Existentialism through the alchemist and the tunnel
Introduction
Literature and philosophy are two sciences of letters and thought that can be considered interdisciplinary; Well, it cannot be written without having in mind an idea based on the imaginative principle, this principle will be analyzed in this study.
The Brazilian novel "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelh "The alchemist" that highlights fundamental features of it, tell stories of characters that develop under the principles of this doctrine.
In the literary field, it has been essential to carry out a deep analysis of these works, it is suggestive About the meaning of our being.
To solve the exploration problem raised, the research question will be: how does the existentialist current affect the actions of the protagonists in the works "The Tunnel" of Ernesto Sábato and "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho? It will be necessary to analyze the philosophical context conjugated with the time, culture and society, in which behaviors, thoughts will be studied, until reaching the feelings of the protagonists of the novels; these being, factors related to the different theories of being and exist.
From these components it will be important protagonists and the generation of actions based on the desire to be only those who change their nature.
Existentialism is defined as the reason for being and exists of each person; In "The Alchemist", Santiago will abandon his essence to go in search of his true nature, craving to obtain a treasure he knew in dreams; On the other hand, in "The Tunnel", the mysterious Castell will cling to a human ideal that will become the door to an abyss of emotions, which is metaphorically recognized as a dark tunnel in which he knows the woman who will make him build and destroy your new life in a sudden moment.
Both characters will face loneliness to recognize and face the fate that they have forged; These are attractive works of great critical analysis; Well, when they are related to existentialist ideology, their characters are still related to the current generation, considering that people assimilate reality focusing on the world of tomorrow without giving importance to daily living, ambitioning ideals that modify our personality, achieving, many Of the time, that we find what we want or in turn causes us to regret what we leave.
Biographical analysis
This research work studies the literary philosophy of writers Paulo Coelh.
Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro on August 24, 1947, since he was young about his love for literature, making numerous writings, which characterized him as a great narrator and journalist; He was also a television screenwriter, playwright and lyricist. (Felipe, 2017).
Moreno (1999), considers that Coelho became one of the most influential contemporary writers after the publication of his book "The Alchemist", being one of the best -selling literary texts in his collection. So much is the assessment granted to the book that the author was able to obtain, as of 1994, several awards and badges such as "Knight of French arts and letters".
This novel developed during the contemporary age combining modernism and avant -garde, explaining the existential problem of man, giving way to the scientific path as the basis for accessing knowledge that not only enriches our lexicon, but also part of the formation of our wisdom; Well, study the great philosopher plot of life.
Ernesto Sábato, on the other hand, is an Argentine writer who was born in 1911, his collection consists of three novels, being the first work "The Tunnel", the author is part of the boom of Hispanic -American literature of the 60s, his writings are characterized for the merger of novel and essay; The theme was focused on existentialist ideology, thus studying human essence and current civilization.
He was part of the Communist Party during the twentieth century where culture is influenced by the literature, art and way of living of people. It was a conflicting time because the Cold War was in the beginning and this places man in a conflictive situation as manifested in the literary work to study (Calameo, S.F).
"The tunnel" clearly denotes this concept, so it is expressed that the work was an "extraordinary sample of his skills for the psychological story. "The tunnel (1948) was quickly translated into various languages and taken to the cinema" (lives, s.F).
Existentialism
Between the nineteenth and twentieth century existentialism was born as an ideology that happens to Nietzsche’s philosophy, who exposed a moralistic analysis of life; For the followers of this current the objective is not to analyze only what man is, but rather deepen the complete existence of him, looking for his true vocation (Zamudo, S.F.).
This philosophical current opposes different positions from which it can be analyzed, however, all of them focus on justifying the innate capacity of man to create himself, which grants him full authority over himself.
For writers such as Sartre, consciousness is associated with the problem emerged from the being, therefore, freedom makes man and does not vice versa, because it comes from his conscience. (Alcoberro, S.F.)
Thus, it can be deduced that existentialism is based on the study and analysis of the free reason for being and exists of the human being, without giving themselves to a conditioning, therefore, experts consider and expose that: “Being is what It is and nothing else ”, that is, we all begin from existence and then each one dedicates to find or change their essence.
An existentialist man is characterized by fighting his nature, to seek the solution to his problems; He many times feels frustrated, but that is when the ambition to find his true being, makes him an individual with a fixed sense and objective. Man is the one who creates his own world and therefore nothing external should affect his true being.
The existentialism of the protagonists
"The alchemist" begins presenting a protagonist of a peaceful nature, his personality is closely linked to being self-taught, it is what it is, without paying attention to the world around him, it exists because it must be and because his future is in his essence.
Santiago, the protagonist, is a young sheep shepherd who leaves his life to seek the true reason for his existence, the young man will stumble upon characters that are also existentialist without knowing it, in his journey will appear who guide and support their existentialist purpose and supporting Your own adventurous nature will discover what it really is and nothing more than it.
Santiago is a symbol of existentialism because its nature and its vital cognition.
When the young man looks in front of that rare dream that promises a great treasure, he thinks that this would change his life, this ideology will be hindered, because his comfort zone is altered and risks to go in search of the wealth that previously was not part of your life goals.
The literary work ‘the tunnel ”begins with the presence of the protagonist, Juan Pablo Castell, a man dedicated to painting, who describes himself in a controversial way, rescuing his individual nature and being completely indifferent to society ; He tells him the story of his crime against a woman whom he yearned to know and from there the clash of his emotions is generated.
Undoubtedly, Castell represents existentialist ideology by having as the main characteristic of its existence, freedom, basic principle of this philosophy characterized because who applies it seeks to justify before himself, less than before others the reason for things, especially, The reason for life itself.
Sábato (1948) expresses: “Was our whole life a series of anonymous screams in a desert of indifferent stars?" (p. 18). This is a phrase that Castell questions for his parties, highlighting the existentialist principle mentioned above, for his character and ideology everything must have a reason for being and existing.
Considering the title of the work, "The Tunnel" refers to a metaphorically dark site, where Castell will be tangled in a gloomy and dark abyss of emotional conflicts, this other character is an existentialist being, whose actions, ideas, ideas and feelings will be linked to this philosophy.
Existentialist principles in works
Existentialist ideology is governed by various principles that guide the characters, which act guardians of their own conscience. In the works, these philosophical characteristics define the existence of the protagonists and the characters in general.
Loneliness is one of the main justifying of existentialist ideology, because being this an emotional principle is part of the human essence, placing being in a situation of abandonment, caused in certain circumstances by their own choice or many of the time by certain sectors of society.
In the case of "The Alchemist", Santiago is a young man who had been forced to prepare to be a prie The men (…) wanted to travel ”(Coelho, 1988). When he faces loneliness he reflects assimilating that his reason for his life is to be a pastor.
The protagonist is unconsciously associated with ideology when he decides to disconnect from interaction with society to devote himself to forge his future, but this aspect is put to existentialism because the character idealizes the future, abandoning to some extent the present, but compensates for him risk To face only life, even when he has found Fatima, the woman who falls in love with love.
Coelho, (1988) expresses: "It is precisely the possibility of realizing a dream that makes life interesting," this is one of the characteristic phrases of the work in which this current is emphasized, since it maintains the idea that a person existentialistic must rebel against its individual nature, to seek the meaning of your life.
On the other hand, in "The Tunnel", Castell defines himself as a being for which loneliness is the basis of his personality and states it by saying: "[…] In any case, there was only one tunnel, dark and dark Lonely: mine ”(Sábato, 1948, p. 62). This expression determines the mood of the character as in an abyss of abandonment, so it seeks to attract for himself, the woman who fells deeply in love.
The attachment of the character with the current is identified in the fact that even when he shares lapses of his life with Mary, he still feels alone; That can be a reference that for an existentialist being loneliness is not abandoned until you have what you want without conditioning or limitations.
Maria is also identified in this philosophy when she states: ‘(…) I felt that you were like me and that you also blindly looked for someone, a kind of mute interlocutor.’(Sábato, 1948, p. 48). The young woman is affected by the life she carries, libertine and disorganized, which in one way or another is causing damage.
The instability of Mary’s relationship, the lack of love and understanding generates an emotional conflict which leads to interfere in inhibited love.
Another of the existentialist principles is experienced by Santiago by abandoning his comfort zone and following a dream he faces with fear, another of the emotions that govern this ideology; For the exponents of this current, facing fear means the courage to risk crossing new paths.
Santiago felt distrust of the journey to which he would venture in search of a treasure, fought against his nature, left grazing to risk fulfilling the fantasy he had had; However, fear encourages him to be free and fight against this emotion.
Castell also feels intimidated, always hiding his emotions, because he affirms that he does not have to show himself with fear of others, he cares about a “bledo” what they can say about him; He seeks to get the attention of Mary, because her whim for her to know her and verify that they are similar souls of her, blinds him and makes him an eccentric being.
Ideas and emotions such as those mentioned, lead to fulfill an existentialist objective; The elections and decisions are key factors in this current and represent the basis and end of it, arise from the feelings and thoughts housed in their being, facing their own internal obstacles that prevents them from achieving their great illusions.
The young pastor of the work "The Alchemist", in the face of the possibility of leaving his loneliness and surrounding himself with greatness, despite feeling anguish and fear of the new path he should take and the obstacles he would face, chooses to follow his dream, concluding him When finding the treasure that provides infinite possibilities, and that teaches it alternative worlds such as alchemy and love.
The relationship between elections and consequences must also be emphasized, Juan Pablo Castell decides to encapsize with Maria, and from that action an emotional abyss that aggravates his existential crisis and confuses his personality, which is why he will be further prostrated in the Land of a tunnel, apparently, without exit.
In addition, the free will is present in many of the acts of the characters, since each of them decides to interpose the limitations or future responsibilities that complicate their existence; A clear example of this is Maria, who, being a woman who transmits autonomy, or perhaps debauchery, becomes a point of attraction for Castell, because she wants to possess her and use to abandon her suffering.
Santiago refers to free will when he makes the decision to flee his current life and venture into a dream, exposing himself to an end in which in equal conditions he can be losing or winner.
Another basic principle of existentialism is the transcendence of being based on its essence and ability to go to the world; Castell, refuses to relate to the surrounding world, closes to the possibilities that are presented to him, for the simple fact that he rejects the ideology of a society outside him, but, when he knows Maria his possibility of transcending and Approaching the world is consolidated from one moment to another, she becomes her world, her only interest from there, it would be to live for her.
In her case, a woman of remarkable existentialist character, transcending is vital, so she finds lovers with whom she feels sheltered and verifies that her essence is nothing more and nothing less than living to be loved again and again, without limits or limits Responsibilities.
We can affirm that for both characters, society is simply arbitrary and the meaning of its being and its existence is to act according to their convenience, taking freedom as a symbol of its essence.
Comparison and contrast of works
"The alchemist" and "The Tunnel" have been written under existentialist principles, therefore, they have protagonists faithful to ideology, which conspire against the arbitrariness of society, reject the possibility of complying with situations, but recognize the irrationality of some things.
Coelho (1988) states: "When a person really wants something, the entire universe conspires so that he can make his dream". This representative phrase of the author’s work provides a clear idea of the meaning of "the alchemist", denoting a direct relationship with existentialism in its protagonist.
Santiago is innocent, he lives on freedom, trusts his nature and around him, "… it is a revealing symbol of life, man and his dreams" (Coelho, 1988). He risks dreaming and fulfills that thanks to the fact that the world around him supports his visions, he plans a series of events that help him display the certainty of his essence.
In the case of "The Tunnel", the protagonist does not resemble his lifestyle to Santiago’s, he does not perceive support and support; On the contrary, the entire society attacks it, this is made by an insensitive, egocentric and stubborn man.
The main characteristic of the work is free will; Juan Pablo becomes a symbol of revelation, character and perhaps dementia; Follow him the dream of him disrupts him, he is so much to him that he is lost far beyond his nature.
However, both works present protagonists who pursue a chimera, and in their way they find people also identified with their same philosophy, this becomes an incentive so that their desires to fulfill those dreams increase their magnitude; They are framed in a context of social hypocrisy, lie and deception, covering characteristic emotions of existentialism.
Love, responsibility, security and above all freedom, are factors of great influence so that the characters of these works symbol of the current studied, immerse themselves in a sway of emotional conflicts.
Coelho and Sábato relate their works regarding an important theme, decisions and their consequences, because in both novels no decision can fail to face an effect, whether positive or negative, the cause -effect relationship is clearly presented in the Development of these.
Another important similarity is that the decisions taken by the protagonists are not entirely rational, although they consider it essential to meet their objectives, are impulses motivated by ambition, desire, or even the whim.
These irrationalities occur despite the fact that responsibility is crucial within existentialism; However, it is necessary to covet high objectives to make decisions capable of conspiring in favor of the final goal that would be to know the true reason for human nature itself.
The difference between the works described and its characters is that Santiago decides to dream He conspires strongly in living the present of his existence, he refuses to idealize his life because he accepts the uncertainty of tomorrow.
From the above, greater fear is recognized in the character of the work "the tunnel", although it must have been generated by the loneliness in which he lived, his personality is so frustrated that he generates greater distrust with respect to society , reaching the point of forcing himself to kill his beloved.
Santiago, on his part is unable to exceed the limits of frivolity, on the contrary, he is guided by positive emotions that benefit him without harming his fellow men. Only when he has suffered enough betrayals He accepts the indifference and cruelty of society that surrounds him and proposes to establish new borders between his individuality and the appearances of others.
In short, both works direct their characters towards a struggle for their ideals, even if they have to be involved in sentimental and emotional tangles.
Conclusions
When comparing these two literary works, you can reaffirm the correlation between the existentialist ideology with the novels "The Tunnel" of Ernesto Sábato and "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, which are based on the various principles that characterize this current.
The protagonists of the works are mainly related to the standards of this philosophical current, since they are linked to the need to find an explanation for any question, especially for any unknown about their being. However, during development it is proven that these issues do not always have a solution, complicating in some way the existentialist sense. These novels are framed in an abyss of emotions and feelings that generate, mainly in the protagonists the journey of an existential crisis, this factor has its genesis in solitude, feeling present in the two characters. Santiago de "The Alchemist" and Castell of "The Tunnel" are existential characters because after being present in the world in which they live they must develop their essence to be able to change it over time, increasing personal experiences, but not shared. Both characters are beings that govern their life under free will, becoming individualistic characters who reject impositions of society, since they consider that they are sufficiently capable and independent of deciding on their nature.
According to this philosophy, the value of the characters is based on the fight against their essence, and even against their hypothetical destination, to choose the right path that their lives must take, they ignored that with this type of election the consequences that arrive in a way or another, if it occurs in this way it will be necessary to abide by despotic orders from society.
The literary work of both authors is remarkable, despite the difference in writing, adventures are an essential part of the plots, as well as emotions and thoughts, highlighting the human capacity to self-govern, Castell is an example of the failure due to irresponsibility in the irresponsibility in Decision making, while Santiago shows a merit of great power, seeking to meet a life goal.
In short, being "existentialist" is to maintain its nature after having faced the outside world; It represents the ability to feel free, be suitable for beating obstacles, being conscious and responsible, in order to abandon chimeras and turn them into reality or establish irrationality, in any case, for the current current the essence must be directed to find the truth of our existence, although not all things have a rational sense.
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