Abstract
Paulo Coelho is a transcendentalist influenced by the aspects of romanticism such as self-examination, the celebration of individualism, and the extolling of the beauties of nature and humankind. His novel The Alchemist expounds a direct connection, or correspondence, between the universe or the macrocosm and the individual soul or microcosm. The novel is a symbolic representation of the triad of Man, Universe and God. The relationship they share among one another is gradually exposed through the protagonist Santiago’s journey in pursuit of a treasure. His quest starts at a material level and runs through the spiritual realm and ends in the stage of supreme goal of life, i.e. Self-realisation. Through Self-realisation, the protagonist Santiago reaches the state of pure Consciousness where this triad is realized as an inseparable whole.
Keywords: Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist, transcendentalism, Self-realisation, Soul of the World, microcosm, macrocosm
Santiago’s Path of Action, Knowledge and Devotion
In the material world, Santiago selected the path of action, knowledge and devotion to know about himself, the universe and God. Santiago’s path is of action because he learns from the alchemist that there is only one way to learn and it is through action (Coelho 132). Since his ideal is selfless, his body works more and releases more energy which turns out his work more dynamic. He never wastes this energy through unproductive channels such as worrying about the past, being anxious over the fruit of action and also by getting excited in the present.
Santiago’s path is that of true knowledge because throughout the journey he uses all the means such as direct perception, inference, comparison and tradition to gain knowledge. He compares the quality of crystals with that of human mind and compares spiritual enlightenment with the process of alchemy. Santiago’s path is of true devotion because he always respects the hand that wrote everything and his life activities are completely devoted to the ideal he had set, i.e. “knowing the world.”
The Universe as Living Organism
The novel represents the Universe as a living organism. This living aspect of universe is expressed in the novel by the term “Soul of the world” which is a homogenous mass of pure consciousness. It is immaculate, unconditioned and same in all beings. This consciousness functions through Santiago’s gross body, subtle body and causal body to express itself as the “waker,” “dreamer” and “deep-sleeper” respectively (Parthasarathy 156).
The Journey as Contact Between Microcosm and Macrocosm
The journey in the novel provides a plane of contact for the consciousness of the microcosm Santiago, with the consciousness of the macrocosm. The Cosmic Dreamer and the dreamer in Santiago communicate through dreams. When the dreamer in Santiago unites with the Cosmic Dreamer, both consciousnesses also merge and thereby he acquires the knowledge from the Soul of the world that there is a treasure awaiting him in Egypt.
Santiago has faced many hazardous situations such as losing all his money, facing death many times and severely beaten up while digging near the pyramid. This implies that those who endeavour to go in search of their treasure or destiny with strong will, courage and faith will be tested many times through many means by Nature, only to make them meritorious to achieve it.
Love Without Ownership
Santiago appreciates the “love without ownership” as the transforming power that can renovate a man from the lower material level to the higher spiritual level. By meditating on desert, wind and sun, he comprehends that love is not to be static like the desert, not to roam the world like the wind and not to see everything from a distance like the sun. It is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World.
The Relationship Between Universe, Man and God
If the microcosm is linked to a drop of water, the macrocosm would be the ocean. Similarly the person, who understands the Self within, realises the Self in one and all and finally realises Divinity, i.e. the all-pervading being or God. Santiago, by contemplating a part of the desert, understands the whole of the desert. Finally he contemplates on the hands that have created everything in this Universe. At this point of time his individuality merges with the all-pervading reality or God. The “panentheistic” theory of perception is employed in the novel to affirm that God is greater than the universe since He is both immanent and transcendent (Puligandla 215).
Works Cited
- Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist, trans. Alan R. Clarke. New Delhi: HarperCollins, 2006.
- Parthasarathy, A. The Eternities: Vedanta Treatise. Mumbai: A. Parthasarathy, 2007.
- Puligandla, Ramakrishna. Fundamentals of Indian Philosophy. New Delhi: D.K. Printworld, 1975.