Source of Wisdom Meeting with the Mentor
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The levanter increased in intensity. Here I am, between my flock and my treasure, the boy thought. He had to choose between something he had
become accustomed to and something he wanted to have. There was also the merchants daughter, but she wasnt as important as his flock, because
she didnt depend on him. Maybe she didnt even remember him. That wind had brought the Moors, yes, but it had also brought the smell of the
desert and of veiled women. It had brought with it the sweat and the dreams of men who had once left to search for the unknown, and for gold
and adventure
— and for the Pyramids. The boy felt jealous of the freedom of the wind, and saw that he could have the same freedom. There was
nothing to hold him back except himself. The sheep, the merchants daughter, and the fields of Andalusia were only steps along the way to his
destiny Coelho, 1993: 27-28.
The dilemma is when Santiago has to choose between to stay in Andalusia region, feeding the flock or to go out of Andalusia, taking the journey. The
levanter represents the Africa since it is the name of the wind that blows from there. Meanwhile, the treasure is hidden in an unknown place in Africa. However,
Santiago says that he is envy toward that wind which has the freedom to go everywhere. Thus, he decides to own the same freedom as the wind. It means that
he takes the part of transformation and undertakes the journey to adventure. Moreover, this stage of crossing the first threshold signifies that the hero
reaches the border of the two worlds by illustrating it with the physical activity of crossing like sailing from the ordinary world to the special world. Generally, in
some stories there are plots which describe things to symbolize the border among the two worlds like bridges, canyons, cliff, gates, walls, oceans, and so forth. In
this story, the border of the two worlds is depicted below. “At the highest point in Tarifa there is an old fort, built by the Moors.
From atop its walls, one can catch a glimpse of Africa. Melchizedek, the king of Salem, sat on the wall of the fort that afternoon, and felt the
levanter blowing in his face….Melchizedek watched a small ship that was
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plowing its way out of the port. He would never again see the boy Coelho, 1993: 33.
The datum above is the depiction of the border between Tarifa, the city in Andalusia, and Tangier, the city in Morocco-Africa. It is said that the wind the
levanter is blowing from Africa through the sea or strait of Gibraltar toward Spain, as well as
Santiago’s ship is plowing out the port from Tarifa in Andalusia to Tangier in Morocco-Africa. By showing the walls at the highest point of Tarifa
and Laventer, it can be interpreted that the event depicts the hero ’s departure from
the zone of ordinary world to the unknown or special world.