Finding the Hero beyond the Comfort Zone: Glimpses of Buddhism in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist

Having realized the truth through penance and persistent search of the internal world, the great seers and sages of India such as Gautam Buddha, Bhagwan Mahavira, Kabir Das and Guru Nanak have laid immense emphasis on the fact that human life being the best creation of God is not meant merely for eating, drinking, sleeping and merry-making. The meaning of life, according to them, lies in a quest for something above the trivialities of mundane life. History bears testimony to the fact that those who, in the words of Swami Vivekanand, “awake, arise and stop not till the goal is reached,” emerge as beacons in the dark alleys of human life and set examples for the generations to come. By dedicating their life to the pursuit of truth, they not only enrich themselves with flying colors but also show the path to those who aspire to realize the supreme goal through planning, management and ceaseless struggle. Santiago, the protagonist of Paulo Coelho’s famous novel The Alchemist, falls in the category of such immortal heroes. Paulo Coelho, a widely read contemporary novelist, has produced more than a dozen novels and some of them including The Alchemist have earned him immense popularity across the globe. The protagonist of the novel, despite being born and brought up in the poor family of a Spanish shepherd, dreams to travel far and wide. Impelled by this dream, he eschews his sheep and pastures, family and the familiar and embarks upon the adventurous journey to the Egyptian pyramids. Having surmounted the numerous problems and challenges that invariably confront those who set the highest ideal for themselves and work hard to realize it, he ultimately reaches his destination as a result of his dedication to the goal and ceaseless struggle and becomes a legendary figure. The story of the novel reveals that Santiago’s life is different from Siddhartha’s life in respect of birth and upbringing. But so far as his quest for the meaning of life, driven by which he leaves his native place, is concerned, it is remarkably as intense as Siddhartha’s spiritual quest which led him to leave the luxuries of palace life and live the hard life of penance and abstinence till he realizes the truth. The paper aims to highlight the spirit of renunciation and persistence that Santiago, like Siddhartha who later on became famous as Gautam Buddha in India as well as abroad, showed particularly during the tough times of hurdles and setbacks that, instead of hampering the progress, invariably strengthen the inner self and therefore should be taken as milestones and not as roadblocks. The paper also discusses the lessons that the modern youths can learn from the adventurous ways of life persistently followed by Santiago and Siddhartha for realizing the meaning of human existence on the earth.