1、Follow Your HeartReaction to the AlchemistPaulo Coelho is a world-famous Brazilian writer and his work, the Alchemist , published in 1988, was translated in 68 kinds of languages , regarded as one of the miracles in literature in 20th century. Poetic flavor and philosophy abound in his novels, which
2、 relate to religion , sorcery and legends as well , giving us a aesthetic entertainment.This novel tells a story about a Spanish boy named Santiago go across The Sahara Desert to search for treasures. At the very beginning , Santiago leads a peaceful life, shepherding and traveling around. However ,
3、 touched by two dreams of the treasury near Pyramid, Santiago comes across the king of Salem, who has learned his dream beforehand and encourage him to pursue his dream. Thus, Santiago gives up his sheep and heads for Africa alone. As soon as he arrives in Tangier, his money is looted by a cheater a
4、nd nothing is left. In desperation, Santiago have to stop his journey and provide creative ideas for a crystal merchant for over nine months. Have struggled in his mind, the faith leads Santiago to join the caravan across the Sahara, where he meet a British man chasing for alchemy whole-heartedly. D
5、uring the journey, they pass by a oasis ,where alchemist Al-Fayyum lives. Santiago meets a girl, Fatima, beautifully they fall in love at first sight. Not for long Santiago is hired as oasis counselor for predicting the attack accurately. Afterwards, Santiago has a narrow escape from being killed by
6、 the army ,thanks to his touching the heart of earth during the conversations with the wind, desert and the sun. Then Santiago goes to the Giza, admire the magnificence of the pyramid and suddenly realizes where the treasury is from a refugees words.There are three characters brand in my mind, who i
7、ndicate three modes of life. The first one is Santiago, of course. Knowing “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”, Santiago search for his treasury and achieve his “destiny” insistently, regardless of all the hardest times and barriers. Contrary to Santiag
8、o is the second person, a baker. The baker also wants to travel around the world but he choose to devote his life to corn popper since people all consider that ”Bakers are more important than shepherds. Bakers have homes, while shepherds sleep out in the open. Parents would rather see their children
9、 marry bakers than shepherds. ” To be honest, I couldnt tell anything wrong about this idea. But , isnt it a pity to let your dreams yield to the reality without trying, even once? The following person is the crystal merchant ,who tells me that habits sometimes can be horrible, horrible things, espe
10、cially when we are used to our mediocre life style, in consequence, stops us from chasing our dreams. The crystal merchant says ”The shop is exactly the size I always wanted to be. I dont want to change anything, because I dont know how to deal with change. Im used to the way I am. ”Maybe he just do
11、esnt know “The fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself. There is no soul will suffer in the pursuit of its dream. “As suggested in the preface to the book, the Alchemist is a symbolic work, aiming to enlighten people on realizing that it would take a long and arduous distance to arrive at d
12、reams, during which courage, wisdom, and perseverance are needed. This novel shows a fusion of the conflict of reality and the pursuit of the spirit. Not only each detail is in careful design by the writer, with a strong color of symbolism, but the outcome of the story reflects profound symbolic sig
13、nificance: Your treasure is actually right here under your nose, but only when experience a lot of difficulties and obstacles can you find it. This imaginative fable implies universal ,endless wisdom of life in almost every sentence. It can not only serves as the life guide for teenagers, but also f
14、or all the ideal adults. “The fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself. There is no soul will suffer in the pursuit of its dream. “Aphorisms which have the instructive significance in this book can be found everywhere. Moreover, the creativeness and brilliant thoughts of the writer are in hi
15、gh level markedly. What is worth pointing out is that the language of this book is abnormal straightforward, simple and fresh. A deepgoing philosophy of life stands behind the plain, smooth and natural language, which exquisites the fable become a rare masterpiece.We are capable to chase our dreams no matter when it is or who we are. In the process of pursing dreams, you will never fail to come across a colorful world , a group of lively people and a kind of amazing culture. Hold dreams in your mind, follow your heart, and start off, now.
