A Critical Essays Towards the Alchemist

The object of this study is the novel The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. This book tells a journey of a boy named Santiago, shepherds who chase for his dreams and traveled along the Tangier and Egyptian desert which leads him to the Alchemist who taught him of love, patient and agility. The journey also bring him to found his true love: Fatima, desert woman whom loyally waits for his return. In this book many aspects was revealed, and most of it is about Religiosity, love and destiny, the writer found that Agnostic Beliefs importunately was also revealed through the conversation of the characters in the book.

B. Approach of The Study

The most appropriate approach for this thesis is Philosophical approach. A book from Bertrand Russell titled Bertuhan Tanpa Agama, will be the guidance to analyze the novel. Russell himself was considered as an Agnostic, before he was an Atheist. But then he began to questioning the Constructed Religion's dogma. In the Agnostic Belief, according to Russell, always believe that each people can change their destiny, this was shown by Russell statement who criticize the natures existence; "it's obvious that the nose was created in some way that it can fit with the size of the glass". The Agnostic also define themselves as : Every feelings. Action and experience of every people in their moment of silent, as long as they realized that they are connected in a relation with anything they called as God". The Agnostic worship love and compassion as their principals without any written rule of it. Agnostic believe that their destiny will be found in their heart not from the order of the sky which differentiate them from the Constructed Religion that states that God has decided every man's destiny.