The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo

271 Words2 Pages
People reach maturity at many different times and for many different reasons in their lives. It could be after moving out and going to college, or it could be at a young age because of a tragedy. Some people never fully mature. But for anyone, being mature means the same thing: knowing enough about the world to be able to take care of yourself and eventually, a family. For Santiago, that moment is when he becomes the wind, and has learned the Language of the World. The concept of the Language of the World is one widely talked about in the book. Santiago himself treats it as the point of maturity, as can be seen when he realizes “If I can learn to understand this language without words, I can learn to understand the world” (Coelho 44). This understanding of the world is something all people gain when they are fully mature, and when Santiago learns the Language of the World, he is mature. When Santiago is turning himself into the wind, he is communicating to the desert, the wind, the sun, and God. During these conversations, he is learning the Language of the World. As Santiago turns himself into the wind, Coelho writes “The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and saw that it was a part of the Soul of God. And he saw that the Soul of God was his own soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles” (Coelho 152). This process of becoming the wind taught Santiago the Language of the World; and with this knowledge, he has become fully

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