The Alchemist as a Bildungsroman

The Alchemist is definitely a bildungsroman. It is a story about a young man going on a journey to find his personal legend. In an instant, Santiago gave up everything he knew and owned in order to begin his quest. Even though there were many challenges and obstacles that presented themselves along the way, Santiago never lost site of his goal. He encountered things that would prevent many from moving forward, but he persevered through it all to continue searching for his personal legend. On his way, he learned that he was never alone, and there was always someone to help him along. Meeting many who have refused their own personal legend, he also learned how miserable and unfulfilled his life would have been if he had stayed in the fields and continued being a shepherd. He also falls in love, and learns what true love is when she encourages him to leave her behind so he can continue his journey. In the end, Santiago ultimately learns that finding the treasure was not his personal legend. His personal legend was the journey that he took, the things that he experienced, and the people that he had met.

Personal Legends

A major theme in The Alchemist is that of finding one’s personal legend. A personal legend is something that is pure and good. It is the realization of this personal legend that adds to the goodness of the world. Throughout the novel, Santiago is risking everything to go in search of his personal legend. He faces many challenges along the way, but is always drawn back to his original purpose. To me, a personal legend is like a vocation. In Examined Life I, we learned that your vocation should not only be something that you do for a living, but should be a calling from God. Even though there will be many distractions and obstacles that present themselves during your journey to finding this calling, once found, it can be the sweetest reward to know that this is what you are made to do. Since our personal legends may not be as easily recognizable as Santiago’s, we have to put more trust and faith in God to guide us in the right direction. Imagine how wonderful the world could be if everyone were to find their personal legend.

The House On Mango Street as a Bildungsroman

The House On Mango Street is definitely a bildungsroman. It tells of a young girl’s struggles while growing up in an underprivileged neighborhood. Trapped in a society that has no expectations or ambitions for its’ young women, Esperanza sees the negative repercussions in her female neighbors. In addition to facing these harsh realities, Esperanza is at a transitional point in her life where she is caught between playing jump rope and becoming a young woman. Knowing that she does not want to end up like those women, Esperanza is determined to do better with her life. In the end, she learns that even if she find a way out, she will have to come back to help those that were unable to. I believe that this realization is critical in her growth and development. In a sense, Esperanza is like the man who leaves the cave and ascends the mountains in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. On the mountaintop, the man realizes that no good can come out of his newfound knowledge if he remains on the mountain. Therefore, like him, Esperanza must return to the cave to share the things that she has learned.

Breaking The Cycle

For me, the challenges that Esperanza faces are a lot like Janie’s. Both characters are female minorities trapped in a culture that they were born into. For Esperanza, she is surrounded by poverty and low expectations. Visions of her fate are revealed to her through the female neighbors living on her street. Some are abused by their husbands, while others are left to raise their children alone. Wanting more for herself, Esperanza is determined to break the cycle. In Janie’s situation, her fate was determined for her by her grandmother. She marries her first husband because her grandmother wanted her to have a secure life. However, in this marriage, she was treated like a mule on her husband’s farm. Ironically, Janie’s second husband placed her on a pedestal to be shown off like one of his belongings. The suffocation that Janie felt in both of these male dominated relationships forces her to hide pieces of herself away. In the end, even though she was a rich widow, and Tea Cake was a poor and younger man, Janie chooses to reject all that was expected of her to be with him. In a sense, both Esperanza and Janie are fighting to escape the life that was given to them. Both are determined to break the mold.

Wanting More

In The House On Mango Street, Esperanza’s story is a story of wanting and yearning for something better. Living in such a small and broken down house in a poor and underprivileged community, Esperanza dreams of having a better life. She does not want to belong to or be apart of Mango Street. She describes the hardships and problems of the other inhabitants that live on Mango Street. In a sense, she wants to break away and distinguish herself from her surroundings. She wants more. She is capable of more. She is unwilling to accept such a lowly way of life, and yearns for a better future. I can connect with Esperanza because like her family, my family came to this country from Vietnam. From nothing, my parents have had to work so hard to raise my two younger sisters and I in a far away land in hopes of giving us a better future. Being the first in my family to go to college, I feel that what has gotten me to this point is my wanting and yearning for something better. I have no place to go but up. To me, failure is not an option. Additionally, like Esperanza, I will never forget where I came from or the people that have touched my life.

The Life of Pi as a Bildungsroman

The Life of Pi is a bildungsroman because of the growth and development that takes place in Pi during his experience at sea. Right from the very beginning, Pi is illustrated as a young boy who embraces the Muslim, Christian, and Hindu religion because of his love for God. Despite the religious leaders’ disapproval and his parents’ discouragement, Pi continues to be a devote follower in all three religions. Nothing really happened to him up till then that would make him doubt God. However, his faith was never truly tested until after he lost his family and was stranded at sea for 227 days. For the first time in his life, there was a brief moment where he doubted and questioned God. This is a defining moment in Pi’s life because from this doubt Pi can either stop believing in God or continue to have faith in Him in spite of the unanswered questions. Surprisingly, Pi chooses God. From that moment on, no matter how bad things got, he never questioned or doubted God again. Instead of destroying his faith, Pi’s brief moment of doubt only made him stronger. In the end, it was his faith that kept him alive.

The Importance of Tolerance

Pi’s encounter with “the three wisemen” on the esplanade reveals the everlasting conflict that exists between the different religions today. In class, we discussed how Pi feels that he can connect even with the atheists. The tolerance that Pi possesses for all the different religious beliefs is something to be admired. Even though there are differences, he is able to find the common thread that connects them together. In his defense after being verbally attacked by the three religious leaders, Pi simply says that he just wants to love God. It’s ironic how with all the wisdom that these men possess, it took a teenage boy to show them what it really means to believe in God. These men are leaders in their faith and are exemplars to the followers of the faith. Therefore, if they hold such negative views on other religions, it is not surprising that the believers will do the same. This is where we are going wrong. We claim that we love God and follow in His path, but the anger, misunderstanding, and hate that we have for believers of a faith different from our own reveals that we are not practicing what we preach.

You Gotta Have Faith

In the face of such unimaginable adversity, Pi’s loyalty to his faith is truly inspirational. Unlike many who readily declare their devotion and love for God during good times, but falter and doubt when some thing goes wrong, Pi never questioned God. His exceptional faith and love for God was revealed even before the shipwreck. In spite of the religious leaders’ protest and his family’s discouragement, Pi continued to practice Hinduism, Catholicism, and Islam. During his time at sea, Pi never questioned or blamed his misfortune on God. He never felt sorry for himself, but accepted things as they came. If anything, he turned to God when a new challenge arises. He even goes so far as to thank God when he accomplishes something. Pi’s unconditional faith and love for God is something to be admired by all who believe in a superior being. To love and believe in someone wholeheartedly the way Pi loves God is truly inspirational. His miraculous survival shows how faith is capable of overcoming even the most unimaginable calamities. He survived because his faith in God survived.

Going After Cacciato as a Bildungsroman

O’Brien’s Going After Cacciato is a bildungsroman because, Paul Berlin, a young American soldier who did not have a clue as to why he was fighting in the Vietnam War comes to a mental resolution as to his personal reasons for being there. Berlin entered the war because he was doing poorly in school and was drafted. Throughout the novel, he is illustrated as a soldier who mechanically and indifferently deals with the things that were happening around him to keep himself from breaking down and going insane. The only thing keeping him going is the thought of possibilities. In keeping the chase of Cacciato going in his head, he shows his yearning for an escape from the war. However, in the final scene when he has the choice of disappearing and moving on with his life or performing his duty and catching Cacciato, he chooses to keep going. Paul Berlin comes to the realization that he is fighting in the Vietnam War because he loves his family, friends, and country. He feels that it is his duty to protect all that is important to him. In the end, he has a personal purpose for being the hell that he is in.

War as a Last Resort

In many ways, Dr. O’Brien was a lot like Paul Berlin during the Vietnam War. They were both young American men who were drafted and sent to Vietnam to fight for a cause that was quite unclear to them. All they know is that they are there because they love their country, family, and friends, and are fighting in this war to protect all that is dear to them. These soldiers had put their lives in the hands of those who were giving them orders from thousands of miles away. Both Dr. O’Brien and Paul Berlin fought in a war that seemed endless because they trusted those whom they thought were more experienced. I agree with Dr. O’Brien when he said that war should be the last resort. In order for political leaders to grasp this concept, they should be the first to be sent into the war zone. Only then will they understand what it is like to really be in a war, and not just bark orders from a safe distance away. If they valued the lives of others as much as they valued theirs, other alternatives would be taken before war.

Going After Cacciato part I

A theme found throughout the novel is that of always being positive and looking for the good in things. Paul Berlin’s father gave this advice to him before he left for the Vietnam War. Even though Paul Berlin faced many atrocious scenes during his time in Vietnam, his father’s words kept him sane. Even when villagers were being searched disrespectfully, when his fellow soldiers lost their lives one after another, and when all that surrounded him were deserted places and dead bodies, he continued to think of the possibilities that could still take place after the war. Personally, I cannot imagine the things that these soldiers went through or how they felt because I have never had to witness such horrific things. I do believe that in times when you are surrounded by evil and feel that there is no hope, the only thing that can save you from being consumed by it is to think of better things to come. During his journey, Paul Berlin would always let the readers know how important it was for him to keep thinking of the possibilities and the good in the evil things that surrounded him. It was a survival mechanism that helped him to cope in a healthy way.

The Violent Bear It Away as a Bildungsroman

At first glance, one would not label O’Connor’s, The Violent Bear It Away, as a bildungsroman. However, after further consideration, I have come to the realization that in his own distorted and disturbing way, Francis did come into the person that he became in the end of the novel. Throughout the novel, we see how Francis rejected everything that was taught to him by Old Tarwater by setting the cabin on fire. While he was with Rayber, he distanced himself from Rayber and his attempt to civilize him. Being pulled in two opposite extremes, Francis faced the ultimate decision as to which road he will take. He can either be like Old Tarwater and live his life as a self proclaimed prophet or he can follow Rayber and learn how to live a meaningless life by shutting himself from the world. In the end, this never ceasing pressure to choose a side destroyed any real chance that Francis had to lead a normal life. In murdering Bishop, Francis is proclaiming his rejection of both extremes. By committing this act however, he has created and entered into his own extreme. From that point on, Francis’ actions revealed the emotionless, careless, detached, and subhuman person he had become.

Going To The Extremes

A major theme in O'Connor's The Violent Bear It Away is the consequences of taking things to the extreme. Even though the great uncle and the schoolteacher differ in their beliefs, they both illustrate what happens when things are taken to their extremes. Throughout his life, the great uncle proclaimed himself as a prophet of God. He took it upon himself to baptize all the members of his family. In response to their rejection, he goes so far as to kidnap the schoolteacher, baptizes him, and teaches him about what it means to follow in the ways of Jesus. After this confusing experience, the schoolteacher was damaged forever. In his rejection of God and the things that his uncle had taught him, he went to the extreme by shutting himself from anything and everything. He denied himself any feelings in order to prevent the memories of the past from resurfacing. In the end, both lived a miserable life. While the uncle was willing to suffer and be rejected in this lifetime for his reward in the afterlife; the schoolteacher believed that this life was the only life that he had, but was too afraid to live it.

The Bear as a Bildungsroman

The Bear is definitely a bildungsroman. In the beginning of the novel, Ike knew nothing about the wilderness or about life. Only when he started going on the hunting trips did he enter the wilderness and started to slowly learn about nature. In his journey to find Old Ben, he found nature as well as himself. Aside from his patience and perseverance, it was also the realization that to truly be one with nature, Ike had to leave anything that would connect him with the outside world behind. The love and appreciation that he had developed for the wilderness shaped him into a new person. Ike used the knowledge and perspectives that he had gained in the wilderness to dictate the major decisions in his life. In his reasoning that no one truly owns or has a right to the land that he had inherited, he rejects it and the sins that are associated with it. Ike attempts to assuage the sins of his grandfather by giving the inheritance to members of the other half of his family. Even though Ike had a comfortable life planned out for him, he renounces it and becomes a carpenter in the end.

Wilderness

The question concerning whether the wilderness is a manmade construct has been on my mind since our discussion in Cameron Park. I believe that like almost everything in this world, pieces of land were sectioned off and defined as wilderness by man. Even though this is the case, I think that the wilderness is an entryway to finding nature. It is nature that is not constructed and empowered by man. I think that Old Ben signifies nature. Isaac entered the wilderness to find Old Ben. From the very beginning, Isaac had no intentions of killing the bear. He only desired to be in its’ presence and to experience it for himself. After a few failed attempts, Isaac realizes that only when he leaves everything that would connect him to society and civilization will Old Ben reveal himself. This implies that nature is unyielding and one can only connect with it when one leaves society behind. After saying this, I believe many can experience the wilderness, but only a few are truly able to have a pure relationship with nature. Not everyone is able to leave the comforts of civilization completely in order to find nature.

The Theme of Tradition in The Bear

A major theme in Faulkner’s The Bear is tradition, and the importance of keeping them. The story is mostly about a boy who begins going on these hunting trips for two weeks every year with a group of men since he was ten years old. During the first few years, Ike believed that the ultimate aim of these trips was to kill Old Ben, but as he grew older and wiser, he soon realized that the bear was not the main reason, but only a part of something greater. It was this tradition of taking oneself away from the crowdedness and complications of society and escaping into an intimate relationship with nature and the wilderness that was their true aim. There in the wilderness, Ike learned many things about life as well as about himself. When they finally killed the bear, it also symbolizes the end of this great tradition. We know how these years were important to the main character because the only happiness we see in him is when he reflects on this specific time in his life. It was these trips and what he learned from them that made Ike the man that he was.

Their Eyes Were Watching God as a Bildungsroman

Their Eyes Were Watching God is a bildungsroman because of the change and growth that takes place in Janie. Throughout most of her life, Janie has always been under the supervision of someone other than herself. She was never allowed to be her own person, but was always what they wanted her to be. Janie realizes that in order to keep herself alive and to have some sense of being, she would have to store little pieces of herself away. Throughout the novel, Janie is looking for something or someone that she has never known. Because she did not know what it was that she was looking for, she made some mistakes along the way. However, like many things in life, one does not know how sweet something is until one has also tasted something bitter. Therefore, these mistakes only help her to realize and appreciate what she does have when she finally finds it. In finding Tea Cake, she found love as well as herself. She was no longer her grandmother’s charity case, Logan’s help on the farm, or a trophy on Jodie’s shelf. For once in her life, she was simply Janie. Even after Tea Cake’s death, she refuses to go back to the way she was before.

The significance of the title in Their Eyes Were Watching God

Hurston quotes the title of the novel only once throughout the entire book and it occurs in the midst of the hurricane. The title is significant because it reveals how vulnerable we truly are. No matter what race, gender, or social class we belong to, there are things in life that do not take such distinctions into consideration. Beneath it all, we are all the same, and are all susceptible to the will of God. For instance, the hurricane in the novel did not seek out a particular group of people, gender, or social class, but killed anyone that was in its path. It is easy for us to forget how similar we all are in our vulnerability until we face a situation that is out of our control. Janie’s eyes were watching God because she knows that their lives are in His hands. What was given to her can be easily taken away. Only He knows what will happen next. This scene in the novel exposes a sense of humility in the recognition of how small and powerless we are. Such instances reveal the ridiculousness and irrelevance of the existence of race, gender, and social class.

Finding Love in Their Eyes Were Watching God

Love is a major theme in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. As a teenager and young woman, Janie has always been waiting for a love that is unknown to her. She only attains a glimpse of this love while looking up at the blossoms of a tree in her grandmother’s yard. Even though she yearns for this love, she marries a man that her grandmother had chosen for her. In searching for this love, she leaves her husband and follows a total stranger to a new town. Being young and innocent, she did not realize that what she had with Starks was not love until years later before his death. Ironically, only when she had given up on it, did this love come to her. The relationship and love that she and Tea Cake had was what she was searching for all along. However, as easy as it had entered her life, it also left without a warning. Surprisingly, she accepted Tea Cake’s death, and continued living her life. Her reaction and actions after having lost her lover confirms a truth in the saying, it is better to love than to have never loved at all.

A Room With a View as a Bildungsroman

Lucy’s development and growth makes A Room With a View a bildungsroman. In the beginning, Lucy was a timid young girl who lived according to the conventions of her family and social class. She suppressed her needs and wants in order to please those around her. In choosing a husband, Lucy was torn between Cecil who will give her security socially and financially, and George who will give her a life of independence and everything unconventional. The Lucy in the beginning of the novel would have been satisfied with Cecil, but because she chose George, this shows how much she has grown. This growth is evident in the cancellation of her engagement with Cecil. She was no longer willing to be polite and avoid confrontation. For the first time in her life, she stood up for what she wanted and needed. In choosing George, she was willing to give up everything and everyone that she has ever known in order to follow her heart. Even though her future will be unclear with George, she will be living a life worth living. A life filled with love and adventure. For a young girl during her time period, she chose the path less taken.

Lucy and Marriage

For many young females during Lucy’s time period, marriage is not an option, but an obligation. In a sense, a young woman is only as good as her husband. Only through marriage is she able to be a member of society. In finding a husband, she has to take his family lineage, financial situation, and social status into consideration. Love was a bonus, not a priority. In Lucy’s dilemma, she is caught between marrying for love and marrying for convenience. If she marries Cecil, she will be marrying someone from her social class, she will be financially secure, and she will be preserving the already wavering traditions of her society. If she marries George, she will be betraying her family and the people of her social class. Her future will be unclear, but she will be an equal partner in the union. She will be allowed to think and make decisions for herself. Breaking off her engagement with Cecil and deciding to be with George was probably the first major decision that she has ever made on her own. Lucy went from a girl who followed conventions and did what was expected of her to someone who followed her heart and started living her life.

A Room With a View

In the novel, we find the main character, Lucy, always doubting herself and doing whatever it is that others instruct her to do. Like a puppet, she is at the mercy of those holding the strings. Her thoughts, feelings, and decisions are never her own, but of someone of greater age or authority. Being a young woman, she is never alone but always under some kind of adult supervision. Many times, it seems like she cannot even think for herself nor is she encouraged to. Even when she is able to put some of the pieces together in her head, she cannot even trust herself enough to put it all together. Lucy is a young woman who wants more for herself, but has no idea where to begin. She wants to rebel, but is too timid and scared. With regards to her love life, she is caught in between going for what she wants, and following conventions. In the end, she realizes that if she marries Cecil, she will never be allowed to grow as a person, but will continue to be controlled like a puppet. Only with helpful advice, not instruction, from George’s father did she have enough courage to start living her life.

Huckleberry Finn as a Bildungsroman

Even though Huck’s transformation is subtler and less definite than Harry’s, it is evident that the growth is still there. In the beginning of the novel, Huck followed Tom and trusted him without question because of Tom’s familial and educational background. However, as the story progresses, Huck is forced to leave Tom’s shadow and make it on his own. With every new adventure, Huck learns if not something about himself, then something about others. He learns how cruel people can be to one another when the Duke and the King were tarred. Another monumental instance is when Huck ultimately decides to do away with civilization in order to rescue Jim. There are many times when his revelations are so brilliant that you would think that it is the pivotal moment for his transformation. However, these moments are always followed by a regression. Unlike Harry, we cannot pinpoint the specific experience that caused his coming of age. In this way, I think that Huck’s growth is more realistic than Harry’s. I do not think that it takes one particular experience to change a person. We are who we are because of the many experiences in our lives. Therefore, I believe that Huckleberry Finn is a bildungsroman.

Huck and Jim

As the story progresses, Huck and Jim’s relationship slowly transforms from a “white boy and black slave who happen to know each other” type of relationship, to a surprisingly profound friendship. Even though they were so different from one another, they were both outcasts. They took comfort in one another, and the freedom from civilization that they had on the river. As they experienced the adventures and hardships together on their journey, not only was there growth in the bond between them, but also their dependence on one another. They took care of each other, and always looked out of the other’s best interests. In many ways, Jim was more of a father figure to Huck than his real father. Jim showed Huck the affections that a good father should express to his son. He made sacrifices like taking Huck’s shift as well as his own so Huck can sleep. As for Huck, he was the only friend that Jim has ever known. When Jim was captured, Huck made the ultimate decision to go against society and civilization in order to help Jim escape. Together, these two unlikely pair were a team. Whatever the one lacked, the other would make up for.

Huckleberry Finn

A major conflict is Huck’s struggle with his decision to help Jim escape slavery. In the beginning, Huck did not think too much about this issue. But when they thought they were close to their destination, Huck begins to feel uneasy about what he is doing. He begins to doubt his decision and puts himself down for committing such a crime. He would think of himself as an uncivilized sinner. Therefore, in his attempt to move towards a more civilized life, he told himself that he would not help Jim and went so far as to write a letter to his master. But when he reflects on his relationship with Jim and all the things that they have gone through together, he decides to do away with trying to be civilized. If helping to free a person from their bondage is considered against civilization, I wish more people had been uncivilized. Even though Huck thought of himself as a lowly person for doing such a thing, what he did is nothing less than heroic. Ironically, for someone who is so young and uneducated, he had a better understanding of what it truly means to be civilized than most of the characters in the book.

Harry Potter as a Bildungsroman

Being the last of the seven series, this book reveals the transformation that takes place not only in Harry but in many other characters as well. After Dobby’s death, Harry comes to accept the fact that he was meant to know about the Hallows, but not meant to seek them. From then on, Harry dedicates himself to destroying the Horcruxes, while putting the Hallows on the back burner. By choosing one and not the other, Harry has chosen to fight evil instead of trying to attain power. He has grown into someone that is truly selfless and heroic. In addition, Ron also grows a great deal in this last installment. After rescuing Harry and destroying one of the Horcruxes, Ron realizes that he is significant to the group. He too has a role in fighting evil. He suppresses his feelings of insubordination next to Harry, and comes into his own. Hermione also reveals her growth as Beatrix was torturing her. For someone who was so emotionally weak, and cries all the time, she revealed how strong willed she could be. Through these characters and their gradual development, this book reveals the coming of age aspect that qualifies it as a bildungsroman.

Dumbledore's contribution

I really like professor Dumbledore because in the previous books he was perceived as this perfect person that everyone loved and respected. He is seen as an exemplar to all those who were against Voldemort. However, as secrets about Dumbledore’s life slowly reveal itself, we find that he too has made mistakes. He too possesses sorrow and remorse. In spite of his extraordinary wisdom and better judgment, he brings about his own death by putting the ring on his finger. Even though Dumbledore can no longer be thought of as perfect after this book, I still think that he is someone to look up to. Dumbledore had already died in the previous book, but I believe that he was the driving force behind everything that took place. It was as if he knew what was going to happen, and planted people and things along the way to help Harry. In a sense, Dumbledore’s mistakes have not only made him a better person, but a better teacher. He was able to learn from his mistakes and did everything that he could to prevent Harry from making the same mistakes that he had made.

The internal and external conflicts of Harry Potter

The interconnecting events that progressively take place throughout the novel not only reveal the conflicts that Harry must overcome for the greater good, but also the ones he must battle within himself. While the main conflict in the novel is Harry going on a journey to defeat Voldemort and his regime to rid the wizarding world of all who are not purebloods, an underlying conflict arises as the story progresses. On top of assuming all the responsibility for finding the horcruxes and destroying them, Harry has been fighting to discover himself, and the truth about Dumbledore. After Dumbledore’s past and secrets begin to unravel, Harry finds himself confused, betrayed, and alone. How can he continue to carry out Dumbledore’s orders when he feels that he barely knew him at all? The one person whom he had trusted and loved had found it unnecessary to tell him so many things about himself. However, as Harry overcomes the conflicts in defeating Vodemort, he also finds resolutions to his own internal conflicts. Harry learns to accept that not everything can be revealed to him, and that he must find them out on his own. Only by doing so can he truly find himself.