“he was actually two hours closer to his treasure… the fact that the two hours had stretched into an entire year didn’t matter”
This quote fits into the reoccurring theme of perspective affecting our drive towards pursuing our dreams. Every time Santiago finds motivation to keep searching for his treasure it is because he finds a new perspective. This is seen before when he decides that he will think of himself as an adventurer instead of a poor helpless victim. It helps give him the motivation to keep going, because he knows he is capable. This time, his new perspective prevents him from being discouraged from set backs. He has to keep an optimistic view, and focus on progress rather than set backs. This is a useful lesson for Santiago, and the reader can also learn from him.
“Maybe God created the desert so that man could appreciate the date trees”
This is another quote that fits into a theme of perspective. People could take date trees for granted, but after not having accessibility to them, people can start to miss them. Being away from the trees gives people a new perspective- a life without them. This allows them to be more appreciative of things. This is the same concept as trials causing people to truly notice all the blessings of life. The concept may be used later on in the book for something larger than date trees. Appreciating date trees is not applicable for the average reader, but new perspectives that lead to appreciation is something that can be learned by anyone. The author uses a subtle way to once again teach about the power of perspective.
A blog Orr not? 