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What I felt about Santiago
After reading this book, I have mixed feelings about Santiago. At times I may admire him and sometimes and I also look down on him. He is also very intelligent, as seen from some of his actions and thoughts.
First Santiago is a self-deceiving person. He tries to convince himself when something bad happened. The first evidence was that he said to his sheep that it does not matter if the merchant’s daughter had forgotten him, that he knew other girls in other places, but in his heart he knew it did matter (pg. 8). This shows he tries to convince that whether the girl had remembered him was not important, but he knew that this was important to him.
The second evidence is that he tried to make himself believe that his new friend had simply became separated from him by accident (pg. 40). But he knew it was not true and that friend was a cheat. This shows that he always tries to persuade himself into believing the positive side when something negative happens.
The third evidence is that he tells himself with certainty that he is going back to be shepherd again, but he was not longer happy with his decision ( pg 65-67). This shows that he is lying through his teeth. He also thought of things like who knows…maybe it’s better to be like the crystal merchant: never go to Mecca, and just go through life wanting to do so, again trying to convince himself. Yet he felt that there was another way to regard his situation: he was actually two hours closer to his treasure. This shows that he always tries to self deceive, lying through his teeth.
Santiago is also person of determination. He likes to travel and became a shepherd to travel despite that his father wanted him to become a priest (pg. 10-11). A priest is in higher regard than shepherds, but in his desire for travel, to see the other parts of the world, he gave up to become a priest. This willingness to choose a career of lower regard in pursuit of travel shows Santiago determination.
Santiago is a disciplined boy. When Melchizedek attempted to strike a conversation with Santiago at the plaza, Santiago was tempted to be rude, and move to another bench, he remembered his father’s teachings to be respectful of the elderly (pg. 19). Even though he was irritated by Melchizedek, he was rude towards Melchizedek. This shows he is disciplined and follows his father’s teachings.
Santiago is also an intelligent person. He learned to care for his sheep, to shear wool, without any guidance or teacher. Similarly, he also learnt to speak Arab in a three to four months without any guidance or teacher.
Santiago is also admirable. He saw a man at the top of the hill [next page]