The Alchemist

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is an allegory? With what allegories are you familiar?

Teaching Suggestion: The Alchemist itself is an allegorical text, so introducing students to this concept beforehand can be useful. Allowing time for initial discovery of other allegories online might be beneficial to students. Depending on the interests and abilities of the class, students might investigate the ways in which some prominent literary works function as allegories (e.g., Animal Farm, The Crucible, the medieval morality play Everyman).

• “What Is an Allegory?” at the Oregon State University site introduces allegories and several examples. Students may watch a four-minute video and/or read text.
• “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” is perhaps the most well-known example of an allegory. This four-and-a-half-minute video by TED-Ed explains it in detail.

2. What is the hero’s journey? What are the key elements of this narrative structure?

Teaching Suggestion: This is a good way to introduce students to the journey of the hero and the narrative structure espoused by Joseph Campbell. They might not be familiar with his name, but undoubtedly, they have seen the structure of separation-initiation-return in countless texts. Once students investigate and discuss the steps of the journey, allowing time for brainstorming and discussion of movies, TV, and gaming plots that represent the hero’s journey might pique students’ interest in the upcoming text.

• “The Hero’s Journey”: Grand Valley State University has compiled resources on the monomyth, Joseph Campbell’s term for the hero’s journey.
• “The Hero’s Journey According to Joseph Campbell” is a three-minute TED-Ed video that walks viewers through the stages of the hero’s journey with examples from popular culture, such as The Hunger Games.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

What are your goals? What skills do you think you need to achieve them?

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to think about the people they want to be and how this might relate to their goals, whether personal or professional. Santiago learns much on his way to the treasure, and alchemy is symbolic of both physical and personal transformation.

Differentiation Suggestion: For visual and/or kinetic learners, students could also create a collage that shows the specific qualities of the person they aspire to be and represents their goals for the future.