52 from the opponent character.
12. Return with the Elixir
Santiago gets the elixir that is the message about the treasure in the end of
the story and brings it to his ordinary world in order to find the physical
treasure which is presented in Epilogue.
1. The Ordinary World
The stage of Ordinary World is the mundane or familiar environment where the hero is taken out. In most tales, the ordinary world is set commonly in
the opening of story. As noted in the chapter two, there are some functions and characteristics of this stage. First, it introduces the hero and his environment.
Second, it shows the hero’s lack, hero’s wound, and hero’s inner and outer
problem. Third, it suggests dramatic question of the story. Fourth, it exposes hero’s back-story. Fifth, it foreshadows the model of the special world.
a. Introducing the Hero and His Environment
In The Alchemist, the hero is presented as a shepherd boy named Santiago who lives in countryside of Andalusia and has spent the past two years of
exploring Andalusia region for food and water for his flock. Coelho introduces the story by presenting an appealing atmosphere of the environment and a unique
character of the hero. These are the first lines by which Coelho introduces the stage of the ordinary world:
The boy’s name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with
his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once
stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined
gate… Coelho, 1993: 3.
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The datum above illustrates how Coelho creates an atmosphere to introduce the hero. In introducing an opening of a story, the first impression is
required to hook the readers. Although this stage presents a mundane and familiar environment of Andalusia’s terrain, an abandoned church in which a sycamore
tree grows within is set out to create such interesting atmosphere. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars
through the half-destroyed roof...He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy
bound his life to that of the sheep, with which he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water.
They are so used to me that they know my schedule, he muttered. Thinking about that for a moment, he realized that it could be the other
way around: that it was he who had become accustomed to their schedule. But there were certain of them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy
prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling each by name. He had always believed that the sheep were able to understand what he said.
Coelho, 1993: 4. The narration above is one of many lines in the novel that express the
unique character of the hero. A hero may be an ordinary person that has universal qualities and emotions like everyone else. However, at the moment of entrance,
the hero’s first action usually is a model of his characteristic and attitude which may awe the readers because of having unique human beings. Santiago is like
other ordinary shepherd boys who are patient and determined with his flock’s
habit. However, his manners toward the flock of sheep when he talks to them are an expression of his unique human being that may impress the readers. The
readers may find it witty, but they may also recognize the hero’s other special
quality that he can unconsciously communicate to the flock with a language which is not used by humans.
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b. Showing the Hero’s Inner-Outer Problems, the Hero’s Lack, and the
Hero’s wound.
This stage also shows that a hero is generally lacking something, or something is taken away from him. In some cases, this lack is inducing wound.
For example, either a hero is missing his family member e.g. parents have died or sister has been kidnapped or he has weaknesses e.g. lack of the quality of
confidence, compassion, or forgiveness which causes some wound or feels hurt. The wounded hero usually d
oesn’t realize that he has some old pain or hurt, but he usually is vulnerable or weak on some cases or awareness. The function of
presenting the hero’s wound both physicaly and emotionaly in the ordinary world is to humanize him and to create sympathy. Thus the purpose is to create a bond
between the readers and the hero. Similarly, hero’s inner and outer problems are
also emerged to show that the hero is like the readers who have universal need to grow and develop. The datum bellow is a reflection of Santiago
’s inner problem that is coincidentally revealed as an utterance of wish. This wish unwittingly
leads the hero to the need for action and change: ...He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had
just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable
pillows Coelho, 1993: 3.
When Santiago tells his own self that “he would have to start reading
thicker books”, this wish indicates the first impression of his inner problem. It signifies that in the deep of Santiago
’s mind actually he needs a new, great, and worth experience in his life like a thicker book. However, his outer problem
hampers him to actualize his wish. This quotation depicts Santiago’s outer
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