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The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in Paulo Coelho’s
The Alchemist
A Thesis
Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Attainment of
Sarjana Sastra Degree in English Literature Study Program
By:
Sri Wahyuni
08211144025
English Literature Study Program
Faculty Of Languages And Arts
Yogyakarta State University
2016
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MOTTO
“There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end
until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory”
-Sir Francis Drake-
vi
DEDICATION
This writing is sincerely dedicated to my parents, my supervisors, and for those
who have passion in studying archetype, mythology, and hero’s journey.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE............................................................................................................ i
APPROVAL SHEET .................................................................................. ii
RATIFICATION SHEET........................................................................... iii
SURAT PERNYATAAN............................................................................... iv
MOTTO......................................................................................................... v
DEDICATIONS............................................................................................ vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................... vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................. viii
LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................ xi
LIST OF FIGURE........................................................................................ xi
ABSTRACT.................................................................................................. xii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION................................................................. 1
A. Background of the Study........................................................................... 1
B. Research Focus.......................................................................................... 7
C. Research Objectives................................................................................... 9
D. Research Significance................................................................................ 9
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW................................................... 10
A. Theoretical Description............................................................................. 10
1. Structuralism............................................................................................... 10
2. Archetype and Myth Studies.............................…….……………............. 15
3. The Conception of Quest............…………………………………............ 18
4. Christopher Vogler’s Mythic Structure…………………………….......... 19
a. Act 1 (Separation – Ordinary World)………………………..................... 21
1) Stage 1: The Ordinary World…………………………………................. 21
2) Stage 2: The Call to Adventure...………………………………………... 23
3) Stage 3: Refusal of the Call....................………………………………… 24
4) Stage 4: Meeting with the Mentor.............................................................. 25
5) Stage 5: Crossing the First Threshold......................................................... 25
b. Act 2 (Initiation – Special World).……………………………………….. 26
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1) Stage 6: Test-Allies-Enemies...................................................................... 26
2) Stage 7: Approach to the Inmost Cave........................................................ 27
3) Stage 8: Supreme Ordeal............................................................................. 28
4) Stage 9: Seizing the Reward........................................................................ 29
c. Act 3 (Return- Ordinary World)................................................................... 29
1) Stage 10: The Road Back............................................................................. 30
2) Stage 11: Resurrection.................................................................................. 31
3) Stage 12: Return with the Elixir................................................................... 31
5. Intrinsic Element of Narrative....................................................................... 32
a. Plot.....................................……………………………………………….... 32
1) Exposition or Introduction……………………........…………………….... 33
2) Conflict or Rising Actions…………………………...........................…….. 33
3) Complication................................................................................................. 34
4) Climax........................................................................................................... 34
5) Resolution and Falling Action....................................................................... 34
b. Setting……………………………………………………………................ 34
B. Review of Previous Related Research Findings........................................... 35
C. Paulo Coelho and The Alchemist.................................................................. 38
D. Conceptual Framework................................................................................ 41
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD....................................................... 43
A. The Research Design.................................................................................... 43
B. Data Type..................................................................................................... 44
C. Data Source.................................................................................................. 45
D. Data Collecting Technique........................................................................... 45
E. Data Analysis ............................................................................................... 47
F. Validity and Trustworthiness ....................................................................... 48
CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION.......................................... 50
A. The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in The Alchemist.................................. 50
1. The Ordinary World...................................................................................... 52
a. Introducing the Hero and His Environment................................................... 52
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b. Showing the Hero’s Inner-Outer Problems, the Hero’s Lack,
and the Hero’s wound....................................................................................... 54
c. Suggesting Dramatic Question of the Story................................................. 55
d. Exposing Hero’s Back Story........................................................................ 56
e. Foreshadowing the Model of the Special World.......................................... 57
2. The Call to Adventure.................................................................................. 59
a. The Call Comes More Than Once................................................................ 59
b. The Call is Brought by the Herald............................................................... 60
3. Refusal of the Call........................................................................................ 62
4. Meeting with the Mentor.............................................................................. 62
a. Source of Wisdom........................................................................................ 63
b. Supply of Equipment.................................................................................... 65
5. Crossing the First Threshold......................................................................... 66
6. Test-Allies-Enemies...................................................................................... 68
a. The Watering Hole; a Drastic Contrast to the Former World....................... 68
b. Making Allies and Dealing with the Enemies.............................................. 70
c. Encountering Trials or Test.......................................................................... 71
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave...................................................................... 75
a. Another Special World, Threshold, and Guardian....................................... 76
b. Courtship Moment....................................................................................... 78
c. Obstacle as the Preparation of the Ordeal.................................................... 80
8. Supreme Ordeal........................................................................................... 82
9. Seizing the Reward...................................................................................... 83
10. The Road Back.......................................................................................... 84
11. Resurrection.............................................................................................. 86
12. Return with the Elixir................................................................................ 87
B. Literary Elements that presents the Archetypes of Hero’s Journey
in The Alchemist............................................................................................. 89
1. By Plot..................................................................................................... 90
2. By Setting................................................................................................ 95
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS.................................................................. 100
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REFERENCES......................................................................................... 104
APPENDICES........................................................................................... 106
Appendix I The Synopsis of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist...................... 106
Appendix II The Data................................................................................. 108
Appendix III Surat Pernyataan Triangulasi................................................ 129
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. A Form of the Data Sheet Model.............................................. 46
Table 2. The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey........................................... 51
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Framework of Thinking ........................................................... 43
Figure 2. The Alchemist’s Plot Diagram.................................................. 91
Figure 3. Map of Santiago’s Journey....................................................... 96
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THE ARCHETYPES OF HERO’S JOURNEY IN PAULO
COELHO’S THE ALCHEMIST
BY
SRI WAHYUNI
08211144025
ABSTRACT
This research has two objectives. The first is to demonstrate the archetypes
of hero’s journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. The second is to uncover
literary elements used to reveal those archetypes. The analysis is based on
Christopher Vogler’s theory of mythic structure.
This research applied the descriptive qualitative method. The content
analysis was employed as the technique of the research. The data were some
sentences and utterances relating to the archetypes of hero’s journey. The data
were collected using read-write technique. The data were analysed relating to the
stages of the archetypes of hero’s journey. The data analysis dealt with the process
of data reducing, data displays and conclusion drawing. Triangulation technique
was used to obtain trustworthiness.
This research reveals two findings. First, based on Christopher Vogler’s
theory on mythic structure, 12 stages of the archetypes of hero’s journey that
signify the cycle of Separation-Initiation-Return are found in the novel. Those
stages are (1) The Ordinary World, (2) The Call to Adventure, (3) Refusal of the
Call, (4) Meeting with the Mentor, (5) Crossing the First Threshold, (6) Test-
Allies-Enemies, (7) Approach to the Inmost Cave, (8) Supreme Ordeal, (9)
Seizing the Reward, (10) The Road Back, (11) Resurrection, and (12) Return with
the Elixir. These twelve stages are useful to identify the road-map of the hero’s
journey. The whole story of The Alchemist gives more understanding to the
archetypes of hero’s journey and vice versa. The stages of the archetypes of hero’s
journey help to uncover what quest is being achieved by the hero. The most
interesting finding is that the transformation and heroic quality are reflected in the
stage of Supreme Ordeal. The transformation is the aim of the hero’s journey. It
suggests that the hero changes from the state of innocence to the state of
knowledge. Hero’s transformation reflects universal human realization of the
essence of life. Second, the archetypes of hero’s journey are presented through the
correlation among two narrative intrinsic elements which are plot and setting of
time and place. In demonstrating each stage, plot shows the level of tension that
reflects six phases: exposition, rising action, complication, climax, falling action,
and resolution. Setting demonstrates the time order and the environment that
signify the realm of the ordinary world and the special world.
Keywords: mythic structure, hero’s Journey, archetype
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Research
Literature in a broad sense means compositions that tell stories or express
ideas. For Rusian formalists (Eagleton, 1983: 3), a literary work is neither a
reflection nor an expression of idea or social reality, but it is an organization of
language that has its own specific structures, laws, and devices. In this sense,
literature is creative writing. No matter what the content is, there is no need to
associate literature with author’s or social’s intention. Castle (2007: 6), another
scholar in literary criticism, defines literature as given written works contain
special form of language which are “more evocative and connotative than other
forms of writing”.
No matter how literature is assimilated, great advantages can be gained
from reading literature. Literature helps the readers grow both personally and
intellectually. In fact, literature links the readers with the field of culture,
philosophy, religion, and so forth, so that it increases the readers’ understanding
and deepens the power of sympathy.
A type of literature that contains interesting and imaginative sequence of
actions presented in plotline is fiction or narrative like myth, short story, or novel.
Fictional works usualy present major characters who attempt to solve their
problems or to achieve their goals. Some of those characters change and grow
(e.g. in their moral, insight, sensitivity, or attitude) as the result of dealing with
other characters. The purposes of narrative fiction are to attract and stimulate
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readers with imaginative experiences that the readers also encounter in their real
life.
A kind of narrative that presents the transformation or the change of the
major character is a story that contains quest like stories in the genre of adventure
and fantasy. Besides, the circumstances of quest stories are like the detailed road
maps of human’s life. The quest stories often contains human experiences like
failure, frustration, loss, pain, love, romance, success, jealousy, confusion, and so
forth.
The significance of the quests is related to the idea that the main characters
of such stories must accomplish certain tasks in order to achieve the goals and
transformations. The transformations bring the main characters from the state of
innocence to the state of awareness or knowledge. The transformations are gained
through journeys in which the main characters encounter trials, receive aids, and
fight enemies. The main characters who strugle for the quest in the quest stories
are called heroes. According to Howard (2010: 2) the quest stories contain such
journeys full of trials and enemies that the heroes, alone or in the company of
others, are bound to undertake.
The journey is a process of discovery in which the hero learns essential
truth about himself or his society. In truth, the essential part of the quest story is
the hero, for he plays the central role of the human experience and that he has a
purpose which transcends not only his quality of being human but also his society.
In other words, a hero is the person who goes out in the journey to achieve great
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deeds on behalf of the group tribe or civilization. An American scholar of myth
studies, Campbell (2004: 263) defines hero as:
”... a male or female who ventures forth from the world of common day
into a region of supernatural wonder: fabolous forces are there
encountered and a desicive victory is won: the hero comes back from this
mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”
From the quotation above, it can be inferred that the heroes must get out
from the comfort zone to explore into labyrinth of the story in order to achieve the
triumph. Meanwhile, the aim of their victory is to transcend or to heal the
wounded people in society.
According to Frye in his third essay, “Archetypal Criticism: Theory of
Myths” cited in his book Anatomy of Criticism (1957: 162), the pattern or the
structure of most of contemporary literary works including quest stories revert to
the structure of old myths or tales. He explains that he sees “Four narrative
pregeneric elements of literature which I [Frye] shall call mythoi or generic plots”.
Those four narratives are comedy, romance, tragedy, and irony/satire. Then, he
asserts that every narrative falls into one of two categories, either Comedic
(Comedy-Romantic) or Tragic (Tragedy-Ironic). It means that all stories
involving heroes for time to time have the same structure or can be categorized
into a form of structure like template. Besides, the structure of the hero’s quest is
believed by many scholars as something archetypal.
Archetype means the begining of imprint or the original model of
something. The idea of the archetype in this research is derived from the scope of
myth and archetype studies. Based on these studies, the archetype lies in human
psyche that Jung (in Feist-Feist, 2009 :124) calls as “collective unconscious” and
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it can be observed at any times and any place in many cultures, showing basic
human experiences. The collective unconscious means as the deeper-part of
“personal unconscious” that contains memories which are inherited by human
ancestors. Meanwhile, Howard (2010: 1) defines the archetype as “a prototype, a
pattern, a common theme, a template in fiction; a flexible pattern of expectations
reflective of the human experience; a theme that reflects life, a recurring story or
plotline”. Thus, the archetypal structure of hero’s quest can be infered as a
recurrent pattern that is ubiquitous in many stories around the world.
The idea of archetypal structure of hero’s quest can be found in myths,
ancient tales, even in contemporary fiction. In ancient tales, the idea of archetypal
structure of hero’s quest can be found in the old written narrative of occidental
epics like Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, or oriental epics like Ramayana
and Mahabharata. In all those ancient narratives, the heroes must take series of
quests in which they encounter tests, obstacles, and dangers in order to achieve
certain goals. Odysseus’s journey from Trojan to Ithaca in order to reclaim his
kindom in Ithaca is similar to the Pandawa’s journey of reclaiming Hastinapura.
Thus, it can be seen that the structure of the heroes’s quest in those epics are
common though they are separated in location and time.
As the main character who leads the story, the hero has the meaning as a
brave or admirable person. However, in literary works and films, the main
characters are not always having heroic quality, they may behave passively and
remain mysterious till the end. For example, Pecola in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest
Eye reveals herself to be a weak and vulnerable character until the end of the
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story. From this fact, it can be infered that the archetypal structure of hero’s quest
is not used by certain narratives in which the major characters do not show the
heroic quality.
The Heroic quality generally is shown in adventure and fantasy book like
J. R. R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.
The heroes in those book show a transformation from an ordinary man to be a
brave and admirable one. The hero of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo, is an ordinary
hobbit who is inheritted a ring (Sauron’s ring) by his cousin Bilbo and must
undertake the quest to bring the ring out of Shire. The hero of The Hunger Games,
Katnis, is an ordinary girl who lives in the mines distric and recklesly undertakes
her sister’s position to play the deathly game. Both Frodo Baggins and Katniss
Everdeen are able to deal with their fate to undergo their journeys, achieving the
goals and going back to their former lands to spread the goodness of their goal.
Frodo and Katnis’ series of experiences presented in the novel are heroes’s
journey.
Hero’s Journey is the quest’s pattern or structure that appears in myths or
ancient tales, story telling, drama, even modern literary works and films. It
describes the typical adventure of the hero, whether it is a real physical adventure
or mind and spiritual one, The pattern is also called as mythic structure, for since
the first story in the world emerged, the ideas in it have appeared and continously
exist across ages and countries. Campbell (in Vogler, 2007: 4) argues that the
theme of hero’s journey myth is universal that occurs in every cultures and times.
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He has discovered that so many stories include modern literary works,
consciously or not, follow the ancient patterns of myths.
Campbell (2004: 28) articulates this recurent structure of the hero’s
journey as The Monomyth. It is the universal structure of the mythological
adventure of the hero that represents the cycle of Separation- Initiation-Return.
Campbell (2004: 30) also argues that all forms of narratives involving the heroes’
quests acquire universal structural pattern:
The standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero is
magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation
– initiation – return; which might be named the nuclear unit of the
monomyth. A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a
region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and
decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious
adventure with the power to bestow boons of his fellowman.
From the quotation above can be infered that the heroes, mostly presented in
simple and innocent individuals, are separated from his or her ordinary life and
must undergo certain tests to achieve their stage of initiation and then return as
different individuals.
Vogler adapts Campbell’s 17 stages of hero’s journey in his idea of mythic
structure. Vogler condenses the 17 stages down into 12 stages. Those hero’s
journey stages are included into the cycle of ordinary world - special world -
ordinary world. Similar with Campbell, Vogler’s concept of the archetypes of
hero’s journey is important to identify the purpose or the function of a hero and
his journey in a quest story.
The atmosphere of the quest story is also experienced by Santiago, the
hero in Paulo Coelho’s prominent quest story, The Alchemist. It is a narrative that
7
urges the reader to see that the milieu of the text involves and incorporates
archetype or mythical elements of hero’s journey. The Alchemist tells the story
about how an ordinary Andalusia shepherd boy, who abandons his father’s will of
directing him to become a priest, chooses to be a traveler. Because of his desire of
traveling the world, he gets the quest to search for treasure that is hidden in the
Pyramid of Egypt. However, Santiago is reluctant to undertake the quest and he
feels fear toward the unexpected trials ahead. He remains in his ordinary place
until a gipsy woman interprets his dream and an old man, Melchizedek,
encourages him to take the journey.
This research intends to study the recurrent patterns or structures of the
hero’s journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. This research tries to
demonstrate those archetypes of hero’s journey by looking at the chronological
order of the events and the settings that occur in the story related to the hero’s
journey. This topic of the research is mainly generated by two consideration. First,
The Alchemist is a prominent story that contain quest and hero’s journey. It means
that this novel presents the archetypal structure in its narrative. Second, the study
on archetypal patterns found in literary work will enrich the study of literary
works, especially about myth and archetype studies.
B. Research Focus
Discussing about the hero’s journey and its quest in a story, it couldn’t be
separated from involving mythic structure or archetypal story pattern. Although
many stories vary in its settings, themes, genres, even in its goals, the form or the
rule of the basic patterns of their whole storyline are quite similar. Thus, the
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structure of a hero’s journey in quest story like Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist
needs to be understood further for some reasons. First, it is to determine what
quest actually the hero is achieving, whether the quest is to look for treasure or to
learn the language of the world. Next, it is to encourage the fact that the storyline
of this novel represents the universal patterns of all stories.
From the identification above, the research focuses on examining and
exploring the narrative structure of this novel, and suggesting that the patterns of
The Alchemist’s storyline follows the model of the archetypes of hero’s journey.
This research employs the idea of mythic structure that is identified by
Christopher Vogler.
By considering the study on structuralism, the evidences regarding the
archetypes of hero’s journey as the narrative structures of The Alchemist are
discovered and presented. This study is important because, as a literary method, it
argues that there must be a structure in every text. It concentrates and focuses
more on the elements of narrative. The novel also has elements which cannot
stand alone. An element needs other element to produce a whole story. In other
words, those elements influence each other. Thus, by using this literary method
for both discovering and presenting the findings, the discussion about the
archetypal patterns that the hero takes on are also presented.
Based on the focus of the research above, the researcher formulates the
following question:
1. What are the archetypes of hero’s journey presented in Paulo
Coelho’s The Alchemist?
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2. How are those archetypes of hero’s journey presented in the
novel?
C. Research Objectives
Considering the research questions mention above, the research is intended
to:
1. describe the archetypes of hero’s journey that are presented in
Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, and
2. uncover how the novel presents those archetypes of hero’s
journey.
D. Research Significance
This research, expectedly, will be beneficial for the following reasons.
1. Theoretically, this research may enrich research in literature, especially in the
field of archetypal study . Further, it would expectedly heighten student’s interests
in studying myths and archetypes in literary works. Furthermore, to the future
researchers, this research can provide baseline information on the use and the
aplication of structuralism in analyzing a literary work.
2. Practically, it is hoped that the analysis of the archetypes of hero’s journey in
this research can motivates readers in both academic and general to understand
how to read a quest story more critically. After reading the finding, the readers are
expected to get the meaningful evidences and to have more interest in conducting
further research on the same field in the future.
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CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter, which deals with literature review, is divided into four parts.
The first part is theoretical descriptions that consist of Structuralism, Archetype
and Myth Studies, The Conception of Quest, Christopher Vogler‘s Mythic
Structure, and The Intrinsic elements of Narrative. The second part is the review
of previous related research findings. The third part covers the historical
background of Paulo Coelho and his novel The Alchemist. The last part is
conceptual framework which shows the mind map of how to conduct this
research.
A. Theoretical Descriptions
1. Structuralism
Structuralism emerged from linguistics which focus upon the patterns and
functions of language, and how its meaning established and maintained.
According to Terence Hawkes (1978: 11) structuralism claims that things cannot
be understood in isolation but must be seen in the context of the larger structures
which they are part of. For example, Barryin in his ―structuralism summary &
analysis‖ states that one needs to determine the precise nature of the chicken if
they want to declare anything intelligent about eggs. It means that for examining
or scrutinizing an object, it is needed to determine the precise and the essential
nature of every elements of that former object. Another example is given by
Tyson (2006: 209):
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…you are not engaged in structuralist activity if you examine the physical
structure of a building to discover if it is physically stable or aesthetically
pleasing. However, you are engaged in structuralist activity if you examine
the physical structures of all the buildings built in urban America in 1850
to discover the underlying principles that govern their composition, for
example, principles of mechanical construction or of artistic form. You are
also engaged in structuralist activity if you examine the structure of a
single building to discover how its composition demonstrates the
underlying principles of a given structural system.
The example above means that in applying structuralism as a method
analysis there are two ways. First way is by generating a structural system of
classification. The second way is by demonstrating that an individual item belongs
to a particular structural class.
Structuralist criticism has not only been applied in linguistics but also in
psychology, sociology, anthropology, mythology studies, and has been used to
identify all social and cultural phenomena. For, Structuralist criticism identifies
the structures and the system of relationships between identity and meaning of its
items (e.g. clothes, vehicles) and signs (e.g. words, images, symbols) (Guerin et
al, 2005: 368-369).
Ferdinand de Saussure, a structural linguistics, states that the language
system consists of La Langue and La Parole. La Langue means the language or
the system possessed and used by all members of a particular language
community, whereas La Parole means the words or any specific application of La
Langue in speech or writing (Eagleton, 1983: 97). In other words, Parole is the
surface phenomena or the individual realization of the system in the form of
language while Langue is the social aspect of the language or structure that allows
texts to make meaning. In this case, the structuralist doesn‘t attempt to interpret
12
what individual text‘s mean but examine the detail of its text in order to discover
the fundamental structural units or functions that manage the text‘s narrative
itself.
Besides, according to Saussure (Guerrin at all, 2005: 370), "structural"
linguistics furnishes a functional explanation of language according to its
structural hierarchy-that is, structures within structures. Saussure also suggests
that his ―structural‖ system for studying language has significant implications for
other disciplines. Thus, In the study of a literary work, Saussure explains that his
structural system reflects our usual instinctive approach like when we read the
poem from its start to its finish or when we see the narrative work in terms of the
sequence of events or the scenes of the play, we inventory the details from the
first to the last, from their start to their finish.
Therefore, in literary theory, structuralism is a way of thinking about
uncovering new meanings that inherent in texts. However, it doesn‘t attempt to
interpret whether a text which will be analysed is good literature or not. It also
doesn‘t examine the meaning of individual text in isolation. According to Tyson
(2006: 209) applying structuralism analysis needs to examine the structure of a
large number of stories to discover the underlying principles that manage their
composition. In another way, it could be describing the structure of a single
literary work to discover how its composition demonstrates the underlying
principles of a given structural system. Thus, Structuralism focuses in examining
13
the detail of literary text in order to discover the fundamental structural units or
functions that manage the pattern of narrative in its text.
Saussure‘s work also used by other scholars in Rusia as a model for their
investigation of phenomena other than language. Vladimir Propp is one of Rusian
scholar in folktales studies who tries to explore the dynamic possibilities of using
Saussure‘s work in analysing the structure of folktales. Then, Propp (Guerrin et al,
2005: 371) categorises the number types of characters and actions which are
called as actants and functions. The functions recur and thus represent in their
unity of the underlying system, or ―the grammar‖ or rules for any fairy tales. To
recall the Saussurean model, it can be said that the entire group of functions is the
langue; the individual tale is the parole. For example, Propp's theory identifies
hero, rival or opponent, villain, helper, king, princess, and so on, and such actions
as the arrival and the departure of the hero, the unmasking of the villain, sets of
adventures, and the return and reward of the hero.
Another scholar who contributed in developing structuralist model of
analysis is Claude Levi-Strauss. Levi-Strauss (Guerrin et al, 2005: 372) combines
psychology and sociology in cross-cultural studies and found structures
comparable to those discovered by Saussure in language- that is, systems
reducible to structural features. In contrast to Saussure and the Russian formalists,
however, Levi-Strauss stressed on the paradigmatic approach, by which he
concentrated on the deep or embedded structures of discourse that seem to evade a
conscious arrangement by the artisan but are somehow embedded vertically,
14
latently, within texts and can be represented sometimes as abstractions or as
paired opposites (binary oppositions).
In using the system of binary oppositions, Levi-Strauss organizes the units
of myth like the basic linguistic units and calls it as ‗mythemes‘. According to
Levi-Strauss (Guerrin et al, 2005: 272-273, the structures of myth refer to the
structure of the human mind that is common to all people like the way all human
beings. Myth thus becomes a language. It is a universal narrative mode that
transcends cultural or temporal barriers and speaks to all people, in the process
tapping deep reservoirs of feeling and experience. He believes that, even though
we have no knowledge of any entire mythology, such myths as we do uncover
reveal the existence within any culture of a system of abstractions by which that
culture structures its life .
Narratives are generally based on cause and effect relationships which are
emerged by such events to build the sequences of stories. Narrratology is a branch
of structuralism that studies the nature of story rather than individual tales in
isolation. According to Fludernik (2009: 3) fictional narrative whether in fairy
tale, novel or film, its author produces and develops both the story and the
narrative discourse that goes with its narrative text, it‘s not goes from other
source.
The methods of narratology or narrative theory are inspired by modern
linguistics which demonstrates language system that is how language
meaningfully developed from the combination of basic elements like phonemes,
15
morphemes, syntax, and etc. Narratology in literature study tries to draw how the
narrative is emerged from narrative text that is by its words and sentences.
Therefore, some tasks of narratology are to discover first; what the basic
components or forms are of stories. Second, how those basic components are
arranged or structured. Third, what the various media used to create and deliver
stories are. Fourth, it also discovers the ways that stories and the meaning of those
stories express. (Fludernik, 2009: 8-12).
Considering structuralism is deal mainly with narrative and structure of its
narrative, there is a need to strictly focus on the narrative dimension of literary
texts. However, this focus is not as narrow as it may seem at first glance. For,
narrative provides the large range of texts from the simple myths and folktales to
the complex written forms found in postmodern novel. There are some intrinsic
elements in narrative that signifying the narrative dimensions. They give the
reader information relate to the presented narrative or story. Those intrinsic
elements are character, plot, setting, point of view, and theme. Plot and setting are
used in this research to uncover the archetypes of hero‘s journey in The Alchemist.
2. Archetype and Myth Studies
Archetypal criticism is an approach to literary analysis based on theories
of Carl Jung. Guerin (1992: 166) states that a great psychologist-philosopher, Carl
Gustav Jung, in his contribution to myth criticism, developed the concept of racial
memory and archetypes by probing the mystery of the collective unconscious in
human psyche. By expanding Freud‘s theory, Jung urges that in human‘s psyche
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there is a collective unconscious beneath the Freud‘s theory of personal
unconscious.
Clearly, Jung (Feist-Feist, 2009: 109-12) argued that human psyche
consists of three parts, they are the conscious, the personal unconscious, and the
collective unconscious. The conscious is a state of being awake that directly
affected by the unconscious which is divided into the personal unconscious and
the collective unconscious. Personal unconscious is part of the mind that contains
element of private memory that occurs from daily life and which is not shared
with other people. On the other hand, the collective unconscious contains such
images, experiences, or knowledge called as ―primordial images‖.
Therefore, Jung (in Guerin, 1992: 167) concludes that a memory from
distant ancestors become a common psychic inheritance to the whole human race
because people around the world respond to certain myths or stories in the same
way. However it is not because they all know and appreciate the same story,
instead, the ―primordial images‖ is lying deep in their collective unconscious as
the memories of their past. Jung also called its existence of primordial images as a
form of archetypes. In other words, Jung states that archetypes are common
expression of human private experience.
In his contribution to literary analysis, Archetypal Critics studies about
images and patterns of repeated human experiences that could be found within
specific text, like myths and stories in the form of recurrent narrative design, plot
pattern, character types, themes, and images or symbols. In this case, Jung‘s
perspective about archetypes greatly influenced other theorists including Joseph
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Campbell and Christopher Vogler. Both Campbell and Vogler took Jung‘s idea
about archetypes in the world of mythology. The most well-known of their works
are the concept of hero and hero‘s journey.
Campbell (2004: 18) states that a hero is mentally and physically an
ordinary person who has been able to battle because of having a deep courage, and
has been reborn or transformed from the state of innocence to adulthood so that in
return he is able to teach the lesson that he has learned from the journey.
Campbell defined hero‘s journey into three passages which he called as
Monomyth; a universal structure of Separation-Initiation-Return. It consists of 17
steps; the call to adventure, refusal/ acceptance of the call, supernatural aid,
crossing of the first threshold, entering the belly of the whale, road of trials, the
meeting with the goddess, women as temptress, the atonement with the father,
apotheosis, the ultimate boon, refusal of the return, magic flight, rescue from
without, crossing of the return threshold, master of the two worlds, and freedom to
live.
In writing of his book The Writer’s Journey; Mythic Structure for Writer,
Christopher Vogler admits that he is much inspired and influenced by Campbell
(2007: xv- xxxi). He convinces, as Campbell does, that hero‘s journey has had a
deep influence over shaping the stories in the past and will reach deeper to the
future. Meanwhile, his book has been used by scholars to analyse the archetypes
of hero‘s journey among many forms of literature genres. Vogler also took Jung‘s
idea that the universal power of such stories can be felt by everyone in different
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place and time, for all people recognize a universal source in sharing unconscious
concerns.
3. The Conception of Quest
Quest is literature based on a journey, a road of trials in which a hero hears
a call and leaves his home—alone or in the company of others—to search out a
treasure. Along the way he undergoes trials, receives aid, fights enemies and may
even die, and, if he succeeds in attaining the treasure sought, may change who and
what he is.
Howard (2010: 1) argues that In stories of "the quest,‖ heroes are on the
brink of a great change. Some heroes are desperately unhappy and experience
their lives as a stultifying world, one that, in its very orderliness and familiarity,
comes to seem sterile and confining: a kind of wasteland. In either case, the
environment or something in it keeps the hero from changing, from growing—in
short, from living. All heroes must recognize their worlds for what they are; must
realize the need for change; must have the courage to try.
It is possible for heroes to blunder into the quest, to make come sort of
mistake and find themselves quite suddenly embarked on a difficult journey.
Generally, something or someone calls the hero to this adventure. The summons
can come from any source: a friend, a relative, a stranger, an alluring object, or an
impulse within the heroes themselves. If the protagonist possesses the necessary
courage and resolve, she or he is off on the quest, however fearful or arduous it
may seem Vogler (Vogler, 2007: 7).
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According to Campbell (1972:30), a scholar in myth studies, quest
narrative that contain heroes and their journey involving universal structural
pattern:
The standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero is
magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation
– initiation – return; which might be named the nuclear unit of the
monomyth. A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a
region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and
decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious
adventure with the power to bestow boons of his fellowman.
The hero learns to accept the difficult truth that all is in flux, that all must
change, that life is an unending cycle of deaths and rebirths, a discarding of the
things that were meaningful yesterday for those that assume new significance as
the future unfolds. The hero's willingness to undertake the quest is the sign that he
understands and accepts these exacting conditions of human life. The hero must
know that to be static is to be dead. Thus, no matter what, he must undertake the
journey, achieves the goals and returns to share the goals with society.
4. Christopher Vogler’s Mythic Structure
Campbell‘s concept of the archetypes of hero‘s journey has influenced
Vogler‘s works. Campbell defined the archetypes of hero‘s journey structure into
17 stages that signify Separation-initiation-return, Vogler also summed up his
own as ordinary world-special world- ordinary world. It consists of 12 stages from
three acts. Act one (ordinary world) consists of ordinary world, call to adventure,
refusal of the call, meeting with the mentor, crossing the first threshold. Act two
(special world) consists of tests-allies-enemies, approach to the inmost cave, the
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crisis or supreme ordeal, and seizing the reward. Act three (ordinary world)
consists of the road back, resurrection, and return with elixir (Vogler, 2007: 6).
In the hero‘s journey, a hero leaves his comfortable and ordinary
environment into a challenging and unfamiliar world. That unfamiliar world is
usually a forest or a strange city that become an arena of the conflict between the
hero (protagonist) and villain (antagonist). In some stories, passage of the journey
is not always a real physical action of adventure. It could be in the mind, in the
heart, or in the spirit of the hero, or in the realm of relationship of the hero with
her surroundings. The main purpose of the passage is that the hero is able to grow
and change from being ―despair to hope, weakness to strength, folly to wisdom,
love to hate, and back again‖ (Vogler, 2007: 7)
Thus, according to Vogler (2007: 10-18), in his structure of hero‘s
journey, at first heroes are introduced in the ordinary world, where they receive
the call to adventure. Generally, they are reluctant at first or refuse the call, but are
encouraged by a mentor to cross the first threshold and enter the unfamiliar place
which Vogler called it as the special world. Within the special world, they
encounter tests, allies, and enemies. Then, they approach the inmost cave and
crossing a second threshold where they endure the ordeal. After the heroes pass
the ordeal or defeat the enemy, they can take possession of their reward and are
pursued on the road back to the ordinary world. The reward is not always a
physical object or treasure; yet it could be gaining new knowledge or personal
growth. In the road back, they cross the third threshold that is an experience of
resurrection or another climatic event. After being transformed by experiences and
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becoming a new personality, they return with the elixir, that is a boon or treasure
that they share with other people in the ordinary world.
a. Act 1 (Separation – Ordinary World)
This is the first section of the story. In this part, the hero is introduced that
he is receiving unexpected call and being separated from the known world to enter
an unknown through labyrinths and some dilemma. This section consists of stage
1 to stage 5, they are;
1) Stage 1: The Ordinary World
In presenting stories through novel, film, theatre, film, or TV shows, its
storytellers utilize the very first part before the beginning of the story by
providing some aspects like metaphoric title and its design cover, opening image
or shot, and prologue. The aim is to hook the readers or viewers with certain
atmosphere so that they can shape a frame of reference to experience its story they
are going to read or watch in a better way. In the same purpose, the ordinary
world although it is set in a mundane or familiar environment where the hero is
presented, it provides an impression and such interesting tone to hook the readers
about what problems may happen in the story. Since the crucial problems in every
story happen in the middle or in the special world, the ordinary world must be
formed to explain that the story begins from a comfort zone where the hero has
not received any significant trouble, like what Vogler states:
Because so many stories are journeys that take heroes and audiences to
Special Worlds, most begin by establishing an Ordinary World as a
baseline for comparison. The Special World of the story is only special if
we can see it in contrast to a mundane world of everyday affairs from
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which the hero issues forth. The Ordinary World is the context, home
base, and background of the hero. (2007: 87)
Not only creating the contrast against the special world, Vogler also
provides other characteristics and the functions of the ordinary world in his book.
The first is making an entrance that is how the readers first experience the hero
with his or her appearance and behaviour. Meanwhile the second is introducing
the hero to the readers so that they could identify themselves into the story,
because the universal mood and unique characters that are presented appeal the
readers to feel equal to them. The third is showing hero‘s lack, wounds, inner and
outer problem. Hero‘s lack and wounds help to create sympathy for the hero, and
draw the readers into the desiring for unite completely with the hero. While the
inner and outer problem is to humanize the hero that every human need to learn
something, grow and deal with a moral dilemma or challenges of life (2007: 83-
97)
The fourth characteristic and function is suggesting the dramatic question
of the story, for a good story always poses a series of question about the hero. The
fifth is presenting exposition and back-story. Back-story is all relevant or
additional information about the hero‘s background and history while exposition
is the way back-stories are revealed gracefully. The sixth is stating the theme of
the story that is an underlying statement or assumption about an aspect of life
which is applied in the story. In other words, it is to discover what the quality or
idea of a story is really about. Above all, the last characteristic of the ordinary
world is foreshadowing the model of the special world. Some battles and moral
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dilemmas that happen in the ordinary world actually is a small model of the
special world (2007: 83-97).
2) Stage 2: The Call to Adventure
The call to adventure comes in the ordinary world. This is the catalyst or a
new energy indicating that situation is changing and it keeps the story rolling. The
environment of the ordinary world is quite common for the hero, but when the call
to adventure comes, typically its circumstances are set in the dark forest or
isolated area of countryside, big tree, abandoned sacred building or strange house.
Thus according to Campbell, when the hero gets the call, there is a new energy
that will construct a change which signifies that a destiny will take the hero and
test his spirituality from within his ordinary world out to a zone of unknown.
(Campbell, 2004: 47-53)
Besides indicating that situation is changing, another function of the call to
adventure is giving the hero a temptation. The call not only summons the hero but
also persuades him with such temptation like ―the glint of gold, rumour of treasure
or the siren song of ambition‖. According to Jung (in Vogler, 2007: 100-1003),
the call to adventure could be simply coincidental occurrence of words or ideas to
the needs of action and change or what he called as the mysterious force of
synchronicity. Thus, the call is usually waiting for the respond of the hero. That is
why the call may come more than once.
Vogler (2007: 101) states that the call to adventure is often delivered by a
messenger from the real world or from the unconscious (in dreams, fantasies, or
visions). This messenger is called as Herald. Before the call comes, the hero
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usually doesn‘t realize that there is something wrong with the ordinary world
which needs for change. Thus the function of the Herald is to wake the hero up
with supports, giving him understanding that the world of the hero is ―unstable‘
and needs to be repaired by undertaking the adventure.
3) Stage 3: Refusal of the Call
Now at this stage, the hero refuses the journey because of fears and
insecurities that have surfaced from the Call to Adventure. This moment shows
the readers that the adventure might be risky. It will be exciting but also
dangerous and even life-threatening as if the hero stands at a threshold of fear or
an understandable reaction of refusing the call. In this moment the hero is not
willing to make changes, preferring the comfort zone of the Ordinary World
(Vogler, 2007: 107-109)
Besides, there are some excuses generally used by the hero to explain why
he refuses the call. For instance, some daily activities must be taking first to delay
the adventure. Vogler (2007: 108) argues that:
Heroes most commonly Refuse the Call by stating a laundry list of weak
excuses. In a transparent attempt to delay facing their inevitable fate, they
say they would undertake the adventure, if not for a pressing series of
engagements. These are temporary roadblocks, usually overcome by the
urgency of the quest.
The moment when the heroes are reluctance to respond the call of adventure
usually is a subtle moment that both the hero and the reader do not realize the
importance of conducting the journey. However, this avoidance of the call will
suddenly end when a crisis event happens and causes the hero to undertake the
journey.
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4) Stage 4: Meeting with the Mentor
In this stage, the hero meets a mentor to gain confidence, insight, advice,
training, or magical gifts to overcome the initial fears and face the threshold of the
adventure. This mentor has survived to provide the essential lessons and training
needed to overcomes the journey‘s tests and ordeals. The mentor may be a
physical person, or an object such as a map, a logbook, or hieroglyphics. In
Westerns stories, the hero may hold an inner mentor, a strong code of honour or
justice that guides him through the journey (Vogler, 2007: 117-123)
5) Stage 5: Crossing the First Threshold
Crossing the threshold signifies that the hero has finally committed to the
journey. He is prepared to cross the gateway that separates the ordinary world
from the special world. The crossing may require more than accepting one‘s fears,
some equipment, knowledge, or encouragement from a mentor. The hero must
confront an event that forces him to commit entering the special world, from
which there is no turning back, like what Vogler (2007: 127-28) argued that:
Crossing the First Threshold is an act of the will in which the hero
commits wholeheartedly to the adventure… Heroes typically don't just
accept the advice and gifts of their Mentors and then charge into the
adventure. Often their final commitment is brought about through some
external force which changes the course or intensity of the story.
This stage also signifies that the hero reached the border of the two worlds
by illustrating it with the physical crossing like flight or sailing. Generally, in
some stories there are plots which describe things for symbolizing the border
between two worlds like bridges, canyons, cliff, gates, walls, oceans, and so forth.
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b. Act 2 (Initiation- Special World)
Initiation or the Special World is a stage in which the body of the story or
the main action happens as the hero survives the road and achieves their goal.
This passage consists of the stage 6 up to the stage 9 of which the hero usually
passed. They are;
1) Stage 6: Test, Allies, Enemies
It is the step where the readers will feel a vicarious sense of pleasure, for
some challenges will be met by the hero. No matter how talented the hero is, he
will be a freshman again in this new world. In this occasion the hero‘s character is
developed as having stayed in the big wide and strange world. He may struggle
against a bad weather and terrain, and must be confronting a new difficult series
of trials/ challenges.
This stage has some characteristics. First, there‘s a drastic contrast
atmosphere to the former world. Second, this stage is dominated by the villain or
the hero that may encounter the shadow. Third, there are many traps, barricades or
anything that put the hero in dangerous line. Fourth, there is a new rule that the
hero must adapt. Fifth, usually there‘s a watering hole, it could be bars or saloons.
This bar usually appears after the hero passed through some trials in the first
threshold. It is a place to play other activities like gambling, flirting, and music
(Vogler, 2007: 139-140)
The function of this stage is testing the hero, putting him through series of
trials in order to prepare him for some greater challenges ahead. Another function
is making allies or team in which the hero figure out other characters who can be
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trusted, who cannot, and who have special skills or qualities to support him in the
trials. The bitter experience for the hero in this step is that he may find the
enemies and rival or may encounter the shadow (Vogler, 2007: 135-140)
2) Stage 7: Approach to the Inmost Cave
Approach to the inmost cave is the stage when heroes step on the way they
will encounter supreme terror in another mysterious zone. At this point, the hero
makes final preparation before he meets the central ordeal of the adventure.
Another threshold must be crossed here to enter the innermost cave. In this way,
no help may be found and only the one who has deep courage will pass it.
However, it will show that the hero is still ordinary human who faces death but
with a wiser personality, he still goes on. Thus, it leads the readers to feel the
tension before the high point of the story. In this case, Vogler (2007: 143) argues
that:
On the way they find another mysterious zone with its own Threshold
Guardians, agendas, and tests. This is the Approach to the Inmost Cave,
where soon they will encounter supreme wonder and terror. It's time to
make final preparations for the central ordeal of the adventure. Heroes at
this point are like mountaineers who have raised themselves to a base
camp by the labors of Testing, and are about to make the final assault on
the highest peak.
In some stories, the hero recklessly moves forward to the door of the cave
confidently and demands to be let in. Whereas the hero delayed by some
obstacles, uses that time to listen his fellow‘s adventures and to learn his hopes
and dreams. The other heroes may use that time to prepare or to make plans,
reorganized the group, arm themselves, make a last laugh or final cigarette,
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develop or to get in romantic moment before deal with the central event (Vogler,
2007: 144).
When the hero steps closely to the inmost cave, he is actually entering into
shaman‘s territory on the edge between life and death. They face the complication
and higher stakes when the hero is trapped onto the cave. Although they can find
the breakthrough or the solution, still they are close to death because there is no
way to exit. They are blocked in all direction by the guardian. Thus, that brings
the heroes to the supreme ordeal (Vogler, 2007: 143-52)
3) Stage 8: Ordeal
Ultimately, this is the stage that the heroes, who are still trapped in the
inmost cave, encounter the greatest challenge and face their deepest fear, typically
in battle with the dark villain. This time is the heart of the body of the story in
which the heroes show their heroic quality and the time on which the magic power
is shown. The readers/ audiences may feel scared for the heroes, and may be
terrified that they might fail or die.
In this ordeal, death and rebirth become the part of the stage. Vogler
(2007: 155-56) states that the heroes must die so that they can be reborn. When
heroes face death, they magically survive from death and symbolically are reborn
for the consequence of having unfair death. Meanwhile, they are passed the main
test of being a hero. The impact of this rebirth, generally the heroes will change or
transform, at least of their inner personality.
The ordeal or supreme ordeal actually is the crisis, but not the climax. The
climax generally happens in act three, ordinary world after the special world. The
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crisis or supreme ordeal is the main or central event of the story in the act two
(special world). In addition, the placement of the crisis or Ordeal depends on the
needs of the story and the tastes of the storyteller. There are two kinds of crisis,
they are central crisis and delayed crisis. Central crisis is the most common
pattern where the death and rebirth moment appear in the middle of the story.
While, delayed crisis comes near the end of act two (Vogler, 2007: 155-58)
4) Stage 9: Reward
It is the period in which the hero is recognized or rewarded for having
survived from death or of a great ordeal. At this time, Heroes may have a party or
barbecue in which they cook and consume some of the fruits of victory. Vogler
also called this part of the journey as ―Seizing the Sword‖. It is because generally
some heroes often aggressively take possession of whatever being sought in the
Special World.
In defeating the enemy, the hero is transformed into a new state where
fears are vanquished and the new fearless person is born. The reward in the story
may be gaining new knowledge, a treasure or rescuing a princess, but the inner
reward is in the personal growth that is achieved (Vogler, 2007: 175-84).
c. Act 3 (Ordinary world - Return)
This part marks the decision to continue the rest of the journey or to return
to the ordinary world, for the hero begins to deal with the consequences of facing
the biggest challenge in the Ordeal. Another test or danger and temptation may be
ahead but at this moment the hero just decides to go out from the special world to
30
other place or to back home in the Ordinary World. This last passage is divided
into three stages; they are stage 10 to stage 12.
1) Stage 10: The Road Back
A consequence of confronting ―the dark forces of the ordeal‖ is bringing
the hero crossing into act three. it means this stage is the moment after the hero
reached the main peak of the act two -in which he has transformed himself into
new personality and celebrated his victory by gaining reward and new knowledge-
he then has summon the rest of the journey. This stage is the best moment, for
after the hero disturbed by experience of death and rebirth of the ordeal; he
recollects again his intention to pursuing what Vogler call as ―the road back‖. By
realizing that the realm of the special world must eventually be left behind, the
hero undertakes the responsibility to finish the journey. However, he is aware that
there are still dangers, test and temptations ahead (Vogler, 2007: 17).
In most stories, although the special world looks more attractive, its
heroes choose to leave the zone of special world. Some heroes return back to their
own home in the ordinary world and other heroes are continuing the journey to
other new places. The term ―the road back‖ could means returning to the starting
point, going back home to the ordinary world, or continuing on the journey to
ultimate destination which can be a totally new area.
In the process of this stage, when the hero is returning or continuing the
journey, he must implement the lessons he has learned in the special world. This
can be difficult as no one believe that the hero has experience of escaping from
death. He may fear that the wisdom and magic of the ordeal may disappear or
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become less by the harsh of activities that he conducted ahead (Vogler, 2007:
189).
2) Stage 11: Resurrection
This stage is the trickiest and most challenging passages for the hero. This
is the additional moment of death and rebirth similar to the supreme ordeal.
However, this stage is the climax not the crisis and as the last and most dangerous
meeting with death. The Resurrection may be a physical Ordeal, or final
showdown between hero and shadow; however, the sign of the Road Back has
been set. Thus, the hero must now prove that he has achieved Heroic Status and
willingly accept his sacrifice for the benefit of the Ordinary World (Vogler, 2007:
197-98)
3) Stage 12: Return with the Elixir
The Return with the Elixir is the final Reward which is deserved because
of what heroes have done or experienced on the journey. This stage is presenting
that hero‘s journey ends and he brings back the elixir from the current adventure,
but the quest to implement the lesson still goes on. The hero has been resurrected,
purified and has earned the rights to be accepted back into the ordinary world and
share the elixir. The elixir can be a great treasure or magic potion. It could be
love, wisdom, or simply the experience of surviving the special world. The hero
may show the benefit of the Elixir, using it to heal a physical or emotional wound,
or accomplish tasks that had been feared in the Ordinary World. In most tales, the
Return with the Elixir completes the cycle of this particular Journey. Story lines
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have been resolved, balance has been restored to the ordinary World, and the Hero
may now embark on a new life (Vogler, 2007: 215-26).
5. Intrinsic Elements of Narrative
In narrative such as novel, there are intrinsic elements that give the readers
information related to the presented story. The information are essential since they
are the means of analysing a story. In this chapter, the intrinsic elements that are
used to answer the problems of the research are explained. They are plot and
setting.
a. Plot
Plot is the patterns of events that influence the reader‘s emotion and
thoughts. According to Diyanni (2000: 44), ―Plot, the action element in fiction, is
the arrangement of events that make up a story‖. It means that the structure of
actions or incidents which is presented through plot keeps the story rolling.
Plot can be divided into three categories: forward plot, flash back plot, and
jumping plot. A forward plot is the plot of which incidents of the story are
arranged in order. A flash back plot is the plot that tells a story from the end backs
to the events that happen previously. A jumping plot is the plot that retells some
part of story forward but in quite some time is cut and revealed back to the
situation just happened.
There are phases or types of plot: exposition or introduction, rising actions
or conflict, complication, climax, and resolution. Each phase is characterized by
the tension level of the actions or incidents.
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―typical fictional plots begin with an exposition that provides background
information we need to make sense of the action, describes the setting, and
introduces that major characters; these plots develop a series of
complications or intensifications of the conflict that lead to a crisis or
moment of great tension. The conflict may reach a climax or turning point,
a moment of greater tension that fixes the outcome; then, the action falls
off as the plot‘s complications are sorted out and resolved (the resolution
or denouement)‖ (Diyanni, 2000: 44-45).
The quotation above can be inferred that a story has a structure or arrangement of
linear sequence of events which is divided into some phases that each of them is
characterized by its role in developing the story's conflict. It is also characterized
by the level of tension.
1) Exposition or Introduction
Exposition is the starting point of narrative providing information about
the main characters and their environments in narrative. Diyanni (2000: 44) called
it as a very common fictional plot that start with exposition including background
information of the action, setting, the introduction of the main characters.
2) Rising action or Conflict
Conflict is the dilemma, problem or clash of desire between the
protagonist and antagonist character or between the positive and negative thought
from the main character. Diyanni (2000: 45) argues that the conflict is the battle
between against potencies of which problem gets commonly solved by the end of
narrative. A conflict can be internal or external. Internal conflict refers to the main
character himself who is experiencing a clash, while external conflict refers to a
clash between two sides: person and person, person and nature, or between groups
of people.
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3) Complication
Complication is part of a story in which a problem gets complicated and a
problem between the antagonist and the protagonist gets worst. Complication also
refers to a development of plot or ―intensifications of the conflict that lead to a
crisis or moment of greatest tension‖ (Diyanni, 2000: 45).
4) Climax
Climax is the peak of the story. In this phase, the greatest incident happens
and the last effect has to be accepted. Diyanni (2000: 49) defines the climax as the
uppermost pressure between the protagonist and the antagonist in which a last
effect is obtained.
5) Resolution
Resolution is the end of the story in which the troubles do not appear
anymore. According to Diyanni (2000: 53) Resolution refers to the last effect that
is necessary to take.
b. Setting
Setting is the background information of story that supports the idea of
story. Setting is the general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in
which its action occurs; the setting of an episode or scene within a work is the
particular location in which it takes place. According to Diyanni (2000: 61)
setting deals with vision, scene, noise, colors, and dialect that make the story
seems real. Setting is divided into place and time. Place is a setting that refers to
35
physical surrounding like environtment in which the main character is introduced.
Time is a setting that refers to a certain time in story like hour, year, or century in
story.
B. Review of Previous Related Research Findings
Many researches in literary studies are related to archetypes and
mythologies, especially the archetypes of hero‘s journey. It makes this topic too
large to be discussed. Prominent literary works from Paulo Coelho‘s quest story
The Alchemist provides the characteristics that could be the source of evidences to
encourage that topic. Those are some related previous researches that deal with
the archetypal hero‘s journey and have similar object with this research. The
researcher selected these sources based on the fact that they either deal with Paulo
Coelho‘s The Alchemist or the archetypes of hero‘s journey.
Lily Hasanah (2008) studied the process of decision making in Paulo
Coelho‘s The Alchemist. This student of English department from university of
Airlangga conducted the research with the aims to examine Santiago‘s
experiences in dealing with his dilemmas and the process of decision making. The
result of her research is that Santiago‘s decision making is based on his
subjectivity. Santiago is able to overcome his dilemmas. Although he listens to the
community‘s opinion, still he makes his own consideration in the process of
making decision. Her research entitled Decision Making in Paulo Coelho’s The
Alchemist employs Soren Kierkegaard‘s theory on mechanism of existentialism.
36
In a research conducted by Julia Boll (2011) the topic of the archetypes of
hero‘s journey is presented. Her research entitled Harry Potter’s Archetypal
Journey (Heroism in the Harry Potter Series, Berndt/ Steveker, eds) has the aim to
explore the narrative structure underlying J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter heptalogy.
The study suggests that this heptalogy follows the model of the Monomyth of
hero‘s journey not only as a basic pattern for the whole story line, but also for
each individual volume. Her work is published by Ashgate publisher and focuses
on archetypal and myth theory. Julia Boll relies on Joseph Campbell‘s The hero
with a Thousand Faces and Carl Gustav Jung‘s psychological archetypes. She
found that the novel series apply the original form of hero‘s journey through the
cycle of Separation- Initiation- Return. Meanwhile, the characters of the novel
take on the roles of different Jungian archetypes.
The last related research study is conducted by Gatricya Rahman, a former
student of Yogyakarta State University. Her research (2014) has the aim to reveal
the archetypes of hero and hero‘s journey in The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales
and uncovers the literary methods used to reveal those archetypes. Through her
research entitled The Archetypes of Hero and Hero’s Journey in Five Grimm’s
Fairy Tales, she found that there are four archetypes of hero in the tales. Then,
there are mainly eleven stages among twelve stages of the archetypes of hero‘s
journey found in the tales. The last result, the archetypes of hero are mainly
revealed by character revelation, mostly through actions and speeches, the
archetypes of hero‘s journey are presented through plot and setting of time and
place.
37
From the related researches above, the researcher generates some
assumptions relating to her own research and the use of previous researches as a
part of research writing process. From the first research conducted by Lily
Hasanah, the sequential data collected on the research is helpful in tracking the
tragedies or events that Santiago has undertook. However, Hasanah did not
include various research methods and in-depth reading observations. Actually,
using additional methods in revealing the finding can give more authentic result.
Anyhow, Hasanah‘s research gives understanding to the researcher that the hero
in Paulo Coelho‘s The Alchemist can be investigated not only in his journey but
also in his process of decision making in dealing with his dilemma.
Julia Boll‘s research includes all of the series of the novel (not just
individual volume of the series since focus on the entire series serve the
chronological order of the whole story line). Yet, she is only relying on the
literary theory instead of adding with others approach and method. Actually,
employing additional method or approach in the research can prove that the
finding is more authentic.
Gatricya Rahman‘s research employs children literature fiction that is
Grim‘s fairy tales in investigating the archetypes of hero and the structure of the
archetypes of hero‘s journey. In this case, the researcher postulates that the
archetypes of hero‘s journey do not only emerge from one literature genre, like
Children literature, but also from others literature genres like quest, adventure, or
fantasy. For this reason, archetype of hero‘s journey could be found from multiple
sources of literature genre.
38
After examining the findings and considering the strengths and
weaknesses of the previous researches above, the researcher firmly nominates a
quest or an adventure book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho for her research. The
researcher agrees with Julia Boll to analyse the narrative structure of the novel
focusing on the archetype of hero‘s journey by exploring the stages or patterns in
the cycle of Separation-Initiation-Return. In this research, the researcher relies on
Vogler‘s theory of mythic structure especially the stages of the archetypes of
hero‘s journey. The researcher also agrees with Gatricya in using structuralism to
get deeper analysis in displaying the archetypes of hero‘s journey.
C. Paulo Coelho and The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho is one of the most influential authors in literary work
industry. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 1947. His middle class
household predisposed him to bury his dream on artistic career. Nevertheless, in
Jesuit school he discovered his true vocation to be a writer. Before Coelho
becomes a writer and dedicates his life to literature, he ever worked as Journalist,
lyricist, and involved with a theatre group as director. Unfortunately, his parents
forbade him and had another plan for him. His parents saw Coelho‘s desire of
writing as a sign of mental illness and brought him to mental institution (Coelho,
1993: 193).
In 1968, Brazil was ruled by a repressive military regime. In that time,
Paulo participated in Guerilla, a hippie organization, in order to spread love and
peace. This experience encouraged him to travel all over Latin America, seeking
39
experience of spirituality. Then, he worked in theatre and journalism again and
successfully launched an alternative magazine called 2011. Besides, he
collaborated with music producer Raul Seixas as a lyricist. He joined an
organization that defended the individual‘s right to free expression, namely
Alternative Society. As a member of that organization, he published a series of
comic strips about freedom.
His passion on writing predisposed him to keep on writing, but he didn‘t
start seriously until he had an encounter with a stranger. The stranger suggested
that Coelho should return to Catholicism, and encouraged him to take the
pilgrim‘s route in the Road of Santiago de Compostela. A year after completing
the pilgrimage, in 1987, Coelho wrote The Pilgrimage; Diary of Magus. A year
later, Coelho wrote The Alchemist (Coelho, 1993: 195). Now, in his biography
cited in Paulo Coelho Blog, Paulo Coelho is a Messenger of Peace for the UN,
Ambassador of European Union for Intercultural Dialogue for the year of 2008,
Member of the Board of the Shimon Peres Institute for Peace, UNESCO special
counsellor for ―Intercultural Dialogues and Spiritual Convergences‖, Board
Member of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and Member of
the Brazilian Academy of Letters.
Besides The Pilgrimage: Diary of Magus (1987) and The Alchemist
(1988), his other works are Hell Archives (1982), Veronika Decides to Die
(1998), Practical Manual of Vampirism (1985), Brida (1990), The Valkyries
(1992), By the river Piedra I sat Down and Wept (1994), the collection of his best
columns published in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo entitled
40
Maktub (1994), the compilation of texts Phrases (1995), The Fifth Mountain
(1996), Manual of a Warrior of Light (1997), The Devil and Miss Prym (2000),
the compilation of traditional tales in Stories for parents, children and
grandchildren (2001), Eleven Minutes (2003), The Zahir (2005), The Witch of
Portobello (2006) and a compilation of texts gathered under the title Like a
Flowing River (2006). Those writings are published in a few countries for the
moment.
The Alchemist itself cited in Guinness World Record becomes one of the
best-selling books in history. This prominent novel is translated into English by
Alan R. Clarke in consultation with Paulo Coelho. This novel has been translated
into 73 languages and has sold more than 135 million copies in 168 countries. It
has received several international awards such as the Nielsen Gold Book Award
2004 for its outstanding sales in the UK retail market, the Corine International
Award 2002 for the best fiction in Germany, the Golden Book Award 1995 and
1996 in Yugoslavia, the Super Grinzane Cavour Book Award and Flaiano
International Award 1996 in Italy, and the Grand Prix Litteraire of Elle 1995 in
France. According to the official website of BBC, this novel recorded as the 94th
in the BBC's Big Read Top 100 in April 2003.
As the author of The Alchemist Paulo Coelho is fully appreciated. Many
reviewers acclaim the novel on the website and novel‘s cover. One of the reviews
is stated by Indiana Polis (USA) that The Alchemist is a touching, inspiring fable.
Kenzaburo Oe, Nobel Prize of Literature, states that Paulo Coelho knows the
secret of literary Alchemy.
41
The Alchemist is one of Coelho‘s works that presents the structure of
hero‘s quest in its narrative, and which is much influenced by the author‘ life
journey. The structure of hero‘s quest is portrayed through Santiago, the main
character of The Alchemist who undertakes a quest to search for treasure. The
hero of the novel likewise Coelho, has met up with a stranger before he
undertakes the journey. In addition, Santiago‘s experiences in the novel represent
Coelho‘s attempts in achieving his quest. The researcher, hereby, believes that a
quest story like The Alchemist not only represents its author‘s life journey but
also so many people‘s journeys in their lives. Cited in the introduction of the
novel, some well-known figures like President Clinton and an artist Hollywood
Julia Roberts have read it declaring that they adored the novel because of
Santiago‘s journey represent human‘s processes to achieve the goal. The novel
tells the readers to do not give up on their dreams.
Santiago‘s journey to comply the quest is an interesting subject of
discussion since it relates and exposes a universal model of hero‘s quest structure
or what is called the archetypes of hero‘s journey. Therefore, Paulo Coelho‘s The
Alchemist is worth to be researched.
D. Conceptual Framework
This research based on myth and archetype studies. The topic of this
research is to explore and to demonstrate the archetypes of hero‘s journey in a
quest narrative entitled The Alchemist. Carl Gustav Jung‘s idea of archetypes,
Joseph Campbell‘s theory of The Monomyth, and the conception of quest within
42
the scope of myth studies are used as the basic theoretical understanding to the
topic of the research.
Jung‘s idea of archetypes is mainly derived from his book The Archetypes
and the Collective Unconscious (1958) and from other scholars including Guerin
(1992) and Feist-Feist (2009). Campbell theory of the universal structure of hero‘s
journey or what he calls as The Monomyth is mainly derived from his book Hero
with Thousand Faces (1949 & 2004) in which he traces the presentation of heroes
and their journey in wide-range of narratives around the world. Meanwhile, the
conception of quest is acquired from scholars in myth studies.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is one of prominent stories that contain
quest. The novel tells about the journey of an ordinary Andalusia shepherd boy in
achieving his goal through the quest. As a narrative, this story has the intrinsic
elements that present the structure of the hero‘s journey. Hence, the archetype of
the hero‘s journey in this narrative can be seen through plot and setting.
Meanwhile, to identify the archetypes of hero‘s journey in this narrative,
Christopher Vogler‘s elaboration on Campbell‘s theory of The Monomyth in
which Vogler conveys the mythic structure that contains twelve stages of hero‘s
journey is mainly used. The framework of thinking of this research can be seen
through a diagram as follow.
43
Figure 1. Framework of Thinking
Christopher Vogler‘s
Mythic Structure
How are the
archetypes of hero‘s
journey presented in
Paulo Coelho‘s The
Alchemist?
What the archetypes
of hero‘s journey are
presented in Paulo
Coelho‘s The
Alchemist?
Paulo Coelho‘s The
Alchemist
The Conception of
Quest
Archetypal
approach
The Intrinsic
Elements of Story
Structuralism
43
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHOD
This chapter deals with the steps to conduct this research. It begins with
the discussion of the research design, followed by the object of the research, data
source, techniques of data collecting, techniques of data analysis, and data validity
or trustwhorthines
A. The Research Design
The accuracy of using the research methods is essential to obtain a valid
result on a research. In this research, the researcher utilized a descriptive
qualitative method as the method of the research and employed a content analysis
as the technique or model of the research. The purposes of a descriptive
qualitative method are describing and explaining the object as well as to produce
rich, in-depth, meaning of the object. Meanwhile, the purpose of a content
analysis model is investigating the data of the object in the form of texts, images,
symbols, and so forth.
Vanderstoep and Johnston (2009: 164) state that the characteristic of
qualitative research is to gain more insights into meaning and function of events.
They also state (2009: 7) that qualitative research produces a narrative or textual
description of the phenomena under study. Unlike quantitative research, the
finding of qualitative research will not be in the form of statistic. The procedures
of the qualitative research are by collecting, classifying, analyzing, and
44
interpreting data. In this research, the researcher tried to discover the messages
and the meaning embodied in the text by following the procedure of the
qualitative method.
Krippendoff (2004: 11) states that content analysis is a kind of research
that concerns more on the characteristics and messages in the text as unity.
However, content analysis does not only make the content of the message as its
object, but also associates the content with the symbolic conception in the realm
of communication. Therefore, by using this technique in this research, an
objective, systematic, and relevant understanding of a given various message of
the communication that the author presents in the text will be gained.
Thus by using descriptive qualitative method and content analysis
technique, the researcher tried to describe or explain the archetype of hero’s
journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. It is hoped that content analysis fulfils
the procedures of processing the data with the aim to give deeper knowledge to
the readers as the facts are presented. It is also hoped that descriptive qualitative is
the most appropriate method due to the formulation of the problem.
B. Data Type
The data in this research are words, clauses, phrases, sentences, and
discourses related to the Archetypes of hero’s journey that are found in Paulo
Coelho’s novel The Alchemist. The researcher interpreted and analyzed the data
by employing relevant theories.
45
C. Data Source
The researcher collected the data from the primary source that is the novel
The Alchemist published by Harper Collins, New York in 1993. This novel was
written by Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian novelist who got international acclaim as one
of the greatest novelists in temporary literary works. This novel is translated into
English by Alan R. Clarke in consultation with Paulo Coelho. This novel has been
translated into 73 languages and has sold more than 135 million copies in 168
countries. Thus, since this novel is a mass product and belongs to pop literature, it
can be analysed in the scope of English literature. The researcher also used books,
journals, articles and online sites in internet as secondary source that provides the
information about archetypes of hero’s journey in literary texts.
D. Data Collecting Technique
1. The Research Instrument
The primary instrument of this research is the researcher herself.
According to Lincoln and Guba (in Vanderstoep, 2009: 188) the best instrument
for descriptive qualitative inquiry is the human, for human instruments are shaped
by experiences. Moreover, human instruments can respond and adapt to research
problems. In this research, the researcher herself used her capacity to interpret and
analyze the data. Thus, as the main instrument, the researcher had several roles of
making working-design, creating working-hypotheses, collecting data, analyzing
data, and interpreting data. Finally, the researcher’s role is reporting the finding of
the research.
46
2. The Research Procedure
The researcher collected the data by using read-write technique. The
researcher began the process of the research by reading the novel
comprehensively. Then the researcher collected the data which are related to the
research questions by making notes. Then, the researcher tried to interpret,
describe and categorize the data related to topic being discussed in this research.
To collect the data easily, the data sheet is used to help the researcher. The
data sheet is arranged in a table. The table is used to record all the data found by
the researcher after conducting a series of careful reading activity toward the
novel. The example of the data sheet that is used by researcher is presented in the
table below:
Table.1 A Form of the Data Sheet Model
N
o
Stages of
the
Archetype
s of Hero’s
Journey
Category p
a
ge
Data Description Literary
Elements
that
Present the
Archetypes
1.
The
Ordinary
World
a. Introdu
cing
the
Hero
and His
Enviro
nment
3 The boy’s name was
Santiago. Dusk was
falling as the boy
arrived with his herd at
an abandoned church.
The roof had fallen in
long ago, and an
enormous sycamore
had grown on the spot
where the sacristy had
once stood. He
decided to spend the
night there. He saw to
it that all the sheep
entered through the
ruined gate,...
The hero is introduced
as a Shepherd boy who
lives in a countryside
and moves from one
place to another. His
environtment is also
introduced in this
stage.
Plot-
Introduction
The hero is presented
in late evening, the
building (an
abandoned church)
symbolizing that the
place was under
colonial rule or was
conquered by another
power.
Setting –
Time and
Place
47
E. Data Analysis
The researcher tried to reveal the archetypes of hero’s journey and to
uncover the way the archetypes of hero’s journey are presented in the novel. Paulo
Coelho’s The Alchemist is the object of the research. The researcher relied on
Creswell’s idea of qualitative method. In analysing the data, Creswell (2009: 185)
mentions the six steps namely organizing and preparing the data, reading through
all the data, coding the data, giving a description, interrelating description and
interpreting the meaning of description.
In this research, firstly, the researcher identified the data from the novel,
The Alchemist, by making some notes. Secondly, the researcher read and reread
the whole data and arranged the data into two major parts. The first part is the
stages of archetypes of hero’s journey and the second part is the methods used to
reveal those stages of the archetypes of hero’s journey. Thirdly, the researcher
coded and categorized the data in the data table into thematic categories related to
the stages of archetype of hero’s journey that appear in the novel. Fourthly, the
researcher sorted or ordered the data by selecting the relevant data and excluding
the irrelevant data. The selected relevant data were classified and interpreted
according to its thematic meaning. Fifthly, the researcher made the interrelation
between the description of the data and Vogler’s theory of archetypes of hero’s
journey to get the findings based on the objectives and the discussion. Finally, the
researcher made an interpretation of the findings based on researcher’s
comprehension about the theory.
48
F. Validity or Trustworthiness
Since qualitative method relies on human as its main instrument, errors
might occur. To avoid the occurrence of errors, there is a need for rechecking the
data that have been collected, because the validity of researchers who use
qualitative methods is dependent on the data they get. According to Krippendorf
(1981: 155) “Validity designates that quality of research result which leads one to
accept them as indisputable fact”. In other words, validity is a quality that makes a
research is accepted as a truth. Therefore, attempts to minimize the error are
essential to gain the validity of the research.
In qualitative research, validity is also commonly called trustworthiness.
To ensure the quality of the findings, the researcher employs a technique which
enhances trustworthiness. This technique is called triangulation. According to
Vanderstoep and Johnston (2009: 179) triangulation is used to establish validity
and reliability of data. It is very crucial because it can reduce the chance of bias in
data findings and interpretation. Johnston (2009: 61) adds that to gain the
trustworthiness we can have different people or participants to try the procedure
by asking them to look at data. In other words, triangulation is a technique for
checking the trustworthiness of data by verifies the data in persistent observation
and in discussion with other participants.
To apply the technique of triangulation, the researcher did peer discussion
with her colleagues of English Language and Literature Study Program, namely
Windy Riyanti and Indra Budi Prabowo. The consideration of choosing those two
49
peer viewers is because they have the same study program and concentration with
the researcher. Moreover, the researcher also consulted with the two supervisors,
Ari Nurhayati, M.Hum, and Eko Rujito Dwi Atmojo, S.S., M.Hum, since both of
them are scholars in literature.
50
CHAPTER IV
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
This chapter elaborates the finding and discussion of the research. The
data are used to clarify and verify the discussion. There are two major parts for
this chapter. The first part answers the first research question along with its
discussion. The researcher finds all of the twelve stages of the archetypes of
hero‘s journey in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The archetpes of hero‘s journey
in the novel demonstrate that The Alchemist’s narrative pattern follows the
universal pattern of the Monomyth, a mythic structure of Separation – Initiation -
Return. The second part answers the second question. It uncovers the literary
elements used to reveal those archetypes. Structuralism approach is used, with the
aim to expose the finding, showing that the narrative pattern of a single story is
integrated into a kind of structure which is constructed as the form patterns for all
stories. In the process to prove that the narrative pattern of The Alchemist
complies with the form of the archetypes of hero‘s journey, Christopher Vogler‘s
version of mythic structure is applied.
A. The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in The Alchemist
There are twelve stages according to Vogler that a hero must undergo in
his journey that signify the Monomyth of Separation- Initiation- Return.
Separation or act one consists of the stages of The Ordinary World, The Call to
Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting with the Mentor, and Crossing the First
Threshold. Initiation or act two (special world) consists os the stages of Tests-
Allies-Enemies, The Approach to the Inmost Cave, the crisis or Supreme Ordeal,
51
and Seizing the Reward. Return or act three consists of the stages of the Road
Back, Resurrection, and Return with Elixir. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
complies all of the stages of the archetypes of hero‘s journey and follows the
patterns of the Monomyth as seen in the table and discussed below.
Table. 2 The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey
Act No. Stages of the
Archetypes of Hero’s
Journey
Brief Notes
Act
one:
Separa
tion
1. The Ordinary World The Hero, Santiago, is presented in
Andalusia region.
2. The Call to Adventure The call is the dream about the treasure.
3. Refusal of the Call Santiago fears to achieve the treasure
and concerns to the habitual activities.
4. Meeting with Mentor Santiago meets the old man.
5. Crossing the First
Threshold
Santiago leaves Andalusia, crosses the
sea to North Africa.
Act
two:
Initiati
on
6. Test-Allies-enemies Santiago finds many obstacles, meets
allies, and fights the enemies.
7. Approach to the
Inmost Cave
Santiago passes the desert and arrives to
the Oasis.
8. the crisis or Supreme
Ordeal
Santiago experiences death and rebirth
quality as he is forced to control the
wind or turn himself to the wind.
9. Seizing the Reward Santiago gets the escort party to
accompany him as far as he needed.
Santiago gets the knowledge about the
language of the world.
Act
three:
Return
10. The Road Back Santiago leaves Coptic Monastery, rides
along through the desert heading to the
Pyramids of Egypt.
11. Resurrection Santiago gets the real physical injury
52
from the opponent character.
12. Return with the Elixir Santiago gets the elixir that is the
message about the treasure in the end of
the story and brings it to his ordinary
world in order to find the physical
treasure which is presented in Epilogue.
1. The Ordinary World
The stage of Ordinary World is the mundane or familiar environment
where the hero is taken out. In most tales, the ordinary world is set commonly in
the opening of story. As noted in the chapter two, there are some functions and
characteristics of this stage. First, it introduces the hero and his environment.
Second, it shows the hero‘s lack, hero‘s wound, and hero‘s inner and outer
problem. Third, it suggests dramatic question of the story. Fourth, it exposes
hero‘s back-story. Fifth, it foreshadows the model of the special world.
a. Introducing the Hero and His Environment
In The Alchemist, the hero is presented as a shepherd boy named Santiago
who lives in countryside of Andalusia and has spent the past two years of
exploring Andalusia region for food and water for his flock. Coelho introduces the
story by presenting an appealing atmosphere of the environment and a unique
character of the hero. These are the first lines by which Coelho introduces the
stage of the ordinary world:
The boy‘s name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with
his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an
enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once
stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep
entered through the ruined gate… (Coelho, 1993: 3).
53
The datum above illustrates how Coelho creates an atmosphere to
introduce the hero. In introducing an opening of a story, the first impression is
required to hook the readers. Although this stage presents a mundane and familiar
environment of Andalusia‘s terrain, an abandoned church in which a sycamore
tree grows within is set out to create such interesting atmosphere.
It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars
through the half-destroyed roof...He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke,
most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy
bound his life to that of the sheep, with which he had spent the past two
years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water."
They are so used to me that they know my schedule," he muttered.
Thinking about that for a moment, he realized that it could be the other
way around: that it was he who had become accustomed to their schedule.
But there were certain of them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy
prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling each by name. He had
always believed that the sheep were able to understand what he said.
(Coelho, 1993: 4).
The narration above is one of many lines in the novel that express the
unique character of the hero. A hero may be an ordinary person that has universal
qualities and emotions like everyone else. However, at the moment of entrance,
the hero‘s first action usually is a model of his characteristic and attitude which
may awe the readers because of having unique human beings. Santiago is like
other ordinary shepherd boys who are patient and determined with his flock‘s
habit. However, his manners toward the flock of sheep when he talks to them are
an expression of his unique human being that may impress the readers. The
readers may find it witty, but they may also recognize the hero‘s other special
quality that he can unconsciously communicate to the flock with a language which
is not used by humans.
54
b. Showing the Hero’s Inner-Outer Problems, the Hero’s Lack, and the
Hero’s wound.
This stage also shows that a hero is generally lacking something, or
something is taken away from him. In some cases, this lack is inducing wound.
For example, either a hero is missing his family member (e.g. parents have died
or sister has been kidnapped) or he has weaknesses (e.g. lack of the quality of
confidence, compassion, or forgiveness) which causes some wound or feels hurt.
The wounded hero usually doesn‘t realize that he has some old pain or hurt, but
he usually is vulnerable or weak on some cases or awareness. The function of
presenting the hero‘s wound both physicaly and emotionaly in the ordinary world
is to humanize him and to create sympathy. Thus the purpose is to create a bond
between the readers and the hero. Similarly, hero‘s inner and outer problems are
also emerged to show that the hero is like the readers who have universal need to
grow and develop. The datum bellow is a reflection of Santiago‘s inner problem
that is coincidentally revealed as an utterance of wish. This wish unwittingly
leads the hero to the need for action and change:
...He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had
just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to
start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable
pillows (Coelho, 1993: 3).
When Santiago tells his own self that ―he would have to start reading
thicker books‖, this wish indicates the first impression of his inner problem. It
signifies that in the deep of Santiago‘s mind actually he needs a new, great, and
worth experience in his life like a thicker book. However, his outer problem
hampers him to actualize his wish. This quotation depicts Santiago‘s outer
55
problem. ―His parents had wanted him to become a priest, and thereby a source of
pride for a simple farm family. They worked hard just to have food and water, like
the sheep‖ (Coelho, 1993: 8). The fact that he is only an ordinary shepherd boy
from a poor farmer family is the outer problem that forces him to explore only in
Andalusia region. Thus, this expression of inner and outer problem predisposes
him to keep his desire of travelling the world. However, keeping desire is like a
time bomb that could explode anytime. That‘s why these problems will cause the
future result for the need of action and change.
"How did you learn to read?" the girl asked at one point.
"Like everybody learns," he said. "In school."
"Well, if you know how to read, why are you just a shepherd?"
The boy mumbled an answer that allowed him to avoid responding to her
question. He was sure the girl would never understand. He went on telling
stories about his travels.... (Coelho, 1993: 5-6)
The datum above is a depiction of the hero‘s unconscious vulnerable
moment because of the hidden wound that he has kept unconsciously for a long
time. The avoidance to explain to the girl about the fact that he is only a shepherd
is indicating an old wound that he cannot be a real traveller. This wound is
induced by the lack of courage. His missing of quality of bravery hampers him to
actualize his desire to be a real traveller.
c. Suggesting Dramatic Question of the Story
Although some problems and hidden wound have hamppered him,
Santiago actually still dedicates his life with all his heart pursuing his dream to be
a traveller and explore the world. The fact that Santiago has strong-willed
character, induces the emerging of dramatic question from the readers,
considering that some hampered-phenomena appear following that fact. One
56
example of hampered-phenomena is the moment when Santiago is falling in love
with a merchant daughter. This moment could induce a dramatic question,
because it might distract his passion of becoming a traveller.
In the real world, love can be an obstacle. One knows what one wants to
do, but he or she is afraid of hurting those around and who love him or her,
consequently, one prefers to abandon everything about the dream. Like Santiago,
he doesn‘t realize that a genuine love will not stop him to achieve the goal instead
of supporting him to take the journey. ―He recognized that he was feeling
something he had never experienced before: the desire to live in one place forever.
With the girl with the raven hair, his days would never be the same again‖
(Coelho, 1993: 6). Santiago‘s fallacious thought suggests an idea to create a
dramatic question whether he will stop his travelling, live in one place, and get
married to a merchant daughter or keep listening to his heart to be a traveller.
d. Exposing Hero’s Back-Story
The narration about Santiago‘s father‘s desire to be a traveller when the
father was young and the narration about Santiago‘s decision to become a
shepherd are actually additional background and history of the hero or what is
called as back-story. Coelho exposes the back-story gracefully to avoid those
narrations of becoming isolated or separate. The purpose is to give the readers
more understanding about the hero and about the story. This datum is the
exposition of back-story in The Alchemist;
He had studied Latin, Spanish, and theology. But ever since he had been a
child, he had wanted to know the world, and this was much more
important to him than knowing God and learning about man's sins.
57
One afternoon, on a visit to his family, he had summoned up the courage
to tell his father that he didn't want to become a priest. That he wanted to
travel. (Coelho, 1993:8)
From the narration above, the researcher recognises how Coelho plots the
back-story gracefully so that it is not being isolated. Santiago‘s plan to tell his
background to the girl is the way Coelho adds the additional information of the
hero. Since, Santiago‘s dream is to explore the world, he abandons his father‘s
will of directing him to become a priest. Then, Santiago chooses to be a shepherd
in order to explore all of cities in Andalusia. Actually, travelling the world is his
innate desire that his father also has but has to bury it and chooses to be a farmer.
The boy, instead of being a priest, summons up the courage to realize his desire of
becoming a traveller. The fact that he is not a son of a rich family is his additional
problem, but his lack of money doesn‘t stop him to be a traveller.
e. Foreshadowing the Model of the Special World
The stage of The Ordinary World also creates a small model of The
Special World. It means that some events in the former area foreshadow hero‘s
problems and dilemmas that may happen in more serious moments when he enters
the new area to undergo the journey. Santiago‘s problems that happen in The
Ordinary World may reflect some trouble that happen in The Special World and
hamper him to finish the quest. The problem are lack of fund to continue the
journey, being in love, and self-doubt about his destiny. The datum bellow is one
depiction of the problems that Santiago has in The Ordinary World that
foreshadows the troubles in The Special World.
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"But I'd like to see the castles in the towns where they live," the boy
explained.
"Those people, when they see our land, say that they would like to live
here forever," his father continued.
"Well, I'd like to see their land, and see how they live," said his son.
"The people who come here have a lot of money to spend, so they can
afford to travel," his father said. "Amongst us, the only ones who travel are
the shepherds."
"Well, then I'll be a shepherd!"
His father said no more. The next day, he gave his son a pouch that held
three ancient Spanish gold coins (Coelho, 1993: 9)
In The Ordinary World, Santiago has desire to become a traveler so that he
abandons his father‘s choice of directing Santiago to become a priest. Santiago‘s
father tells him that it is nearly imposible to become a traveler, for to travel the
world needs a lot of money. Since they are living in farmer family, his father tells
him that the only ones who can travel are the shepherds. The fact that he is lack of
fund to spend, Santiago insist to travel the world anyhow, and he choses to be a
shepherd. Then, his father afford him to buy some sheeps.
"I can work for the rest of today," the boy answered. "I'll work all night, until
dawn, and I'll clean every piece of crystal in your shop. In return, I need money to
get to Egypt tomorrow."
The merchant laughed. "Even if you cleaned my crystal for an entire year… even
if you earned a good commission selling every piece, you would still have to
borrow money to get to Egypt. There are thousands of kilometers of desert
between here and there" (Coelho, 1993: 47)
In the Special World, Santiago is undertaking the quest, heading to the
Pyramid of Egypt. For some reason, however, he loses all his money when he
arrives at Tangier, a port city of Morroco. After chaotic moment and desperate, he
decides to work for a crystal merchant. Expectedly, he can get money to continue
his journey. Santiago oferrs his enthusiast to the merchant that he can work for the
rest of day, all night, and until dawn. Then, santiago tells the merchant that the
money he gets will be used to go to Egypt. In this situation, the merchant feels
59
funny. The merchant tells Santiago that the money he will get from the work in
crystal store is not enough to fund his journey to Egypt, for it is too far from
Tangier and there is thousands kilometers of desert. Santiago, absolutly, can
afford the caravan to ride on the desert.
2. The Call to Adventure
The call to adventure is actually a process of selection in which a selected
hero, willingly or not, must take responsibility. As noted in chapter two, the call to
adventure comes in special circumstances like a dark forest or an abandoned
sacred building. The change of the event signifies that a destiny will test hero‘s
spirituality and takes him from his ordinary world out to a zone of unknown. In
the novel, Santiago‘s recurrent dream is the call to adventure. Meanwhile, the
change of the event is the transformation of the plot line from the reality to the
realm of dream. This transformation signifies that there is an adventure that
Santiago must take to leave Andalusia for a place that he has never been there
before. The call may come more than once in order to get the respond from the
hero. Moreover, the call is generally brought by heralds that bring such
temptations and knowledge to awaken the hero that he must undertake the
adventure.
a. The Call Comes More than Once
The call to adventure comes not only from Santiago‘s dream, but also
from his wish. Both wish and dream coincidentally happen as he arrives and
camps in the abandoned church under a sycamore tree. The wish is the call since,
according to Jung (in Vogler, 2007: 100), the call to adventure could be simply
60
coincidental occurrence of words or ideas to the need of action and change. In the
early of the story, Santiago tells to himself that he is bored of his activity of
traveling. Everyday in two years he has doing the same activities and has passing
the Andalusia many times. he feels that he needs more action to change and
develope, maybe doing some more interesting job. He declares his situation like a
simply book, he says that he ―has to start reading thicker books; they lasted
longer, and made more comfortable pillows (Coelho, 1993: 3), for the more great
the experience he gets the more satisfying his life. This wish is not only the inner
problem but also the call. It signifies that in the deep of the hero‘s mind, he
actually needs a new, great, and worth experience for his life like a thicker book.
Moreover, the wish indicates that the hero is a selected person to get the call for
adventure.
Beside the wish, a recurrent dream has put Santiago in curious thought. ―I
wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night
as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended‖ (Coelho, 1993:
4). The aim of the call that comes more than once is to get the response from
Santiago. For, the call to adventure will always come through the hero‘s inner self
like the wish or dream until it gets a response.
b. The Call is Brought by the Herald
The call generally is brought by the herald with such temptations and
knowledge to awaken the hero that he must undertake the adventure. A curious
thought about the dream has brought Santiago to a Gipsy woman to interpret the
dream. This datum is a depiction when Santiago tells the Gipsy woman that he
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gets the same dream twice when he sleeps in the abandoned church under a
sycamore tree:
"I have had the same dream twice," he said. "I dreamed that I was in a
field with my sheep,‖…. "The child went on playing with my sheep for
quite a while, and suddenly, the child took me by both hands and
transported me to the Egyptian pyramids. Then, at the Egyptian pyramids,
the child said to me, ‗If you come here, you will find a hidden treasure.‘
And, just as she was about to show me the exact location, I woke up. Both
times." (Coelho, 1993: 13)
The dream is the call to adventure since it happens more than once and
gives such temptation. The dream is about a rumour of treasure that there is a
hidden treasure in Egyptian pyramids. The kid in Santiago‘s dream is a herald
from the unconscious realm who invites him to an adventure, whereas the treasure
is the temptation that the kid has brought to persuade Santiago. A Gipsy woman is
the herald of the real world who tries to interpret the dream and encourages
Santiago with some knowledge to take the journey. She tells him the knowledge
that ―a dream is the language of the world‖ (Coelho, 1993: 14) and she insists the
boy that ―you must go to the Pyramids in Egypt. I have never heard of them, but,
if it was a child who showed them to you, they exist. There you will find a
treasure that will make you a rich man‖ (Coelho, 1993: 14). The archetype of the
herald, either the kid or the Gipsy woman, is served to keep the story rolling by
presenting Santiago with an invitation of challenge like going to the unknown.
Santiago doesn‘t know where the Egypt or the Pyramids are. Thus, responding
this call to undertake the journey is the greatest challenge he has ever met and if
he takes the call, this challenge will be the means to his ultimate destiny.
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3. Refusal of the Call
This stage may be a subtle moment when the hero is feeling fear of the
unexpected call to adventure, considering some statements of hesitation between
refusing and receiving the call. Besides, there are some excuses that are generally
used by the hero to explain why he refuses the call. For instance, some daily
activities must be taken first to delay the adventure. In the novel, Santiago refuses
the journey and is not willing to make changes. He prefers to stay in the comfort-
zone of the ordinary world since he thinks that the dream is nonsense and he
prefers to do his usual activities than to think about achieving treasure in Egypt.
So the boy was disappointed; he decided that he would never again believe
in dreams. He remembered that he had a number of things he had to take
care of: he went to the market for something to eat, he traded his book for
one that was thicker, and he found a bench in the plaza where he could
sample the new wine he had bought. The day was hot, and the wine was
refreshing. The sheep were at the gates of the city, in a stable that
belonged to a friend. The boy knew a lot of people in the city. That was
what made travelling appeal to him—he always made new friends, and he
didn't need to spend all of his time with them (Coelho, 1993: 15).
The Datum above is a depiction of a subtle moment when Santiago is
reluctant to respond the call. Even, Santiago decides that he will never believe in
dreams. There are some activities that he usually does, like shopping, bartering
books, and enjoying the new wine. The datum also describes a warm atmosphere
that Santiago is comfortable with. In a stable city where he knows a lot of people,
he really understands how to spend his time happily.
4. Meeting with the Mentor
By the time when the hero refuses the call, the story introduces another
important character that is the hero‘s mentor. Meeting with the mentor is one of
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stages of hero‘s journey in which the hero gains the supplies like magical gift,
knowledge, insight, training, advice, and confidence that are needed to overcome
fears of the call to adventure and to prepare the hero‘s mental to begin the
Journey.
In The Alchemist, the mentor comes as Santiago is reluctant to take the
call. The functions of the mentor are to persuade the hero to take the passage and
to prepare him with guidance, advice, and magical equipment. Santiago, in the
hesitation of the journey, then meets with an old man who admits himself as the
king of Salem. Then the king informs Santiago that he knows about Santiago‘s
dream and the way to find the treasure. This datum describes how the old man
appears to be the mentor:
"Give me one-tenth of your sheep," said the old man, "and I'll tell you how
to find the hidden treasure."…. "I'm the king of Salem," the old man had
said. "Why would a king be talking with a shepherd?" the boy asked, awed
and embarrassed. "For several reasons. But let's say that the most
important is that you have succeeded in discovering your Personal
Legend." The boy didn't know what a person's "personal legend" was
(Coelho, 1993: 20-21).
In this moment, Santiago is not aware that the old man will guide and
encourages him to begin the adventure until he notices that the old man is a wise
and sensible person. There are two major functions of the mentor. They are source
of wisdom and supply of equipment as explained below.
a. Source of Wisdom
One function of the mentor is a source of wisdom. Santiago learns some
knowledge from the old man especially about ―personal legend‖, ―mysterious
force‖, and how to realize one‘s ―personal legend‖ or destiny. These parts
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(Coelho, 1993: 20-21) are depictions of the knowledge Santiago has got from the
mentor:
The boy didn't know what a person's "Personal Legend" was. "It's what
you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young,
knows what their Personal Legend is. "At that point in their lives,
everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to
dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them
in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince
them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny."
He wanted to know what the "mysterious force" was…."It's a force that
appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your
Personal Legend. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one
great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do,
when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the
soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth."
In this moment, the old man tells Santiago about how everyone has a
―personal legend‖. The old man says that ―personal legend‖ has appeared since a
man is brave enough to have a dream or purpose in his life. However, as a man
gets older, he starts to think that it‘s impossible to achieve the dream. It is the
―mysterious force‖ that obstructs the man with a negative thought or event so that
he loses his desire to accomplish his real mission on earth. That is why, Santiago
must understand that there are dangers if he reamains in the same place and
ignores the ―personal calling‖. The path of the ―personal calling‖ is not easier than
any other path, for there is a ―mysterious force‖ that will hamper him in achieving
his dream. However, Santiago must be prepared with some knowledge and has
patience in dificult times. No matter what, responding the ―personal calling‘ and
dealing with the destiny will lead him to realize his task in this earth.
Besides, Santiago is told how to realize his destiny or ―personal legend‖
and gets the treasure. That is by following the omens. An Omen is a sign that only
65
God and the person who is given know it. The datum bellow is a description and
an illustration of omen that the mentor has taught to Santiago:
"In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has
prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens
that he left for you." Before the boy could reply, a butterfly appeared and
fluttered between him and the old man. He remembered something his
grandfather had once told him: that butterflies were a good omen. Like
crickets, and like expectations; like lizards and four-leaf clovers. "That's
right," said the old man, able to read the boy's thoughts. "Just as your
grandfather taught you. These are good omens" (Coelho, 1993: 29)
The datum above illustrates one of several omens that the hero has
encountered in the novel. An omen appears in many forms. It could be delivered
by the appearance of animals, nature, or coincidental events. The butterfly is the
omen. General belief said that the butterfly is a good omen that signifies a
transformation or change and how somebody needs to undergo a change. Every
butterfly goes from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Since the butterfly
is able to transform itself into something other than its present form, it has
appeared in order to teach Santiago about the transformation. To transform means
that Santiago is not allowed to remain in the same condition. No matter how hard
it is, he must experience challenges to grow and expand. Thus, to make good
decisions and judgments, the ability to use the knowledge about ―personal
legend‖, ―mysterious force‖, and the knowledge of how to realize one‘s destiny,
as well as the ability to use the knowledge of reading the omen are essential.
Those abilities are the wisdom that the old man has served to encourage Santiago.
b. Supply of Equipment
Santiago also gets magical equipments which will help him in the journey.
The equipments are a white stone and a black stone namely Urim and Thummim.
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The following datum is a depiction of how the mentor gives Santiago the
equipments:
"Take these," said the old man, holding out a white stone and a black stone
that had been embedded at the centre of the breastplate. "They are called
Urim and Thummim. The black signifies 'yes,' and the white 'no.' When
you are unable to read the omens, they will help you to do so. Always ask
an objective question (Coelho, 1993: 30)
The stones will help Santiago in discovering what will happen in the
future. Besides, it is said that ―in the Bible, the stones called Urim and Thummin
were the only form of divination permitted by God‖ (Coelho, 1993: 69). Once in
the moment of desperate, Santiago can use the stones. ―He asked If the old man‘s
blessing was still with him then he took out one of the stones. It was yes‖(Coelho,
1993: 41). The stones have helped Santiago lower his hesitations to make a
decision. Hence, both knowledge and magical equipments are useful to encourage
Santiago to overcome the fears. This part is also used to keep the story rolling as
Santiago is receiving the call and eager to begin the journey.
5. Crossing the First Threshold
In The Alchemist, the stage of crossing the first threshold is the most
critical moment in act one on which the hero decides to take the journey and
leaves the ordinary world. According to Vogler (1998: 128), although the hero has
received the equipments and knowledge as encouragement from the mentor, the
hero must confront a dilemma if he should enter the special world or not. Thus,
the dilemma is the main conflict that Santiago must deal with. These parts
illustrate the dilemma and how Santiago encounters it:
67
The levanter increased in intensity. 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. There was also
the merchant's daughter, but she wasn't as important as his flock, because
she didn't depend on him. Maybe she didn't even remember him. That
wind had brought the Moors, yes, but it had also brought the smell of the
desert and of veiled women. It had brought with it the sweat and the
dreams of men who had once left to search for the unknown, and for gold
and adventure— and for the Pyramids. The boy felt jealous of the freedom
of the wind, and saw that he could have the same freedom. There was
nothing to hold him back except himself. The sheep, the merchant's
daughter, and the fields of Andalusia were only steps along the way to his
destiny (Coelho, 1993: 27-28).
The dilemma is when Santiago has to choose between to stay in Andalusia
region, feeding the flock or to go out of Andalusia, taking the journey. The
levanter represents the Africa since it is the name of the wind that blows from
there. Meanwhile, the treasure is hidden in an unknown place in Africa. However,
Santiago says that he is envy toward that wind which has the freedom to go
everywhere. Thus, he decides to own the same freedom as the wind. It means that
he takes the part of transformation and undertakes the journey to adventure.
Moreover, this stage of crossing the first threshold signifies that the hero
reaches the border of the two worlds by illustrating it with the physical activity of
crossing like sailing from the ordinary world to the special world. Generally, in
some stories there are plots which describe things to symbolize the border among
the two worlds like bridges, canyons, cliff, gates, walls, oceans, and so forth. In
this story, the border of the two worlds is depicted below.
―At the highest point in Tarifa there is an old fort, built by the Moors.
From atop its walls, one can catch a glimpse of Africa. Melchizedek, the
king of Salem, sat on the wall of the fort that afternoon, and felt the
levanter blowing in his face….Melchizedek watched a small ship that was
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plowing its way out of the port. He would never again see the boy
(Coelho, 1993: 33).
The datum above is the depiction of the border between Tarifa, the city in
Andalusia, and Tangier, the city in Morocco-Africa. It is said that the wind (the
levanter) is blowing from Africa through the sea or strait of Gibraltar toward
Spain, as well as Santiago‘s ship is plowing out the port from Tarifa in Andalusia
to Tangier in Morocco-Africa. By showing the walls at the highest point of Tarifa
and Laventer, it can be interpreted that the event depicts the hero‘s departure from
the zone of ordinary world to the unknown or special world.
6. Tests-Allies-Enemies
After the hero successfully faces the first threshold of dilemma or conflict,
he enters the area which Vogler called as the ―Special World‖. In this stage of
tests-allies-enemies, there is a drastic contrast of atmosphere to the former world
that will make the hero, no matter how skilful he is, becomes a freshman again. In
most western tales, at first the hero comes to the special world, then they will
enter to which Vogler called as the ―Watering Holes‖. The watering hole is
usually a bar or saloon which is used to observe and gets information about the
new place and its rules. It is also used to get guidance to achieve the quest.
Besides, this stage is the moment when the hero encounters a lot of trials and
meets people who would be his allies or enemies. Since this stage takes a long and
complicated part of the story, the data for this stage are classified into three points.
a. The Watering Hole: a Drastic Contrast to the Former World
In The Alchemist, the sign to identify the stage of the special world is that
Santiago appears in a bar in Africa where he finds the difference between his
69
homeland and this new world. The bar signifies the watering hole where Santiago
can observe and get information about the new place. There, he finds the new
rules, new people, new customs, and even new language. This drastic contrast
signifies the movement or change of the rhythm which is useful to understand
more about who Santiago really is. The quotation bellow shows a reflection of the
watering hole and the drastic contrast of the special world from the former world
that Santiago encounters with:
―How strange Africa is, thought the boy. He was sitting in a bar very much
like the other bars he had seen along the narrow streets of Tangier. Some
men were smoking from a gigantic pipe that they passed from one to the
other. In just a few hours he had seen men walking hand in hand, women
with their faces covered, and priests that climbed to the tops of towers and
chanted—as everyone about him went to their knees and placed their
foreheads on the ground (Coelho, 1993: 33)
―He was in a different country, a stranger in a strange land, where he
couldn't even speak the language. He was no longer a shepherd, and he
had nothing,… (Coelho, 1993: 38)
When Santiago arrives at the bar, he feels alien not only to the terrain but
also its people. He finds different customs, tradition, and rules. Santiago can‘t
speak their language. Even though he has studied Latin and theology in the
seminary, and spent two years to be an explorer in Spain, in the land of Africa he
becomes a stranger and must learn many things about the local currency. For
example, he has already known that the people of the land are descendants of the
Moors, but in this land he just recognizes the way they practice their belief. Then,
he also learns the new rule that in this land wine is banned because their religion
forbids it.
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b. Making Allies and Dealing with the Enemies
Another function of this stage for the hero is to make allies or deal with
enemies. A good partnership between hero and his allies can turn to be the
sidekick or team that will accompany his journey. While a rival or an antagonist
always becomes his enemy that always tries to defeat him along the journey. The
allies are not always those who have similar purpose from the first until the end of
the story. They could be mere or subtle characters who try to help the hero.
Meanwhile, the enemies are not always the main rival but those who always try to
cheat or prevent the hero from accomplishing the quest. This datum is one of
several depictions in the novel representing how Santiago tries to make allies:
"I'd like you to take me there if you can. I can pay you to serve as my
guide."
"You have to cross the entire Sahara desert," said the young man. "And to
do that, you need money. I need to know whether you have enough."
The boy thought it a strange question....He took his money from his pouch
and showed it to the young man......The boy trusted his new friend. He had
helped him out in a dangerous situation. He took out his money and
counted it.....They walked together through the narrow streets of
Tangier.... the boy never took his eye off his new friend. After all, he had
all his money. He thought about asking him to give it back, but decided
that would be unfriendly. He knew nothing about the customs of the
strange land he was in.
"I'll just watch him," he said to himself.
Then he realized that he had been distracted for a few moments, looking at
the sword. All around him was the market, with people coming and going,
shouting and buying, and the aroma of strange foods, but nowhere could
he find his new companion (Coelho, 1993: 38-39).
From the story above, it is seen how Santiago tries to look for allies
instead of dealing with the enemies. The watering hole, a bar, is also used to
present other characters having the possibility to become an ally or enemy. Still in
the bar, Santiago not only observes and gets some information about this new
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circumstance but also tries to get new friends in order to get guidance to reach
Egypt. He has supplied with the knowledge of omen, that is why, when someone
approaches him in the bar, he thinks that this coincidence is the omen, signifying
that an ally is coming to help him.
Actually, this coincidence could be a test whether Santiago can really read
the omen or he just guesses every coincidental event as omen. Besides, his need of
friend is also a test whether he enables to choose allies or instead welcoming the
enemies to trick him. When Santiago walks together with his new companions
through the narrow street of Tangier, he doesn‘t realize that those men he has
deemed as friend are thieves. The hubbub of the market and the glitter of goods in
the market distract him from overseeing his new friends. When he is tempted by
the beauty of a sword, he loses his new friends who have brought all his money.
This fact shows that Santiago unconsciously trusts the thieves as his allies until he
realizes that he actually deals with enemies.
c. Encountering Trials or Tests
Testing is the most important function of this stage. The first test in the
special world is usually so difficult that puts the hero into chaos and despair.
Those situations usually induce the feeling of frustration and persuade the hero to
the needs of going back. As discussed previously, the experience of being stolen
is Santiago‘s first test that makes him very desperate. Some tests probably have
been faced in the ordinary world, but the sphere of the Special world is very
different in its rules, physical terrains, feels, circumstances, and the tests in the
special world are oftenly more dangerous. Thus, the experience when Santiago is
72
a stranger in the strange land of the special world and all his money has been
stolen is categorized as testing. The following datum is a depiction of how
Santiago is in frustration of encountering the first test:
He had nothing, not even the money to return and start everything over. He
was so ashamed that he wanted to cry. He had never even wept in front of
his own sheep. But the marketplace was empty, and he was far from home,
so he wept. He wept because God was unfair, and because this was the
way God repaid those who believed in their dreams (Coelho, 1993: 39).
Santiago, after realizing that he actually has been cheated by his new
companion who has brought all his money, was deeply distressed by the fact that
he fails. However, the first test doesn‘t have the quality of death or dangerous
treatment. Thus, though the hero can‘t go back to the former world, he still
survives. Moreover, after the first test, the hero will be put in a series of trials or
challenges in order to prepare him to face the greater ordeal ahead. The following
datum presents another test of several tests in the novel that Santiago must
encounter:
"Do you want to go to work for me?" the merchant asked. "I can work for
the rest of today," the boy answered. "I'll work all night, until dawn, and
I'll clean every piece of crystal in your shop. In return, I need money to get
to Egypt tomorrow." The merchant laughed. "Even if you cleaned my
crystal for an entire year, even if you earned a good commission selling
every piece, you would still have to borrow money to get to Egypt. There
are thousands of kilo meters of desert between here and there." There was
a moment of silence so profound that it seemed the city was asleep. No
sound from the bazaars, no arguments among the merchants, no men
climbing to the towers to chant. No hope, no adventure, no old kings or
destinies, no treasure, and no Pyramids. It was as if the world had fallen
silent because the boy's soul had. He sat there, staring blankly through the
door of the café, wishing that he had died, and that everything would end
forever at that moment. (Coelho, 1993: 46-47).
After Santiago successfully recollects again his encouragement to continue
the journey, he decides to earn money by working at crystal merchant‘s shop.
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Actually, to keep going in the moment of desperate is not easy for Santiago. It
needs a strong will and patient. However, Santiago takes it as an adventurer of
looking for treasure. Thus, instead of heading back to Spain, he decides to
continue the journey.
Then, at the crystal merchant‘s shop, Santiago offers to clean the glasses in
the window in order to get food as payment. When crystal merchant takes him out
to eat lunch, the merchant offers him to work in the shop officially. Thus,
Santiago tells the merchant that he will have to work for at least a year to get the
money in order to continue his journey to Egypt. In this moment, the second test
hits Santiago. He is told that he can‘t get enough funds to reach Egypt only by
working at the crystal shop.
Once again, Santiago downs into chaos and desperate, he realizes that
there is no hope and no adventure. He is wishing that he has died and everything
would end at that moment. The trials in the special world actually have been
foreshadowed in the ordinary world as discussed before in the first stage. The
problems that have been drawn are that Santiago will be lack of fund to explore
the world and he has self-doubt of having passion in traveling. Thus, Santiago, in
facing this second test, hesitates and decides to bury his quest to look for treasure.
The fact that he does not have enough money to get Egypt turns him to leave the
journey and make other decision. The decision is that he will buy sheep and being
a shepherd again.
The boy estimated that, if he worked for six more months, he could return
to Spain and buy sixty sheep, and yet another sixty. In less than a year, he
would have doubled his flock, and he would be able to do business with
the Arabs, because he was now able to speak their strange language. Since
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that morning in the marketplace, he had never again made use of Urim and
Thummim, because Egypt was now just as distant a dream for him as was
Mecca for the merchant. Anyway, the boy had become happy in his work,
and thought all the time about the day when he would disembark at Tarifa
as a winner. "You must always know what it is that you want," the old
king had said. The boy knew, and was now working toward it. Maybe it
was his treasure to have wound up in that strange land, met up with a thief,
and doubled the size of his flock without spending a cent (Coelho, 1993:
56).
The datum above illustrates how Santiago abandons his quest of searching
treasure in Egypt by having business and deciding to use his money to increase
the number of his flock. Besides, by working at crystal shop, Santiago can learn to
speak Arabic and increase his ability in doing business. Basically, Santiago is a
strong-minded and strong-willed person. He suggests some tactics to the crystal
merchant of how to increase the selling. He does many things because he wants to
realize his dream. The dream is not searching the treasure in Egypt anymore. At
that moment, Santiago‘s dream is for becoming a great businessman and having a
great number of sheep. However, the function of this stage is testing the hero with
trials so that he will be able to face the great ordeal ahead. It means that it is
impossible that Santiago is truly abandoning the real dream. The following is the
depiction of a converse situation faced by the hero:
"But I'm going back to the fields that I know, to take care of my flock
again." He said that to himself with certainty, but he was no longer happy
with his decision. He had worked for an entire year to make a dream come
true, and that dream, minute by minute, was becoming less important.
Maybe because that wasn't really his dream. But as he held Urim and
Thummim in his hand, they had transmitted to him the strength and will of
the old king. By coincidence—or maybe it was an omen, the boy
thought—He suddenly felt tremendously happy. He could always go back
to being a shepherd. He could always become a crystal salesman again.
Maybe the world had other hidden treasures, but he had a dream, and he
had met with a king. That doesn't happen to just anyone! (Coelho, 1993:
64-65).
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Santiago experiences a converse situation that brings him toward the
former dream. Santiago has almost a year staying in Africa. He has saved enough
to get back to Spain and buy double the sheep he had the year before. When he
tells the merchant that he is going to leave, he gets the merchant‘s blessing.
However, the merchant says that even though Santiago has enough money to get
to Mecca he will not go there. The merchant also knows that Santiago will not buy
the sheep. Then, when Santiago packs up his stuff, Urim and Thummim fall out
from his pouch. He realizes that he has not thought about the old king in a year.
He leaves the shop without saying goodbye because he doesn't want to cry.
Suddenly Santiago realizes that he can always go back to be a shepherd or be a
crystal salesman again, but he has to keep chasing after his dream and learning
new things. This moment signifies that Santiago has faced the trials. Meanwhile,
he is accumulating power in preparation of the ordeal.
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave
The function of this stage is not only taking a rest in the safety place, but
also geting ready for the ordeal, making plans, reorganizing team/ replace partner,
and doing reconnaissance of the enemy. In this stage, the hero enters to another
little special world within the special world where he finds a little bit difference
circumstance and rule. This special world also signifies a new threshold for the
consequence of getting some trials. Thus, the hero will meet another threshold
guardian as entering a new and different special world. Besides, this stage
presents the courtship moment between the hero and the beloved and other
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obstacles as the means to prepare the hero‘s mental for facing the supreme ordeal
ahead. This stage can be divided into three parts.
a. Another Special World, Threshold, and Guardian
This stage represents a zone of an ―Approach‖ or near to the most
dangerous place where the ordeal will happen (the Inmost Cave). The zone of
approach is also called as a little another special world within the realm of special
world, for the hero will enter another strange land with different rules and values.
The hero, Santiago, learns many things to get more understanding about the
―Inmost Cave‖ which is the Pyramid in Egypt. He also needs to get new
companion and make plans, and at least he can take a rest in safety place. The
datum below illustrates how the zone of an approach is called as the little another
special world:
Now everything was quite different from how it was that day they had set
out: then, there had been confusion and shouting, the cries of children and
the whinnying of animals, all mixed with the nervous orders of the guides
and the merchants. But, in the desert, there was only the sound of the
eternal wind, and of the hoofbeats of the animals. Even the guides spoke
very little to one another (Coelho, 1993: 73).
Santiago learns a lot from watching the desert and thinking about the way
the caravan moves. Naturally, he makes friends with a camel driver, and they join
at night telling stories. In the novel, after getting a test of encountering the
dangerous warning about the tribal war that happens in the desert, Santiago
fortunately arrives to the place where he has time to pause his journey. The terrain
and circumstance of this place are little bit different from the passage along the
desert. Creepy and quiet situations change into joy and cheer once the caravan
arrives at the oasis. The palm trees, tents, and busy activities of the tribe people in
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the oasis make this place look like a transit town. The oasis signifies the new
threshold. The function of new threshold gives victory experience to the hero so
that he can feel the ring of power. This below datum is a reflection of how the
hero enters the new threshold:
―The boy couldn't believe what he was seeing: the oasis, rather than being
just a well surrounded by a few palm trees —as he had seen once in a
geography book—was much larger than many towns back in Spain. There
were three hundred wells, fifty thousand date trees, and innumerable
colored tents spread among them‖(Coelho, 1993: 87).
Before Santiago and his party approach to Oasis, the caravan starts to
travel day and night because of the wars. At that moment, everyone seems to be
frightened and nervous. Then, they finally camp out within sight of the oasis, and
everyone is really thrilled about this. The oasis is gigantic, bigger than most of the
towns that Santiago has seen. The people who live there are excited to see the
newcomers, and Santiago learns that oases is considered neutral territory where
fighting is prohibited. In the Oasis, coincidentally, the boy meets an old alchemist;
a man that the Englishman is looking for. From here, an old alchemist who is
actually the threshold guardian becomes the hero‘s ally and mentor. The following
datum describes how Santiago faces the threshold guardian:
The strange horseman drew an enormous, curved sword from a scabbard
mounted on his saddle. The steel of its blade glittered in the light of the
moon. "Who dares to read the meaning of the flight of the hawks?" he
demanded, so loudly that his words seemed to echo through the fifty
thousand palm trees of Al-Fayoum. "Be careful with your
prognostications," said the stranger. When something is written, there is no
way to change it."
"All I saw was an army," said the boy. "I didn't see the outcome of the
battle."The stranger seemed satisfied with the answer. But he kept the
sword in his hand (Coelho, 1993: 111).
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The story above describes how Santiago meets the Alchemist. Santiago on
his way back to his tent meets a stranger who shows up on a white horse, with a
falcon on his shoulder and a sword in his hand. The stranger asks Santiago about
who dares to interpret the flight of the hawks, and Santiago answers that he does.
Then the stranger also asks him what he is doing at the oasis. Santiago says that
he is following his Personal Legend. Thus, the stranger says that he would test
Santiago's courage, because the courage is the most important quality for
understanding the Language of the World. The stranger tells Santiago, if Santiago
is still alive tomorrow night, Santiago should visit him. Then, Santiago realizes
that the stranger is the alchemist.
b. Courtship Moment
This stage can also be an arena to elaborate the courtship moment between
the hero and another character whom the hero falls in love with. In this stage, a
romance may develop a close connection or a strong relationship, or in other
words, a romance bonds the hero and the beloved before he encounters the main
ordeal. In the novel, there is a moment when Santiago meets a girl of Oasis and
he recognizes that there is a language, neither word nor image, but it seems like a
sign that tells him about his feeling toward the girl. The sign is about falling in
love. The following datum depicts how the hero is noticing his feeling toward the
girl:
At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the
World surged within him. When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that
her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most
important part of the language that all the world spoke—the language that
everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love.
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Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert (Coelho,
1993: 92-93)
Santiago is falling in love with a dark-eyed girl named Fatima who is an
inhabitant of the Oase. The story tells the readers that what Santiago feels is love,
and love is a language that everyone has owned in their hearts and could speak.
Santiago consciously admits and agrees that his feeling toward the girl is true.
Consequently, there is a moment of romance that develops into a strong
relationship.
"You have told me about your dreams, about the old king and your
treasure. And you've told me about omens. So now, I fear nothing, because
it was those omens that brought you to me. And I am a part of your dream,
a part of your Personal Legend, as you call it.
"That's why I want you to continue toward your goal. If you have to wait
until the war is over, then wait. But if you have to go before then, go on in
pursuit of your dream. The dunes are changed by the wind, but the desert
never changes. That's the way it will be with our love for each other.
"Maktub," she said. "If I am really a part of your dream, you'll come back
one day (Coelho, 1993: 97)
"I'm a desert woman, and I'm proud of that. I want my husband to wander
as free as the wind that shapes the dunes. And, if I have to, I will accept
the fact that he has become a part of the clouds, and the animals and the
water of the desert (Coelho, 1993: 98)
The story above tells that Santiago starts routine-visit to the well, waiting
for Fatima. Thus, Santiago and Fatima talk every day. Fatima says that her
persistence to live at the desert (Oasis), since the Oasis is the transit-place of
passengers who ride across the desert, finally she meets Santiago as her lover. He
tells her about his dreams, the old king, and the omens. Fatima wants Santiago to
continue looking for his treasure, even if he has to leave her. She knows that if
they are destined to be together, he will be back for her. She says that she is a
desert woman, so she knows all about waiting. This situation induces another
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important or the peak moment. The peak moment of their romance signifies the
courtship ritual between the two lovers. The following is a depiction of the main
courtship moment in the novel:
"I'm going away," he said.
"And I want you to know that I'm coming back. I love you because…"
―I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you."
The two embraced. It was the first time either had touched the other.
"I'll be back," the boy said.
"Before this, I always looked to the desert with longing," said Fatima.
"Now it will be with hope. My father went away one day, but he returned
to my mother, and he has always come back since then."
"I'll return, just as your father came back to your mother," he said.
He saw that Fatima's eyes were filled with tears. "You're crying?"
"I'm a woman of the desert," she said, averting her face. "But above all,
I'm a woman‖ (Coelho, 1993: 121-123).
From the story above, Fatima shows Santiago that she not only loves him
but also understands the language of the desert and follows the omens. She is also
looking for treasure, but it is not like Santiago‘s treasure. She is looking for her
man and finally the man is Santiago. Fatima notices that Santiago must achieve
his quest to get the treasure. Thus, instead of getting jealous or insecure, she tells
him that she will wait for him because she is a "desert woman" who is used to
waiting. Fatima, serves an important purpose in the novel, because she shows the
way that real love is not jealous, and lets the beloved pursue their ―Personal
Legend‖ rather than holding them back or being insecure. So, the result of this
courtship moment is to support Santiago with the meaning of true love before he
is facing the great ordeal.
c. Obstacle as the Preparation of the Ordeal
Another function of this stage for the hero is to delay him with obstacles.
Actually, being in love with Fatima is also an obstacle for Santiago. Since
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Santiago thinks that Fatima is more important than the hidden treasure in Egypt,
he then betrays his mind of achieving the treasure. Santiago says "I want to stay
at the oasis- I've found Fatima, and, as far as I'm concerned, she's worth more
than treasure"(Coelho, 1993: 118).Now, he considers that Fatima is the real
treasure he is looking for. However, the hero always finds a way to get out from
such an obstacle. In this occasion, Santiago is helped by the old alchemist. He
attempts to awake Santiago and persuade him to continue the journey. Besides,
on the journey, the old alchemist forces the boy to keep learning from the journey
about the omen and to keep listening to his heart. This datum below is a depiction
of how Santiago is entrapped by his thought and how the alchemist tries to awake
him:
"I have already found my treasure. I have a camel, I have my money from
the crystal shop, and I have fifty gold pieces. In my own country, I would
be a rich man."
"But none of that is from the Pyramids," said the alchemist.
"I also have Fatima. She is a treasure greater than anything else I have
won."
"She wasn't found at the Pyramids, either".
The boy didn't want to talk about the Pyramids. His heart was heavy, and
he had been melancholy since the previous night. To continue his search
for the treasure meant that he had to abandon Fatima.
"I'm going to guide you across the desert," the alchemist said (Coelho,
1993: 115).
The researcher notices that Santiago is delayed by the thought of deciding
Fatima as the treasure. Actually, Santiago is reluctant to continue his journey
since there is a tribal war at the desert. Being in love with Fatima induces
Santiago to make a new decision that is to stay in the Oasis and live with Fatima.
His lack of courage to achieve the dream is his old problem that has appeared
since the story has begun. Thus the function of this obstacle is to teach him more
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about the knowledge of the language of the world or else to prepare him facing the
ordeal. From the story above, the alchemist tells Santiago that a genuine love can
speak the language of the world and never betrays the lover. If it is a true love, it
will never spoil until he comes back. In contrast, if it is only a moment of light or
happiness, he will find nothing in his return.
8. Supreme Ordeal
The ordeal is not the climax but the most critical moment in any story,
especially in the realm of special world. In this stage the hero faces death and
rebirth quality in which the battle or challenge creates a high tension and
suspense. In The Alchemist, after Santiago leaves Fatima and attempts to reach the
Egypt, he must go through the ―inmost cave‖ which is the area of war. There he
must face the possibility of death. This datum below is a reflection of the ―inmost
cave‖ of the ordeal:
―The sun was setting when the boy's heart sounded a danger signal. They
were surrounded by gigantic dunes, and the boy looked at the alchemist to
see whether he had sensed anything. But he appeared to be unaware of any
danger. Five minutes later, the boy saw two horsemen waiting ahead of
them. Before he could say anything to the alchemist, the two horsemen
had become ten, and then a hundred. And then they were everywhere in
the dunes. They were tribesmen dressed in blue, with black rings
surrounding their turbans. Their faces were hidden behind blue veils, with
only their eyes showing. Even from a distance, their eyes conveyed the
strength of their souls. And their eyes spoke of death‖ (Coelho, 1993: 138-
139)
Santiago enters the realm of the ―inmost cave‖ where he will encounter the
ordeal. At that moment, Santiago suddenly gets a danger signal from his heart. He
is sure enough that he and the alchemist are surrounded by a hundred tribesmen.
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Santiago is right. The atmosphere and tone represent how the realm of the tribal
war is appropriate enough to be categorized as the ―inmost cave‖ of the ordeal.
"I'm not afraid of failing. It's just that I don't know how to turn myself into
the wind."
"Then you'll die in the midst of trying to realize your destiny. That's a lot
better than dying like millions of other people, who never even knew what
their destinies were(Coelho, 1993: 142).
"I heard what you were talking about the other day with the alchemist," the
wind said. "He said that everything has its own destiny. But people can't
turn themselves into the wind."
"Just teach me to be the wind for a few moments," the boy said. "So you
and I can talk about the limitless possibilities of people and the
winds"(Coelho, 1993: 147)
The datum above is a description of how Santiago faces the ordeal. The
great challenge in the ordeal is that Santiago must turn himself to the wind,
otherwise he will be killed by the tribesmen. Santiago asks the wind for help. The
wind is curious, but doesn't know how to turn him into the wind. This moment
also means that Santiago must prove himself that he has already learnt the
language of the world that is how to communicate with nature without human‘s
language.
9. Seizing the Reward
Naturally, after successfully facing the great challenges of the ordeal, the
hero experiences some pleasure of victory. This stage presents the moment when
the hero gets the reward. The reward is not always a precious equipment or good,
but it could be knowledge or quality of new personality. In the novel, after
successfully performs miracles to turn himself into the wind, Santiago then gets
both inner knowledge and appreciation from the tribesmen.
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―The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and saw that it was a
part of the Soul of God. And he saw that the Soul of God was his own
soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles.‖
―When the simum ceased to blow, everyone looked to the place where the
boy had been. But he was no longer there; he was standing next to a sand-
covered sentinel, on the far side of the camp.‖
―The men were terrified at his sorcery. But there were two people who
were smiling: the alchemist, because he had found his perfect disciple, and
the chief, because that disciple had understood the glory of God. The
following day, the general bade the boy and the alchemist farewell, and
provided them with an escort party to accompany them as far as they
chose‖ (Coelho, 1993: 152-153)
Santiago experiences the death and rebirth moment by turning himself to
the wind. Consequently, the reward he has got is that he enables to learn the
lesson of the universal language. Santiago prays as reaching through to the soul of
the world. He realizes that his soul is that of God and that he can do miracles.
Once the storm dies, the camp has almost been destroyed, and Santiago has been
transported far to the other side of where it used to be. Everyone is naturally
terrified. As the result, the second reward is that he is accompanied by the escort
party or some armed guards to help him on his way to achieve the safe area.
10. The Road Back
This stage is the moment after the hero reaches the main peak of the act
two in which he has transformed himself into a new personality and celebrated his
victory by gaining reward and new knowledge. In this stage, the hero has
summoned the rest of his journey. Besides, this stage represents the best moment,
for after the hero is disturbed by experience of death and rebirth of the ordeal, he
recollects his intention to pursue ―the road back‖.
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The term ―the road back‖ could mean returning to the starting point, going
back home to the ordinary world, or continuing the journey to ultimate destination
which can be a totally new area. By realizing that the realm of the special world
must eventually be left behind, the hero undertakes the responsibility to finish the
journey with awareness that there are still dangers, test and temptations ahead
In The Alchemist, after experiencing the death and rebirth moment by
turning himself to the wind, and getting the lesson of the universal language, as
well as receiving the reward by being accompanied by the escort party to achieve
the safe area, Santiago has to leave those awe moments and realizes that his
ultimate goal is still ahead. Instead of going back to his countryside of Spain, he
moves forward because his ultimate treasure is still in the Pyramids of Egypt. The
datum below depicts of when Santiago who wholeheartedly undertakes the rest of
the journey in order to achieve the ultimate goal:
The boy rode along through the desertfor several hours, listening avidly
towhat his heart had to say.…But here he was, at the point of findinghis
treasure, and he reminded himselfthat no project is completed until its
objective has been achieved (Coelho, 1993: 159-61).
In addition, when the hero is continuing the journey, he must implement
the lessons he has learned in the special world. Thus, at the moment of searching
the treasure in the Pyramids, Santiago once again practices the lesson of the
universal language by listening his heart and learning the omen. The datum below
describes how Santiago uses his ability of using the language of the world:
…It was hisheart that would tell him where histreasure was hidden."Where
your treasure is, there also willbe your heart," the alchemist had toldhim.
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As he was about to climb yet anotherdune, his heart whispered, "Be aware
ofthe place where you are brought totears. That's where I am, and
that'swhere your treasure is."
The boy looked at the sands around him, and saw that, where his tears had
fallen, a scarab beetle was scuttling through the sand. During his time in
the desert, he had learned that, in Egypt, the scarab beetles are a symbol of
God(Coelho, 1993: 159-161).
Besides being taught by the Alchemist, Santiago has already known about
how to listen to his heart and read the omen. Santiago rides to the pyramids.
There, his heart tells him that wherever he is brought to is the place where his
treasure is. Moreover, he gets new omen of a scarab beetle. At that moment
everything seems clear and the good circumstance appears to support him.
11. Resurrection
The resurrection happens when Santiago finds the location where he
supposes the treasure to be buried. When he struggles to dig the sands and rocks
near the pyramid, several men approach him and try to rob him. When they
recognize what Santiago does is looking for treasure, they force him to continue
digging and find it.
―As he was attempting to pull out the rocks he encountered, he heard
footsteps. Several figures approached him. Their backs were to the
moonlight, and the boy could see neither their eyes nor their faces.‖
―They made the boy continue digging, but he found nothing. As the sun
rose, the men began to beat the boy. He was bruised and bleeding, his
clothing was torn to shreds, and he felt that death was near‖ (Coelho,
1993: 161-162).
Like in the ordeal, in this stage Santiago is again facing the death or
dangerous situation. Consequently he is bruised and bleeding. Yet, the difference
between ordeal and resurrection is that in the stage of resurrection Santiago has a
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new personality which he can understand the language of the world so that he can
interpret the man‘s dream.
12. Return with the Elixir
This stage is presenting that the hero‘s journey ends and he brings back the
elixir from the current adventure, but the quest to implement the lesson still goes
on. The function of the Return is similar to the stage of Reward which is after
experiencing the moment of death and rebirth the hero can take possession of the
reward or elixir, celebrate it, gain the lesson, and has to bring back the elixir and
implement the lesson. However, in this moment the hero has already reborn and
has a new personality to fight the last trial. This is the final moment of the journey
and thus it has the form of end.
The characteristic of the stage of return is to untie the plot with a certain
amount of surprise. The Alchemist has a surprise moment in the end of story, the
plot has led the readers to believe that the treasure is in the Pyramids of Egypt,
and then the last moment shows a quiet different reality that the treasure is not
there. However, the novel is also adopting the ―circular story form‖ in which the
narrative returns to the starting point. Circular point of view can be visual or
metaphoric ways of replaying dialogue or situation of act one. That‘s why, using
Vogler words (2007: 217), ―circular story form‖ is one way of tying up loose ends
and making a story complete. This below datum is the end of The Alchemist:
But before they left, he came back to the boy and said, "You're not going
to die. You'll live, and you'll learn that a man shouldn't be so stupid. Two
years ago, right here on this spot, I had a recurrent dream, too. I dreamed
that I should travel to the fields of Spain and look for a ruined church
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where shepherds and their sheep slept. In my dream, there was a sycamore
growing out of the ruins of the sacristy, and I was told that, if I dug at the
roots of the sycamore, I would find a hidden treasure. But I'm not so stupid
as to cross an entire desert just because of a recurrent dream." And they
disappeared. The boy stood up shakily, and looked once more at the
Pyramids. They seemed to laugh at him, and he laughed back, his heart
bursting with joy. Because now he knew where his treasure was. (P.162-
63)
The impact of the climax of the Resurrection leads to the resolution. The
story above shows the resolution and leads to think of some part in the opening of
the story. In the introduction or in the stage of The Call to Adventure, when
Santiago sleep under the sycamore tree which grows within a ruined church in
Spain, he has dreamed of a treasure that lies or burried in the Pyramid of Egypt.
Meanwhile, In the end of the story, the truth is revealed, there is no treasure that is
burried or hiden in the Pyramid. The man (The Arabian who is the opposite
character at the last story) tells Santiago not to be so stupid, for, the man also has
dreamed of a treasure when he sleep at the Pyramid. The dream told the man to go
to the ruined church in Spain and to dig at the roots of a sycamore tree. However,
the man says he is not as stupid as Santiago to believe in dream. He is unwilling to
cross the desert just because of a recurrent dream.
No matter what, Santiago laughs as the man leaves. That is because the
man just gives him the clue where the treasure really is. Meanwhile, the treasure
that he gets in the Pyramid is not the expected treasure (gold coins or precious
things), it is the ability to interpret the language of the world. Coincidence or not,
Santiago enables to interpret the man‘s dream at the Pyramid or viceversa. The
man‘s dream uncoincidentally is uttered as the reward, for Santiago finnaly
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whole-heartedly responds the personal calling.and reaches the Pyramid.after fights
trials and enemies.
This great reward can mean ―The elixir‖, since it can be a great treasure
or magic potion, love, wisdom, or simply the experience of surviving the special
world. The hero may show the benefit of the Elixir, using it to heal a physical or
emotional wound, or accomplish tasks that had been feared in the Ordinary
World. In The Alchemist, both the the reward that is the knowledge of language of
the world and the hiden treasure are the Elixir. In fact, Santiago shows the benefit
of gaining those Elixirs. First, Santiago is able to interpret the man‘s dream about
where the treasure really is and he does not fear the dream will lead him to
another burden that he did in the Ordinary World. Second, Santiago returns to
Spain to pursue and to finish his ―personal calling‖ or his destiny. His return is to
dig the root of the sycamore tree where the treasure is burried. After he finds the
treasure, he shared it with the Gipsy woman as his promise.
B. The Literary Elements that presents the Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in
The Alchemist
Structuralism approach relates literary texts to a larger structure like a
model of a universal narrative structure. It is used to reveal the structure of a
narrative and the ways its structure gives understanding to the readers in viewing
the whole story. Structuralism argues that there must be a structure in every text.
In other words, everything that is written seems to be managed by specific rules.
Besides, this approach concentrates and focuses more on the elements of
narrative.
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Hence, the researcher evolves this approach with the aim to expose that the
narrative pattern of a single story is integrated into a structure which is
constructed as the form pattern for all stories, in this case, the archetypes of hero‘s
journey or the Monomyth as the universal structure for all stories. The aim is to
examine the narrative pattern of The Alchemist related to the form of the
archetypes of hero‘s journey revised by Christopher Vogler. Thus, some elements
of narrative are used to demonstrate the narrative pattern of the novel. Those
elements are plot and setting.
1. By Plot
Structure is the basic principle of construction and it becomes the main
object investigation in structuralism approach. Since the structure of linear
sequences of actions is presented through plot, the plot is a useful element to
examine and demonstrate how the rules of the Monomyth or the archetypes of
hero‘s journey govern the pattern of a text. Thus, the stages of hero‘s journey are
presented through the development of the plot.
The Alchemist employs chronological events with progression. It contains
six distinct phases. In the case of relation section among the phases or parts of the
story, each phase is characterized by its role in developing the story's conflict. It is
also characterized by the level of tension. These phases are; exposition or
introduction, rising action, complication, climax, falling action and resolution.
The image of the plot diagram or graphic in the form of arc and line shows the
plot progression in this story.
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Figure 2. The Alchemist’s Plot Diagram
The vertical line states the scale of tension. The curved represents the level
of dramatic tension in the story. The horizontal line represents the forward
progression of the story. It is seen by the sequence of the events in the story that
signifies the act 1- separation, act 2- initiation, and act 3 return. The numerical
symbols represent the stages of the archetype of hero‘s journey. They are placed
near to each of the phases, marking to the development of those phases. The phase
of exposition is marked by stage 1- The Ordinary World, stage 2- The Call to
Adventure, stage 3- Refusal of the Call, and stage 4- Meeting with the Mentor.
The phase of rising action is marked by the stage 5- Crossing the First Threshold.
The phase of complication is marked by the stage 6- Test, Allies, Enemies, stage
7- Approach to the Inmost Cave, stage 8- Supreme Ordeal, stage 9- Seizing the
Reward and stage 10- The Road Back. The phase of climax is marked by the stage
92
11- Resurrection. The phase of falling action and resolution are marked by the
stage 12- Return with the Elixir.
In using the plot, some evidences, relating the finding with its method of
presentation are recorded. The first evidence is that the first stage of hero‘s
journey, which is The Ordinary World, is found in the beginning of the story or in
the phase of exposition. The phase of exposition or introduction lies in the
beginning of story, in which the dramatic situation is introduced. This phase is
characterized by a low level of tension and generally contains a number of the
basic information that the reader must know in order to understand the next
events.
In The Alchemist, after a prologue, the stage of The Ordinary World
precedes the others stages. The hero –as the essential part of a story- along with
his first appearance, lack, inner and outer problem is exposed in the beginning of
the story. This phase of exposition or introduction is still marking the other stages
including the stage of The Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, and Meeting
with the Mentor.
Meanwhile, the second evidence is that the next stage of Crossing the
First Threshold is linear to the next phase which is the rising action phase. The
rising action phase shows how the dramatic situations are rising. It is marked
when the hero, Santiago, decides to undertake the journey and passes the first test
in act one of Separation.
The third evidence shows that the stage of Test-Allies-Enemies, Approach
to the Inmost Cave, Supreme Ordeal, Seizing the Reward, and The Road Back are
93
marking the phase of complication. The plot of complication lies during the event
that puts the hero into act 2 of Initiation. The actions in the complication raise the
tension and drive the story forward and keep rolling. The plot is started when the
hero, Santiago, starts to do the first test of the act 2 in the special world which is a
new and strange place for him. The plot of complication ends after passing the
highest level of tension in that phase. The highest level of tension is called
suspense.
The stage of Supreme Ordeal represents the suspense, for it is the most
crisis moment in the act two when the hero is experiencing the greatest fear of the
moment of death and rebirth. However, in this phase of complication, there is a
falling tension as the consequence of the ordeal. It presents the stages of Seizing
the Reward and The Road Back. The falling tension happens when the conflict
situations and the crisis actions decrease at least temporarily as the hero, Santiago,
gets the reward of his wholeheartedly passing the crisis moment of the ordeal. In
the act 3 of return, in the stage of The Road Back, the level of tension doesn‘t
show a significant progress. Although the actions are revved up again in which
there is a new spirit as Santiago realizes that he must leave the area of act 2 of
tribal war, heading to the Pyramids of Egypt; the situation is not in crisis.
Thus, the next evidence is that the phase of climax of the story is shown in
the stage of Resurrection. This phase, the dark shadow or great situation forces the
story up to the highest tension, is compared to all phases. This is another exciting
moment besides the crisis moment of ordeal, but this time is the last point in the
94
ultimate destination where the readers find out how the conflict will be resolved.
This plot illustrates the moment when Santiago experiences the moment of
climax;
―They made the boy continue digging, but he found nothing. As the sun
rose, the men began to beat the boy. He was bruised and bleeding, his
clothing was torn to shreds, and he felt that death was near‖ (Coelho,
1993: 162).
Climax moment shows the result of the sudden height tension. The result
is a new understanding from the conflict and it causes the tension that begins to
decrease. Santiago, in the climax moment, finds chaos and is desperate because of
his failure in searching the treasure in the Pyramid. However, with his new
personality that he gets from the rebirth quality in The Supreme Ordeal, he
resolves the crisis moment by interpreting the Arab-man‘s dream and ultimately
he finds the treasure.
Finally, the boy screamed atthe men, "I'm digging for treasure!"And,
although his mouth was bleedingand swollen, he told his attackers thathe
had twice dreamed of a treasurehidden near the Pyramids of
Egypt(Coelho, 1993: 162)
…..And they disappeared.The boy stood up shakily, and lookedonce more
at the Pyramids. They seemed to laugh at him, and he laughed back, his
heart bursting with joy. Because now he knew where his treasure was
(Coelho, 1993: 163).
The event above represents the last evidence of the phases of falling action
and resolution. The researcher also found the plots of falling action and resolution
in the last feature of the novel which is the epilogue. The author includes an
epilogue to support that the conflict of the story ends and has the resolution. It is
also marking the rules of stage Return with the Elixir. The epilogue shows that the
hero transforms into a new personality and implements the lesson he has got.
95
After Santiago gets the elixir which is the message of the treasure that he has got
from interpreting the man‘s dream, Santiago returns to his former land of Spain to
prove that his interpretation is right.
2. By Setting
Structuring a narrative in time and place is important because the sequence
of the events in a text has to be developed to keep the story rolling. The time is
used to compare the events that the hero undergoes. The place is set to distinguish
some events that are presented in the text. Both time and place which are
presented in a story are called the setting. In anlysing The Alchemist, the setting is
useful to compare and distinguish stages between ordinary world (act 1 or
Separation) and special world (act 2 or Initiation). The setting helps the readers to
recognize the contrast among the two worlds. In the novel, the stages of ordinary
world or separation (The Ordinary World, The Call to Adventure, Refusal of the
Call, and Meeting with the Mentor) are presented as the most delicate time and set
in a mundane or familiar environment. It also frames the hero –Santiago- in a
normal day along with his activities in the countryside of Andalusia. In contrast,
the stages of the special world or initiation (Test-Allies-Enemies, Approach to the
Inmost Cave, Suprme Ordeal, and Seizing the Reward) are presented as the
mysterious landscapes. When leaving his hometown in Andalusia to undertake the
journey, Santiago enters the unknown and mysterious world of Tangier, Africa.
Thus the functions of setting are to show the readers the main character‘s
way of life, to create a mood or atmosphere, to symbolize an idea, and to make
96
action more real. In other words, the setting of the story is the pictures of series of
incident that the hero undergoes as the part of his journey. That is why, the setting
is employed as a method for this research to reveal the stages of journey that the
hero undergoes.
The narrative element of setting to decide if the story or data support the
rules or characteristics of each stage, for, the setting provides the background of
the action and shapes the events. The setting of time is not always presenting time
of year or day but it could be weather or events. Meanwhile, the setting of place is
not always presenting a specific region, state, or building but it could be scenery,
modes of transportation, customs, dialects, or clothing. After examining the whole
setting of the novel, the story can be devided into 4 major places relating to the
stages of archetype of hero‘s journey. To help the readers get more visualization,
the following is the map of Santiago‘s Journey.
Figure 3. Map of Santiago’s Journey
In the novel, Santiago visits several places. The numerical symbol on the
map represents the places that have been passed, they are; (1) Tarifa- Andalusia,
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(2) Tangier- Africa, (3) Al-Fayoum Oasis, and (4) Pyramids of Egypt. Act 1 of
Separation or the realm of Ordinary World is presented in Tarifa- Andalusia. Act
2 of Initiation or the realm of Special World is presented in Tangier- Africa up to
Al-Fayoum Oasis. Act 3 of Return or another realm of Ordinary World is
presented in the Pyramids of Egypt.
The region of Andalusia and the city of Tarifa present such compelling
evidences of exposition or introduction about the story. These places signify the
stages of The Ordinary World, The Call to adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting
with the Mentor, and Crossing the first Threshold. In exposing the moment the
story takes time, the setting of time in the novel is not limited to a specific period.
However, it can be estimated that the time is after the Moors invasion.
It was the time of day when all of Spain slept during the summer. .........he
had spoken to them about only one thing: the girl, the daughter of a
merchant who lived in the village....The girl was typical of the region of
Andalusia, with flowing black hair, and eyes that vaguely recalled the
Moorish conquerors.....he had attended a seminary until he was sixteen.
His parents had wanted him to become a priest,.....He had studied Latin,
Spanish, and theology.But ever since he had been a child, he had
wanted...to travel. "People from all over the world have passed through
this village, son," said his father. "They come in search of new things, but
when they leave they are basically the same people they were when they
arrived. They climb the mountain to see the castle, and they wind up
thinking that the past was better than what we have now (Coelho, 1993: 5-
9)
The datum above presents the setting symbolizing an idea of time. The
story is set after the Moorish invades Spain. The narrator says that ―the girl was
typical of the region of Andalusia, with flowing black hair, and eyes that vaguely
recalled the Moorish conquerors‖, this symbolizes that the Moorish people are the
ancestors of the Andalusian. In Cambridge dictionary, the Moors are the Muslim
people who were the rulers of Spain from 711 to 1492. Since 1492, most of
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Andalusia has been under Spanish controlled by Catholic. The setting shows that
Santiago attends a seminary because his parents want him to become a priest.
However, Santiago prefers to be a traveller. The line ―they climb the mountain to
see the castle, and they wind up thinking that the past was better than what we
have now‖ tells that there are tourists or travellers who come to visit a castle in
Andalusia, aweing the glories of the past. This supports the history of the Moorish
people‘s invasion. In Cordoba of Andalusia there is a catholic cathedral that
becomes a great mosque and has Moorish architecture, but it is originally built in
the period of Visigoth kingdom before being conquered by Muslim.
The next place, Tangier of Africa represents the realm of Special World.
The setting of a bar on which Santiago drops in, supports the characteristic of
stage Test-Allies-Enemies. The setting of the bar helps to create the tension that
Santiago has entered the realm of unknown. For example:
―How strange Africa is, thought the boy. He was sitting in a bar very much
like the other bars he had seen along the narrow streets of Tangier. Some
men were smoking from a gigantic pipe that they passed from one to the
other. In just a few hours he had seen men walking hand in hand, women
with their faces covered, and priests that climbed to the tops of towers and
chanted—as everyone about him went to their knees and placed their
foreheads on the ground (Coelho, 1993: 33)
This setting draws a drastic contrast to the realm of the Ordinary World. In the
special world Santiago notices a new dialect, a new customs, even new clothing,
all represent that Santiago moves from the location of Andalusia to Africa. The
continuance of the journey from Tangier to the Oasis of Al-Fayoum presents the
cycle of Initiation. This arena marks the stages of Approach to the Inmost Cave,
Supreme Ordeal, and Seizing the Reward. Meanwhile, Egypt is the realm of
Return. The cycle of Return signifies that the hero returns to his homeland and
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continues the ultimate destination. The moment Santiago leaves the Coptic
Monastery represents the stage of The Road Back. The Pyramids‘ area is the area
of the Stages of Resurrection and Return with the Elixir. Santiago encounters both
the climax and the Elixir in the Pyramids. However, the continuance of the last
stage of Return with the Elixir is also presented in the Epilogue in which Santiago
returns to Spain and finds another treasure.
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
Based on the findings and discussion in chapter IV, some conclusions can
be drawn related to the research problems. The conclusions are derived into the
following points;
1. Literary works are the important aspect in human life due to its function to
develop human feelings, ideas, and interests. A type of literary works that
contain quest enables us to recognise human dreams and strugles in diferrent
places and times since every quest has the recurrent story pattern or structure
which is called as the archetypes. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is a quest
fiction that follows the rules of the mythic structure of the Monomyth. Based
on Christopher Vogler’s theory on mythic structure, all stages of the
archetypes of hero’s journey that signify the cycle of Separation-Initiation-
Return are found in the novel. Those stages are (1) The Ordinary World, (2)
The Call to Adventure, (3) Refusal of the Call, (4) Meeting with the Mentor,
(5) Crossing the First Threshold, (6) Test-Allies-Enemies, (7) Approach to
the Inmost Cave, (8) Supreme Ordeal, (9) Seizing the Reward, (10) The Road
Back, (11) Resurrection, and (12) Return with the Elixir. These twelve stages
are useful to identify the road-map of the hero’s journey. The whole story of
The Alchemist gives more understanding to the archetypes of hero’s journey
and vice versa. The stages of the archetypes of hero’s journey help to uncover
what quest that actually the hero is being achieved. Santiago’s story is a
journey of the quest, while his quest is to respond his “personal calling”. The
101
stages also show that Santiago must overcome some obstacles to respond his
“personal calling”. The stage of The Ordinary World foreshadows the small
model of the obstacles that Santiago must encounter throughout the journey.
Before Santiago leaves, he gets a recurrent dream to look for treasure that
signifies The Stage of the Call to Adventure. It means that the dream is a sign
for the hero to undergo the journey. However, Santiagos’s reluctance to leave
represents The Stage of Refusal to the Call. At first, Santiago has buried his
dream looking for treasure until he meets an old man who encourages him to
take the journey. The Stage of Meeting with the Mentor helps to reveal that
the old man is the mentor. Meanwhile, the next Stage of Crossing the First
Threshold uncovers the moment when Santiago realizes that he must leave
the ordinary world to venture into a challenging and unfamiliar world, sailing
to Africa. Thus, those five stages before Santiago leaves represent the cycle
of Separation. The next Stage of Test-Allies-Enemies represents the cycle of
Initiation which takes place of the special world (Africa). It is the arena for
the hero’s conflicts, dilemmas, and challenging forces because of facing the
obstacles. The first obstacle is prejudice which is an idea that says it is
impossible to realize everything that one wants. This idea emerges in
Santiago’s head that it is impossible to bring his dreams into reality. The
second obstacle is love. It means there are fears of hurting the beloved one
that turn some persons to abandon everything about pursuing the dream.
Santiago intends to uncontinue the journey and sto tay at the oasis to be
married to Fatima. The third obstacle is fear. The fear of defeat and the fear of
102
realizing the dream happen when Santiago is fighting for his dream. Some of
those obstacles appear in The Stage of Approach to the Inmost Cave. After
Santiago gets his love supports him, the fear comes up to be his next trials
and brings him to The Stage of Supreme Ordeal. Santiago is caught up in the
area of tribal war that gives him experience of death and rebirth moment.
Therefore, when he successfully represses the fear and faces a challenge of
turning himself to the wind, he gets an escort party to accompany as far as he
wants. The escort party represent The Stage of The Reward. Afterwards,
those obstacles have purified him into new personality in order to prepare him
continues the rest of his journey, heading the ultimate destination the
Pyramids of Egypt. Continuing the journey is signifying The Stage of The
Road Back. Meanwhile, The Stage of the Resurrection represents the moment
when Santiago faces the most great challenge of getting physical injury and
desperate moment because of encountering the opposite character. Therefore,
The Stage of Return with the Elixir is when Santiago realizes that this time he
should implement a lesson of interpreting the language of the world so that he
finally gets his treasure and bring it back to Spain. The elixir is the treasure,
the treasure is a message from the Arabian man’s dream about “the treasure”.
The most interesting finding for the researcher is the resolution of the last
stage that are found also in the epilogue. The epilogue seems like prologue is
the element of the novel. To avoid the absence or incomplete of the last stage,
Coelho adds the story with an epilogue.
103
2. The methods used to reveal the archetypes of hero’s journey in The Alchemist
are two of narrative intrinsic elements which are plot and setting. The
correlation between those elements help to uncover the meaning of the text
relates to the archetypes of hero’s journey. Plot demonstrates the rules of the
archetypes of hero’s journey govern the patterns of a text. Thus, the stages of
the archetypes of hero’s journey are presented through the development of the
plot. The Alchemist employs chronological events with progression. It
contains six distinct phases. These phases are exposition or introduction,
rising action, complication, climax, falling action and resolution. Setting is
another usefull element that reveals the stages of the archetypes of hero’s
journey since it has some functions. The functions are to create a mood or
atmosphere, to symbolize an idea, and to make action seem more real. That is
why, the element of plot and setting are employed as the methods for this
research to reveal the stages of journey that the hero undergoes.
104
REFERENCES
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Campbell, Joseph. 2004. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. New Jersey: Princeton
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Castle, Gregory. 2007. The Blackwell Guide to Literary Theory. Malden USA:
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Coelho, Paulo. 1993. The Alchemist. New York: Harper Collins Publisher.
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Methods Approaches. 3rd
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Diyanni, Robert. 2000. Literature Reading, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama.
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Fludernik, Monika. 2009 An Introduction to Narratology. New York: Routledge
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Hawkes, Terence. 1978. Structuralism and Semiotics. London: Matheun &
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Surabaya: English Department Faculty of Humanities, Airlangga
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Vogler, Christopher. 2007. The Writer’s Journey; Mythic Structure for Writer,
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Appendix I
The Summary of The Alchemist
The Alchemist that was first published in 1993, is a quest story about how
to respond one’s “personal calling”. It tells about Santiago, an Andalusia shepherd
boy who follows the sound of his heart taking a travel to realise his dream.
Realising the dream is a quest of responding the “personal calling”.
Before the journey of taking the quest, Santiago gets a recurrent dream
that keeps him wondering what it means. His curiosity brings him to a Gipsy
woman who tries to interpret his dream. His dream shows that there is a treasure
in the Pyramids of Egypt and Santiago is invited by the kid in the dream to look
for the treasure. Instead of undertaking the journey, Santiago at first is reluctant
until he meets up an old man who encourages him to get the treasure. After facing
a dilemma, Santiago sails to Tangier of Africa and leaves Tarifa of Andalusia to
undergo the journey.
For Santiago, Tangier is an entrance of the unknown world. As a starnger,
he feels alien and needs to learn many things. Two days in Tangier, Santiago
encounters theft which steals all of his money. Then, he meets a crystal merchant,
learning how to earn money and to become a businessman. Somehow, traveling to
Tangier brings Santiago to the desert of Egypt, and in there he meets an Alchemist
who teaches him about life lesson and leads him to the treasure. At an Oasis,
Santiago finds his true love. She is Fatima, a desert girl who will faithfully wait
for Santiago’s return.
107
Along his way toward the Pyramids, Santiago faces various obstacles that
give him the experience of death and rebirth moment. When Santiago and the
Alchemist go through the area of tribal war, they are caught up by the tribe army
and brought to the tribe’s leader in their military camp. The Alchemist tells the
tribe leaders that Santiago can change himself into a wind and can blow the tent
away if he wants to. Santiago scares because he doesn’t even understand how to
comunicate with the wind. However, when he successfully represses the fear and
faces a challenge of turning himself to the wind, he gets an escort partyfrom the
tribe army to accompany him as far as he wants.
Those obstacles have purifying him into new personality in order to
prepare him continuing the rest of his journey heading the ultimate destination
which is the Pyramids of the Egypt. However, Santiago can not find the hidden
treasure in the Pyramids. The worst, three Arabs come and notice what Santiago is
doing. They torture Santiago and force him to admit what he is searching for.
Santiago tells them that he has a dream about hidden treasure in Pyramids. One of
them laugh and tells Santiago that the man also has a dream about treasure that is
hidden in Spain. Thus, when Santiago faces the greatest challenge of getting
physical injury and desperate moments from the opposite characters in the
Pyramids, he realizes that this time he should implement a lesson of interpreting
the language of the world, he interprets the man’s dream so that he finally back to
Spain.
108
Appendix II
Table.1 : The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist
No Stages of
The
Archetypes
of Hero’s
Journey
Category Page Data Description Literary
Elements
that
present the
Archetypes
1. The Ordinary
World
a. Introducing
the Hero and
His
Environment
3 The boy‘s name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as
the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned
church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an
enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where
the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the
night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered
through the ruined gate
The hero is introduced as a
Shepherd boy who lives in a
countryside and moves from
one place to another. His
environtment is also
introduced in this stage.
Plot-
Introduction
The hero is presented in late
evening, the building (an
abandoned church)
symbolizing that the place
was under colonial rule or
was conquered by another
power.
Setting –
Time and
Place
4 It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he
could see the stars through the half-destroyed roof.
The hero‘s special and unique
character are introduced in
Plot-
Introduction
109
He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of
his animals also began to stir. It was as if some
mysterious energy bound his life to that of the
sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years,
leading them through the countryside in search of
food and water. "They are so used to me that they
know my schedule," he muttered. Thinking about
that for a moment, he realized that it could be the
other way around: that it was he who had become
accustomed to their schedule. But there were certain
of them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy
prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling
each by name. He had always believed that the
sheep were able to understand what he said.
this stage. The hero‘s
manners toward the flock
when he speaks to them is an
expression of his unique
human being. It signifies his
special quality that he can
comunicate to the flock with
a language that humans do
not usually use to talk to one
another.
The hero is presented in a
morning dawn when he
realizes that the sky is still
dark.
Setting of
time
b. Showing
the Hero‘s
Inner-Outer
Problems,
the Hero‘s
Lack, and
the Hero‘s
wound.
3 He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down,
using the book he had just finished reading as a
pillow. He told himself that he would have to start
reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made
more comfortable pillows
In this data, Santiago‘s inner
problem is shown. He thought
that his problem is lack of
great experience.
Plot-
Introduction
He is laying down at the
church‘s floor, ready to take a
rest.
Setting-
Place
110
5-6 "How did you learn to read?" the girl asked at one
point."Like everybody learns," he said. "In school."
"Well, if you know how to read, why are you just a
shepherd?"The boy mumbled an answer that
allowed him to avoid responding to her question.
He was sure the girl would never understand. He
went on telling stories about his travels...
In thi data, Santiago‘s wound
is shown. His wound is lack
of bravery to explain about
his past.
In the day when Santiago
sells the the wool in a
merchant in town
Plot-
Intrduction
Setting-
Place and
time
c. Suggesting
Dramatic
Question of
the Story
6 He recognized that he was feeling something he had
never experienced before: the desire to live in one
place forever. With the girl with the raven hair, his
days would never be the same again
The dramatic question
emerges in this moment;
whether Santiago will
undertake the journey to
respond his personal calling
or stay to be married to the
raven girl.
Plot-
Introduction
d. Exposing
Hero‘s
Back-Story
8 He had studied Latin, Spanish, and theology. But
ever since he had been a child, he had wanted to
know the world, and this was much more important
to him than knowing God and learning about man's
sins. One afternoon, on a visit to his family, he had
summoned up the courage to tell his father that he
didn't want to become a priest. That he wanted to
travel.
This data ilustrates how
Santiago‘s back story is
exposed gracefully. The
author intends to show the
background of the hero to
comply the introduction.
The time is back to the
moment when Santiago was a
student in a seminary, he had
Plot-
Introduction
Setting-
Place and
111
studied Latin, Spanish and
theology.
Time
e. Foreshado
wing the
Model of
the Special
World
9
and
47
"But I'd like to see the castles in the towns where
they live," the boy explained. "Those people, when
they see our land, say that they would like to live
here forever," his father continued. "Well, I'd like to
see their land, and see how they live," said his son.
"The people who come here have a lot of money to
spend, so they can afford to travel," his father said.
"Amongst us, the only ones who travel are the
shepherds." "Well, then I'll be a shepherd!" (9)
"I can work for the rest of today," the boy
answered. "I'll work all night, until dawn, and I'll
clean every piece of crystal in your shop. In return,
I need money to get to Egypt tomorrow." The
merchant laughed. "Even if you cleaned my crystal
for an entire year… even if you earned a good
commission selling every piece, you would still
have to borrow money to get to Egypt. There are
thousands of kilometers of desert between here and
there"(47)
In the ordinary world, in
Andalusia, Santiago has
desire to explore the world.
However he doesn‘t have
enough money to afford the
journey to become a traveler.
Thus, he choose to become a
shepherd so that he has a
chance to explore the whole
region of Andalusia.
In the Special world, in
Africa, the same trouble has
come to Santiago. In his quest
to the Pyramids of Egypt he
loses all his money so that he
must work for a christal
merchant to earn money.
Plot-
Introduction
Seting- time
and place
2 The Call to
Adventure
a. The Call
Comes
More Than
Once
3 - 4 Santiago tells to himself that he ―has to start reading
thicker books; they lasted longer, and made more
comfortable pillows
. ―I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He
had had the same dream that night as a week ago,
Santiago‘s wish to get more
valuable experience and
dream about the hidden
treasure signify that he gets
the call to adventure.
Plot-
Introduction
Setting-
Place and
112
and once again he had awakened before it ended‖ setting
b. The Call
is Brought
by Herald
13 "I have had the same dream twice," he said. "I
dreamed that I was in a field with my sheep,‖….
"The child went on playing with my sheep for quite
a while,…And suddenly, the child took me by both
hands and transported me to the Egyptian pyramids.
Then, at the Egyptian pyramids, the child said to
me, ‗If you come here, you will find a hidden
treasure.‘ And, just as she was about to show me the
exact location, I woke up. Both times."
The call is brought by herald.
The kid in Santiago‘s dream
is a herald from the
unconscious realm, whereas a
Gipsy woman is the herald
from the real world who tries
to interpret the dream and
encourages Santiago with
some knowledge to take the
journey
Plot-
Introduction
14 She told him the knowledge that ― a dream is the
language of the world‖ and she insist the boy; ―you
must go to the Pyramids in Egypt. I have never
heard of them, but, if it was a child who showed
them to you, they exist. There you will find a
treasure that will make you a rich man‖
The herald, a Gipsy woman
encourages the hero with
knowledge and support.
Plot-
Introduction
3 Refusal of
the Call
15 So the boy was disappointed; he decided that he
would never again believe in dreams. He
remembered that he had a number of things he had
to take care of: he went to the market for something
to eat, he traded his book for one that was thicker,
and he found a bench in the plaza where he could
sample the new wine he had bought. The day was
The hero prefers to stay in the
comfort-zone of the ordinary
world since he thinks that the
dream is nonsense and he
prefers to do his usual
activities than thinking about
achieving treasure in Egypt.
Plot-
Introduction
Setting-
113
hot, and the wine was refreshing. The sheep were at
the gates of the city, in a stable that belonged to a
friend. The boy knew a lot of people in the city.
That was what made traveling appeal to him—he
always made new friends, and he didn't need to
spend all of his time with them.
Place and
time
4. Meeting with
the Mentor
20-
21
"Give me one-tenth of your sheep," said the old
man, "and I'll tell you how to find the hidden
treasure."…. "I'm the king of Salem," the old man
had said. "Why would a king be talking with a
shepherd?" the boy asked, awed and embarrassed.
"For several reasons.
In this stage, the hero meets
the mentor. The mentor is
Melchizedek, an old man who
admitts as the King of Salem
Plot-
Introduction
a. Source of
wisdom
20-
21
The boy didn't know what a person's "Personal
Legend" was. "It's what you have always wanted to
accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows
what their Personal Legend is. "At that point in
their lives, everything is clear and everything is
possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn
for everything they would like to see happen to
them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious
force begins to convince them that it will be
impossible for them to realize their destiny."
He wanted to know what the "mysterious force"
was…."It's a force that appears to be negative, but
The old man tells Santiago
about how everyone has a
―personal legend‖. The
―personal legend‖ has
appeared since a man is brave
enough to have a dream or
purpose in his life. However,
as a man gets older, he starts
to think that it‘s impossible to
achieve the dream. It is the
―mysterious force‖ that
obstructs the man with a
Plot-
Introduction
114
actually shows you how to realize your Personal
Legend. It prepares your spirit and your will,
because there is one great truth on this planet:
whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do,
when you really want something, it's because that
desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's
your mission on earth."
negative thought or event so
that he loses his desire to
accomplish his real mission
on earth
29 "In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow
the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to
follow. You just have to read the omens that he left
for you." Before the boy could reply, a butterfly
appeared and fluttered between him and the old
man. He remembered something his grandfather
had once told him: that butterflies were a good
omen. Like crickets, and like expectations; like
lizards and four-leaf clovers. "That's right," said the
old man, able to read the boy's thoughts. "Just as
your grandfather taught you. These are good
omens."
The old man also teach
Santiago about the omen. The
butterfly is the omen. General
belief said that the butterfly is
a good omen that signifies a
transformation or change and
how somebody needs to
undergo a change.
Plot-
Introduction
b. Supply of
Equipment
30 "Take these," said the old man, holding out a white
stone and a black stone that had been embedded at
the center of the breastplate. "They are called Urim
and Thummim. The black signifies 'yes,' and the
white 'no.' When you are unable to read the omens,
The old man gives Santiago
equipments to his journey.
The equipments are a white
stone and a black stone
namely Urim and Thummim.
Plot-
Introduction
115
they will help you to do so. Always ask an
objective question
41 He asked ―If the old man‘s blessing was still with
him‖ then ―he took out one of the stones. It was
―yes‖‖
The stones have helped
Santiago lower his hesitations
to make a decision.
Plot-
Introduction
5. Crossing the
First
Threshold
27-
28
―The levanter increased in intensity. 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. There was also the merchant's
daughter, but she wasn't as important as his flock,
because she didn't depend on him. Maybe she didn't
even remember him
―That wind had brought the Moors, yes, but it had
also brought the smell of the desert and of veiled
women. It had brought with it the sweat and the
dreams of men who had once left to search for the
unknown, and for gold and adventure— and for the
Pyramids. The boy felt jealous of the freedom of
the wind, and saw that he could have the same
freedom. There was nothing to hold him back
except himself. The sheep, the merchant's daughter,
and the fields of Andalusia were only steps along
the way to his destiny
Santiago has to choose
between to stay in Andalusia
region, feeding the flock or to
go out of Andalusia, taking
the journey. The levanter
represents the Africa since it
is the name of the wind that
blows from there. Meanwhile,
the treasure is hidden in an
unknown place in Africa.
However, Santiago says that
he is envy toward that wind
which has the freedom to go
everywhere. Thus, he decides
to own the same freedom as
the wind. It means that he
takes the part of
transformation and
undertakes the journey to
Plot- Rising
Action
Setting-
Place and
time
116
adventure.
33 ―At the highest point in Tarifa there is an old fort,
built by the Moors. From atop its walls, one can
catch a glimpse of Africa. Melchizedek, the king of
Salem, sat on the wall of the fort that afternoon, and
felt the levanter blowing in his face….Melchizedek
watched a small ship that was plowing its way out
of the port. He would never again see the boy
The walls at the highest point
of Tarifa and Laventer is the
depiction of the border
between Tarifa, the city in
Andalusia, and Tangier, the
city in Morocco-Africa.
Plot- Rising
Action
Setting-
place and
time
6. Test-Allies-
Enemies
a. The
Wattering
Hole: a
Drastic
Contrast to
the Former
World.
33
38
―How strange Africa is, thought the boy. He was
sitting in a bar very much like the other bars he had
seen along the narrow streets of Tangier. Some men
were smoking from a gigantic pipe that they passed
from one to the other. In just a few hours he had
seen men walking hand in hand, women with their
faces covered, and priests that climbed to the tops
of towers and chanted—as everyone about him
went to their knees and placed their foreheads on
the ground (33)
―he was in a different country, a stranger in a
strange land, where he couldn't even speak the
language. He was no longer a shepherd, and he had
nothing,…(38)
Santiago arrives at the bar, he
feels alien not only to the
terrain but also its people. He
finds different customs,
tradition, and rules. Santiago
can‘t speak their language.
Even though he has studied
Latin and theology in the
seminary, and spent two years
to be an explorer in Spain, in
the land of Africa he becomes
a stranger and must learn
many things about the local
currency.
Plot-
Complication
Setting place
and time
b. Making
Allies and
38-
39
"I'd like you to take me there if you can. I can pay
you to serve as my guide." "You have to cross the
in the bar, Santiago not only
observes and gets some
Plot-
Complication
117
Dealing with
Enemies.
entire Sahara desert," said the young man. "And to
do that, you need money. I need to know whether
you have enough." The boy thought it a strange
question....He took his money from his pouch and
showed it to the young man...... The boy trusted his
new friend. He had helped him out in a dangerous
situation. He took out his money and counted it.....
They walked together through the narrow streets of
Tangier.... the boy never took his eye off his new
friend. After all, he had all his money. He thought
about asking him to give it back, but decided that
would be unfriendly. He knew nothing about the
customs of the strange land he was in.
"I'll just watch him," he said to himself.
Then he realized that he had been distracted for a
few moments, looking at the sword..... All around
him was the market, with people coming and going,
shouting and buying, and the aroma of strange
foods… but nowhere could he find his new
companion
information about this new
circumstance but also tries to
get new friends in order to get
guidance to reach Egypt.
When Santiago walks
together with his new
companions through the
narrow street of Tangier, he
doesn‘t realize that those men
he has deemed as friend are
thieves. The hubbub of the
market and the glitter of
goods in the market distract
him from overseeing his new
friends. When he is tempted
by the beauty of a sword, he
loses his new friends who
have brought all his money.
Setting-
place and
time
c. Encounteri
ng Trials
and tests.
39 He had nothing, not even the money to return and
start everything over. He was so ashamed that he
wanted to cry. He had never even wept in front of
his own sheep. But the marketplace was empty, and
Santiago, after realizing that
he actually has been cheated
by his new companion who
has brought all his money,
Plot-
Complicatio
n
118
he was far from home, so he wept. He wept because
God was unfair, and because this was the way God
repaid those who believed in their dreams
was deeply distressed by the
fact that he fails.
46-
47
"Do you want to go to work for me?" the merchant
asked. "I can work for the rest of today," the boy
answered. "I'll work all night, until dawn, and I'll
clean every piece of crystal in your shop. In return,
I need money to get to Egypt tomorrow." The
merchant laughed. "Even if you cleaned my crystal
for an entire year…even if you earned a good
commission selling every piece, you would still
have to borrow money to get to Egypt. There are
thousands of kilometers of desert between here and
there." There was a moment of silence so profound
that it seemed the city was asleep. No sound from
the bazaars, no arguments among the merchants, no
men climbing to the towers to chant. No hope, no
adventure, no old kings or destinies, no treasure,
and no Pyramids. It was as if the world had fallen
silent because the boy's soul had. He sat there,
staring blankly through the door of the café,
wishing that he had died, and that everything would
end forever at that moment.
After Santiago successfully
recollects again his
encouragement to continue
the journey, he decides to
earn money by working at
crystal merchant‘s shop.
Santiago tells the merchant
that he will have to work for
at least a year to get the
money in order to continue
his journey to Egypt. In this
moment, the second test hits
Santiago. He is told that he
can‘t get enough funds to
reach Egypt only by working
at the crystal shop.
Plot-
Complication
Setting-
Place and
time
56 The boy estimated that, if he worked for six more Santiago abandons his quest Plot
119
months, he could return to Spain and buy sixty
sheep, and yet another sixty. In less than a year, he
would have doubled his flock, and he would be able
to do business with the Arabs, because he was now
able to speak their strange language. Since that
morning in the marketplace, he had never again
made use of Urim and Thummim, because Egypt
was now just as distant a dream for him as was
Mecca for the merchant. Anyway, the boy had
become happy in his work, and thought all the time
about the day when he would disembark at Tarifa as
a winner. "You must always know what it is that
you want," the old king had said. The boy knew,
and was now working toward it. Maybe it was his
treasure to have wound up in that strange land, met
up with a thief, and doubled the size of his flock
without spending a cent.
of searching treasure in Egypt
by having business and
deciding to use his money to
increase the number of his
flock. Besides, by working at
crystal shop, Santiago can
learn to speak Arabic and
increase his ability in doing
business. He does many
things because he wants to
realize his dream. The dream
is not searching the treasure
in Egypt anymore. At that
moment, Santiago‘s dream is
for becoming a great
businessman and having a
great number of sheep.
Complicatio
n
Setting-
time and
place
64-
65
"But I'm going back to the fields that I know, to
take care of my flock again." He said that to
himself with certainty, but he was no longer happy
with his decision. He had worked for an entire year
to make a dream come true, and that dream, minute
by minute, was becoming less important. Maybe
because that wasn't really his dream…….But as he
Santiago has almost a year
staying in Africa. He has
saved enough to get back to
Spain and buy double the
sheep he had the year before.
However, Santiago realizes
that he can always go back to
Plot-
Complicatio
n
Setting-
Place and
120
held Urim and Thummim in his hand, they had
transmitted to him the strength and will of the old
king. By coincidence—or maybe it was an omen,
the boy thought—…………….He suddenly felt
tremendously happy. He could always go back to
being a shepherd. He could always become a
crystal salesman again. Maybe the world had other
hidden treasures, but he had a dream, and he had
met with a king. That doesn't happen to just
anyone!(Coelho, 1993: 64-65).
be a shepherd or be a crystal
salesman again, but he has to
keep chasing after his dream
and learning new things.
time
7. Approach to
the Inmost
Cave
a. Another
Special
World,
Threshold,
and
Guardian
73 Now everything was quite different from how it
was that day they had set out: then, there had been
confusion and shouting, the cries of children and
the whinnying of animals, all mixed with the
nervous orders of the guides and the merchants.
But, in the desert, there was only the sound of the
eternal wind, and of the hoofbeats of the animals.
Even the guides spoke very little to one another.
Santiago learns a lot from
watching the desert and
thinking about the way the
caravan moves. Naturally, he
makes friends with a camel
driver, and they join at night
telling stories.
Plot-
Complicatio
n
Setting-
time and
place
87 ―The boy couldn't believe what he was seeing: the
oasis, rather than being just a well surrounded by a
few palm trees —as he had seen once in a
geography book—was much larger than many
towns back in Spain. There were three hundred
wells, fifty thousand date trees, and innumerable
Santiago and his party
approach to Oasis. The oasis
is gigantic, bigger than most
of the towns that Santiago has
seen.
Plot-
Complicatio
n
Setting-
Place and
time
121
colored tents spread among them
111 The strange horseman drew an enormous, curved
sword from a scabbard mounted on his saddle. The
steel of its blade glittered in the light of the moon.
"Who dares to read the meaning of the flight of the
hawks?" he demanded, so loudly that his words
seemed to echo through the fifty thousand palm
trees of Al-Fayoum
"Be careful with your prognostications," said the
stranger.
"When something is written, there is no way to
change it."
"All I saw was an army," said the boy. "I didn't see
the outcome of the battle."
The stranger seemed satisfied with the answer. But
he kept the sword in his hand.
Santiago on his way back to
his tent meets a stranger who
shows up on a white horse,
with a falcon on his shoulder
and a sword in his hand. The
stranger asks Santiago about
who dares to interpret the
flight of the hawks, and
Santiago answers that he
does.
Plot-
Complicatio
n
Setting-
place and
time
b. Courtship
Moment
92-
93
At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood
still, and the Soul of the World surged within him.
When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that
her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he
learned the most important part of the language that
all the world spoke—the language that everyone on
earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It
was love. Something older than humanity, more
Santiago is falling in love
with a dark-eyed girl named
Fatima who is an inhabitant
of the Oasis. Santiago
consciously admits and
agrees that his feeling toward
the girl is true.
Plot-
Complicatio
n
Setting-
place and
time
122
ancient than the desert
97-
98
"You have told me about your dreams, about the
old king and your treasure. And you've told me
about omens. So now, I fear nothing, because it was
those omens that brought you to me. And I am a
part of your dream, a part of your Personal Legend,
as you call it.
"That's why I want you to continue toward your
goal. If you have to wait until the war is over, then
wait. But if you have to go before then, go on in
pursuit of your dream. The dunes are changed by
the wind, but the desert never changes. That's the
way it will be with our love for each other.
"Maktub," she said. "If I am really a part of your
dream, you'll come back one day.
"I'm a desert woman, and I'm proud of that. I want
my husband to wander as free as the wind that
shapes the dunes. And, if I have to, I will accept the
fact that he has become a part of the clouds, and the
animals and the water of the desert.
Santiago starts routine-visit to
the well, waiting for Fatima.
Thus, Santiago and Fatima
talk every day. Fatima wants
Santiago to continue looking
for his treasure, even if he has
to leave her. She knows that
if they are destined to be
together, he will be back for
her.
Plot-
Complicatio
n
Setting-
time and
place
121 "I'm going away," he said.
"And I want you to know that I'm coming back. I
love you because…"
―I love you because the entire universe conspired to
Fatima shows Santiago that
she not only loves him but
also understands the language
of the desert and follows the
Plot-
Complicatio
n
123
help me find you." The two embraced. It was the
first time either had touched the other.
"I'll be back," the boy said.
"Before this, I always looked to the desert with
longing," said Fatima. "Now it will be with hope.
My father went away one day, but he returned to
my mother, and he has always come back since
then."
"I'll return, just as your father came back to your
mother," he said.
He saw that Fatima's eyes were filled with tears.
"You're crying?"
"I'm a woman of the desert," she said, averting her
face. "But above all, I'm a woman‖.
omens. She is also looking
for treasure, but it is not like
Santiago‘s treasure. She is
looking for her man and
finally the man is Santiago.
Fatima notices that Santiago
must achieve his quest to get
the treasure. Thus, instead of
getting jealous or insecure,
she tells him that she will
wait for him because she is a
"desert woman" who is used
to waiting.
Setting-
time and
place.
c. Obstacle as
the
Preparation
of the
Ordeal
118 "I have already found my treasure. I have a camel, I
have my money from the crystal shop, and I have
fifty gold pieces. In my own country, I would be a
rich man."
"But none of that is from the Pyramids," said the
alchemist.
"I also have Fatima. She is a treasure greater than
anything else I have won."
"She wasn't found at the Pyramids, either". The
boy didn't want to talk about the Pyramids. His
Santiago is delayed by the
thought of deciding Fatima as
the treasure. Actually,
Santiago is reluctant to
continue his journey since
there is a tribal war at the
desert. Being in love with
Fatima induces Santiago to
make a new decision that is to
stay in the Oasis and live with
Plot-
Complicatio
n
Setting-
time and
place.
124
heart was heavy, and he had been melancholy since
the previous night. To continue his search for the
treasure meant that he had to abandon Fatima. "I'm
going to guide you across the desert," the alchemist
said.
Fatima.
8. Supreme
Ordeal
138-
139
―The sun was setting when the boy's heart sounded
a danger signal. They were surrounded by gigantic
dunes, and the boy looked at the alchemist to see
whether he had sensed anything. But he appeared to
be unaware of any danger. Five minutes later, the
boy saw two horsemen waiting ahead of them.
Before he could say anything to the alchemist, the
two horsemen had become ten, and then a hundred.
And then they were everywhere in the dunes. They
were tribesmen dressed in blue, with black rings
surrounding their turbans. Their faces were hidden
behind blue veils, with only their eyes showing.
Even from a distance, their eyes conveyed the
strength of their souls. And their eyes spoke of
death‖
Santiago suddenly gets a
danger signal from his heart.
He is sure enough that he and
the alchemist are surrounded
by a hundred tribesmen.
Santiago is right. The
atmosphere and tone
represent how the realm of
the tribal war is appropriate
enough to be categorized as
the ―inmost cave‖ of the
ordeal.
Plot-
Complicatio
n
(Suspense)
Setting time
and place
147 "I'm not afraid of failing. It's just that I don't know
how to turn myself into the wind."
"Then you'll die in the midst of trying to realize
your destiny. That's a lot better than dying like
Santiago faces the ordeal. The
great challenge in the ordeal
is that Santiago must turn
himself to the wind,
Plot-
Complicatio
n
(Suspense)
125
millions of other people, who never even knew
what their destinies were (Coelho, 1993: 142).
"I heard what you were talking about the other day
with the alchemist," the wind said. "He said that
everything has its own destiny. But people can't
turn themselves into the wind."
"Just teach me to be the wind for a few moments,"
the boy said. "So you and I can talk about the
limitless possibilities of people and the winds"
otherwise he will be killed by
the tribesmen. Santiago asks
the wind for help. The wind is
curious, but doesn't know
how to turn him into the
wind.
9. Seizing the
Reward
152-
153
―The boy reached through to the Soul of the World,
and saw that it was a part of the Soul of God. And
he saw that the Soul of God was his own soul. And
that he, a boy, could perform miracles.‖
―When the simum ceased to blow, everyone looked
to the place where the boy had been. But he was no
longer there; he was standing next to a sand-
covered sentinel, on the far side of the camp.‖
―The men were terrified at his sorcery. But there
were two people who were smiling: the alchemist,
because he had found his perfect disciple, and the
chief, because that disciple had understood the
glory of God. The following day, the general bade
the boy and the alchemist farewell, and provided
them with an escort party to accompany them as far
The reward Santiago has got
is that he enables to learn the
lesson of the universal
language. Santiago prays as
reaching through to the soul
of the world. He realizes that
his soul is that of God and
that he can do miracles. Once
the storm dies, the camp has
almost been destroyed, and
Santiago has been transported
far to the other side of where
it used to be. the second
reward is that he is
accompanied by the escort
Plot-
Complicatio
n
Setting time
and place
126
as they chose‖ party or some armed guards
to help him on his way to
achieve the safe area.
10 The Road
Back
159-
61
The boy rode along through the desert for several
hours, listening avidly to what his heart had to
say.…But here he was, at the point of finding his
treasure, and he reminded himself that no project is
completed until its objective has been achieved
At the moment of searching
the treasure in the Pyramids,
Santiago once again practices
the lesson of the universal
language by listening his
heart and learning the omen.
Plot-
Complicatio
n
159-
61
…It was his heart that would tell him where his
treasure was hidden. "Where your treasure is, there
also will be your heart," the alchemist had told him.
As he was about to climb yet another dune, his
heart whispered, "Be aware of the place where you
are brought to tears. That's where I am, and that's
where your treasure is."
The boy looked at the sands around him, and saw
that, where his tears had fallen, a scarab beetle was
scuttling through the sand. During his time in the
desert, he had learned that, in Egypt, the scarab
beetles are a symbol of God
Santiago has already known
about how to listen to his
heart and read the omen.
Santiago rides to the
pyramids. There, his heart
tells him that wherever he is
brought to is the place where
his treasure is. Moreover, he
gets new omen of a scarab
beetle. At that moment
everything seems clear and
the good circumstance
appears to support him.
Plot-
Complicatio
n
Setting-
time and
place
11. Resurrection 161- ―As he was attempting to pull out the rocks he Santiago has a new Plot-
127
62 encountered, he heard footsteps. Several figures
approached him. Their backs were to the moonlight,
and the boy could see neither their eyes nor their
faces.‖
―They made the boy continue digging, but he found
nothing. As the sun rose, the men began to beat the
boy. He was bruised and bleeding, his clothing was
torn to shreds, and he felt that death was near‖
personality which he can
understand the language of
the world so that he can
interpret the man‘s dream.
Climax
12. Return with
Elixir
162-
163
But before they left, he came back to the boy and
said, "You're not going to die. You'll live, and you'll
learn that a man shouldn't be so stupid. Two years
ago, right here on this spot, I had a recurrent dream,
too. I dreamed that I should travel to the fields of
Spain and look for a ruined church where shepherds
and their sheep slept. In my dream, there was a
sycamore growing out of the ruins of the sacristy,
and I was told that, if I dug at the roots of the
sycamore, I would find a hidden treasure. But I'm
not so stupid as to cross an entire desert just
because of a recurrent dream." And they
disappeared. The boy stood up shakily, and looked
once more at the Pyramids. They seemed to laugh at
him, and he laughed back, his heart bursting with
joy. Because now he knew where his treasure was.
In the end of the story, the
truth is revealed, there is no
treasure that is burried or
hiden in the Pyramid. The
man (The Arabian who is the
opposite character at the last
story) tells Santiago not to be
so stupid, for, the man also
has dreamed of a treasure
when he sleep at the Pyramid.
The dream told the man to go
to the ruined church in Spain
and to dig at the roots of a
sycamore tree.
Plot-
Falling
Action and
Resoltuin
Setting-
Time and
place
127
SURAT PERNYATAAN
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini:
Nama : Indra Budi Prabowo
NIM : 08211144030
Program Studi: Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris
Fakultas : Bahasa dan Seni
menyatakan telah melakukan triangulasi data dalam penelitian yang telah
dilakukan oleh mahasiswa bernama Sri Wahyuni dengan judul “The Archetypes
of Hero’s Journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist”.
Apabila terbukti pernyataan ini tidak benar, hal ini sepenuhnya menjadi
tanggung jawab saya.
Yogyakarta, 31 Desember 2015
Indra Budi Prabowo
128
SURAT PERNYATAAN
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini:
Nama : Windy Riyanti
NIM : 08211144001
Program Studi: Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris
Fakultas : Bahasa dan Seni
menyatakan telah melakukan triangulasi data dalam penelitian yang telah
dilakukan oleh mahasiswa bernama Sri Wahyuni dengan judul “The Archetypes
of Hero’s Journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist”.
Apabila terbukti pernyataan ini tidak benar, hal ini sepenuhnya menjadi
tanggung jawab saya.
Yogyakarta, 31 Desember 2015
Windy Riyanti