The Power of Strength Through Pain

      When some people are feel that all the odds are against them, they give up. But in, “The Alchemist,” by Paul Coelho the main character, who is actually referred to as “the boy” through the story, doesn’t give up, despite everything he faces. All he wants is to find treasure, but once he thinks he is in the right direction he is faced with another twist that throws him off. But all these challenges that throw him off his path just make him get up knowing more than he did before. Therefore, the author shows the power of strength through pain.

       One way the author shows the power of strength through pain is by internal struggle. Throughout the story the character second-guesses his decisions. An example of this is when he puts his trust into a man he just meets. The main character finds himself in an unfamiliar land, and the man is one of the only people in this new land that speaks his language. So he asks him for help. Later in the chapter, the man steals everything he had and ran away. This made the main character very confused, and he considered giving up. But after a while he found another way to accomplish his goal. This quote shows how the main character learns to accept the fact that the thief stole everything he has. “He (the boy) realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as a adventurer in quest of his treasure.” The quote explains hoe the boy decides to take on a different perspective of his struggle. Another example is how throughout the story he wished he could go home. He wished he could go back to his sheep, and he didn’t have to suffer. “When I had my sheep, I was happy, and I made those around me happy. People saw me coming and welcomed me, he (the boy) thought. But now I’m sad and alone. I’m going to become bitter and distrustful of people because one person betrayed me.” This shows the boy second guessing himself. He worried and frets and doubted. But soon he remembered an old king who promised that he would find treasure, and he held on to his dream. Because he understands that even though he lost his sheep, he knows that it will all be worth it in the end.

       Another way the author shows the power of strength through pain is by external pain. An example of this is when the main character is finally at the pyramids. He has worked so hard to get where his was at that moment, and he started to dig for the treasure. Then, out of nowhere appeared two men that came and beat him up. They took everything he had learned on his journey, and told him he was a fool for believing he’d find treasure at the pyramids. Then they rode off and left him wounded and broken. At this moment in time, the main character had every right to abandon this dream and go home. Go back to the start, back to his sheep, but he still doesn’t give up. He holds his head up, and he finally achieves his goal.

       The final way the author shows the power of strength through pain is by love. The character finds himself motivated by love. While he is riding through the desserts with the alchemist he is felt sad and lonesome. But then he remembers this girl he met in an old village. He was in love with this girl, an

d she told him to go find his treasure and come back to her. So the boy pushes on, and while he does so he thinks of her. At one point in the story, the boy is mad. He misses the girl. “My heart is agitated,” the boy said. “It has it’s dreams, it gets emotional, and it’s become passionate over a woman of the desert. It asks things of me, and it keeps me from sleeping many nights, when I’m thinking about her.” This quote shows the main character’s struggle, his yearning that harmed him so much. But in his anger, he thinks of how she is at home waiting for him. And thinking about this brings him comfort, and motivated him to push on.      The author beautifully shows us how even though we may feel very weak through trails, we can still find the strength to push on. This is helpful to us because everyone goes through struggles, but not everyone knows how to react to it with the grace the main character from, “The Alchemist” did. As a reader I felt strongly connected to the main character. Although I don’t have the same goals as he does, I do understand the frustration and hope that he experienced as the story went on. And other people will read and connect and be inspired by this story. All and all, the main character shows us the power of strength through pain.