- “The Soul of the World is nourished by people’s happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation. All things are one” (22). Explain what the Soul of the World is.
- What is the secret of happiness according to the wisest of wise man on page 32 and what does it mean?
- What does the crystal merchant teach the boy when he says “both you and I needed to cleans our minds of negative thought” (46)?
- What is the universal language that the Englishman is looking for on p 70? Does he succeed?
- What does the boy learn about intuition on p 74?
- What does he learn about fear from the camel driver’s story on p76, and what does he say about time on p 85 and 103?
- What does the Englishman say about the Soul of the World and alchemy on p 78-79?
- What are Elixir of Life and the Philosopher’s Stone (81)?
- What happens to the boy when he meets the Arab woman on p92?
- How does the boy meet the alchemist and what does he tell the boy on p111?
- “You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love…the love that speaks the Language of the World” (120). What kind of love is this?
- What went wrong with the older alchemists according to the alchemist on p 125?
- What does the alchemist say about the heart (127-)?
- “Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested” (132). Explain what that means.
- What does the alchemist say about treasure, alchemy, and gold p 136-138?
- How does the boy turns himself into the wind?
- Why does the boy laugh when he looks at the pyramids on p 163?
- Think about the connection between, perfume, kiss and Fatima at the end of the story and explain why the story is called The Alchemist.
