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Santiago’s Heart
When Santiago and the alchemist are taken prisoner by a hostile tribe, the alchemist barters for their release and uses as leverage the opportunity to see Santiago turn himself into the wind. Santiago then listens to his heart, which allows him to speak to the desert, the wind, and the sun, as he tries to learn how to transform himself. Santiago speaks to the desert about love, and the desert offers its sands to help the wind blow, but it cannot transform Santiago into the wind.
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The Desert Character Timeline in The Alchemist
The timeline below shows where the character The Desert appears in The Alchemist. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part Two
...He tells the chieftain that the process will take a while. Santiago gazes out at the desert . The desert asks him why he is back, after spending all of the previous...
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Santiago explains love as the falcons’ flight over the desert sands. The falcon knows the desert intimately, but the desert says that the falcons steal...
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...its help. The wind wants to know who taught Santiago to speak the language of the desert and of the wind. Santiago says that it was his heart. The wind is stronger...
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...everyone that when improvement is sought, everything becomes better, and love is the transformative force. The desert is static, the wind is always moving, and the sun sees everything from a remove....
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...to pray. It is a prayer from his heart filled with love. Santiago understands that the desert , the wind, and the sun are seeking the same thing as he is, which...
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