be humble.

This is the story of each human, who dreamt heavens, either gave up in remorse or settled for cents. A minute fraction of those dreamers dared enlist for the consequences concealed by destiny. An amalgam of the path laid forth by instincts and omens, entangled with the ability to assume unwavering resolute and at times, the willingness to live through it.

This single book has served as my enlightenment for life, dreams, and destiny.

Living through a timeline that seeks untiring labor and enwreathed by illusions of responsibilities and happiness, we aim to attain a “successful life”. As a child, we listen to our hearts, and we dream beyond bounds. The growth of our physical being muffles down the silent voices of our hearts.

Do we dare dream? For the heart now has grown timid and speaks a foreign language that the soul seizes to abide by, yet the “logics” of the world deem right.

How do we dream? Is there a greater purpose in all that we yearn for?

Does my individual accomplishment account for an applaud?

If I am to achieve my heart’s, why do I suffer through? If it’s meant to be and is mine, why does destiny make me take a longer route?

Shall I give up or just let it be? Is it okay for me to be?

These questions belong to each one of us, and for the answers beautifully carved by the author, I have wade through the pages with due vigilance. Losing count of reads, and having learned by heart the fate of Santiago, the shepherd boy; for some unexplained reasons, I still find something unmarked and unread from before.

The questions of self-doubt and contemplation of “Muktab” hold their stature as an unwavering life lesson. “Now I can read omens, and I’ll harness my destiny.”, is what I remember telling myself when I first read this piece of art.

3 years hence, I still am learning, criticizing, and revising, trying to get hold of the dreams I dreamt without fear. After years, it takes me a total of 24 hours for a quick read-through and an unrecorded time for interpretation. Over the years, my interpretation of Coelho’s words has altered and tailored itself to embody my questions. Each time I try to explain my dependence on this particular work of his, I find myself struggling to find the “best” quote or the “perfect” words that moved me enough for me to pitch it to every person seeking a book reading suggestion. I know no more. Having read over hundreds of books, unbiased towards a specific genre or author, I find myself knowing no other book, deserving of being read over and over again, by all. In the uncountable moments of struggling every time, I have realized that each word and every dialogue exhibits deep insights. Consequently, a reader’s interpretation knows no bounds.

My understanding has instilled a realization emphasizing the significance of listening to one’s heart, for the heart knows the best. There shall be times when this heart communicates fear of failing or the anxiety of never accomplishing one’s dreams. It warns, its owner of the unaccomplished & unnamed men, who exactly like itself, searched and died. At other times, it shall speak of contentment in finding earthly love, where the resolute for destiny becomes negotiable & giving up doesn’t seem so bad.

It shall possess a fear of losing everything you’ve earned, in the unpromised pursuit for “treasure”. The deal here is to know the dreams and aspirations possessed by your heart that are being shielded momentarily by fear & disbelief and keep listening to its worries which in turn eliminates the fear of an unanticipated blow.

“Don’t give in to your fears.”, said the alchemist, in a strangely gentle voice. “If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.”

“When you possess great treasures within you and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.”, spoken through the alchemist, radiates an aura of self-belief.

A major part of humankind has given up on and continues to give up on themselves, and their destinies to try and live on par with the unevolved understanding of the fellow members of its species.

The talks about alchemy, gold, and the Philosopher’s stone, their interlinked destiny, and the alchemists working tirelessly to unveil the “secret” and each of the approaches that deem success; all stand metaphorically mirroring the reader’s own life and its struggles. The hunt for destiny and the contemplation of omens, the lies we tell ourselves and the silent voices of the heart, the strength to dream, and the consequent luxury to walk down the path while chasing it; through these, I have experienced the understanding of myself. Such are the lessons of life, inscribed effortlessly in this piece of wisdom allowing its readers a chance to dream on.

Every time the voices get clearer, I move a step closer. For my days of fear, I pick it up again, and read “The Alchemist”, as it says.