Hello incoming Titans! Mrs. N. told me that she’d like to have you answer these questions. You may note that there are other blog entries on “The Alchemist” (one by me and one by a student) and “The Secret Life of Bees.” A few of you have already commented there, and that’s great. If you’d like to see the discussion on either book, just search the title and you’ll find the entry. However, now, Mrs. N. would like to have you compare the two books and have a discussion on that. So I’m making a separate blog entry here for that discussion. Your comments should occur in reverse order, with the last comment showing first.
Here are the questions:
(Main Response)
After reading The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees, respond to the following question:
The two novels are both about pursuing a spiritual quest that was given to the character (s)by the author. Compare OR Contrast the two novels’ spiritual quest in your opinion.
(Peer Response)
Once you have posted your original response, you will need to respond to One opinion that compares and One opinion that contrasts the views you may or may not have shared.
Be sure to highlight and copy all your responses onto a Word document, print it and staple to your packet. I will be reading and grading all entries so this will be backup in case I missed one.
School Library Lady 
In the Secret Life of Bees and The Alchemist both main characters had to leave the only life they knew for a chance at a better life.Santiago and Lily both had to fulfill a personal journey to find peace within their self.
I do not agree with Jacob R.S’s comment that it took more bravery for Santiago , Lily had to leave an abusive father knowing the consquences when she was found unlike Santiago who was by himself and did not have severe consquences to think about.
I believe The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees are some what similar. They gave up something and went to distant places. They both learned many things and matured mentally. They both had to deal with many hardships, but had some one to help them and guide them. At some points they got fustrated and almost gave up, but in the end they pulled through so that both stories had good endings.
I agree with megan because both had to go throught tuff times will they grow up but got to what they really wanted to get to there dream life.
I think both storys where great and how santiago went away from his house like lily running away from home because of her abusive father. They where both succissful and got to a happy and better place.
I agree with Clarissa B.F both of the characters gave it everything and never gave up and went for what they always wanted
I agree with Jackie because running away from the only life you known is diffucult. Although she was abused by T Ray, running away from her shaky foundation to an unknown colored family in a racially segregrated time period time is difficult.
In contasting both of the stories journey’s Santiaogo’s was spiritual and metaphorical Lily’s was very literal and concrete. Santiago left to find his true life. Lily left to leave her old life and start anew. Hovever both of thier journey’s brought them to the same place. Happiness.
i agree with anybody who said that Santiago had it hard,because he did
I believe that Lily had no choice but to leave,Santiago,on the other hand,did have a choice.
He didn’t really have a choice in the end,but in the beginning,he could’ve chosen not to go.
Lily was abused by her dad,and knowing she killed her mom didn’t make her life any easier.
In my opinion, The Alchemist was not one of the best books that I have read. It was an interesting novel, but not my type. The Alchemist and The Secret Life Of Bees are both different because Santiago’s quest was more religious than Lily’s. His quest was to find his Personal Legend, and Liky’s was to get away to find the truth about her mother. They’re the same though because each story had a mission they needed to accomplish and making very big decisions.
I disagree on where you say that they both make big decisions. Lily never really went that far from home.She was being abused by T-Ray so its not like it was really a hard decision to run away from him.
@ Renee.
I totally have to agree with Renee. They were both journeys in their own way.
i disagree with Katrina C. because Santago and lily didnt take the same chances,they were different because one had 2 face death(santiago) while the other would have just recieved a harsh punishment(liliy)
i agree with Omar G.V becuuse lily had Rosaleen with her the whole time,and although santiago had people with him they were strangers to him
In The Secret Life Of Bees and The Alchemist both main characters experience journeys that are similar and different in many different ways. They are both similar by both characters showing the same traits. Lily and Santiago were both brave, determined, and persistent.They both gave up so many things. One big way they are different is the actual journey itself. Lily didnt have exactly a goal in her Journey, except for finding more about her mother. Santiago actually had a very big goal an actual object he wishes to claim. Although, they gave up so much, there was a happy ending for both of them.
Both books talk about a journey but in two different ways. With Santiago it was to pursue his personal legend and follow his dream, but with Lily it was to get away from her abusive father and find out more about her mother. Both books have obstacles along the way, some more difficult than others. Santiago was faced with death more than once but his ways of persuasion and truthfulness led him to keep his life. Lily could have been put in jail for trying to get Rosaleen out of jail but she planed her get away well enough that she could slip out without anyone knowing. But they both had bravery Lily had this when she left T-Ray because he could have caught her but that was a risk she was willing to take to get away from his abuse. Santiago shows bravery by trusting in his omens and following his path wherever it may take him wether it is somewhere good or somewhere bad. In the end Lily and Santiago both ended up finding themselves within there journeys.
I agree that both books are similar, but in thier own unique way. They were both journeys, but in different life styles.
In The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees both Santiago and Lily go through a quest to better themselves for the present and the future. They both gave up so much to reach their goals. Although both attempted to reach their goals, which they eventually did,the way they did so was very different. Santiago had left his home to become an independent shepherd. He eventually sells his sheep to actualize his dream of finding out his destiny . By doing so he must listen to the Omens that are presented to him on his quest . Santiago eventually learns to listen to the omens, but more importantly his heart. He then finds his treasure and returns to his one and only love Fatima. Lily on the other hand left her home because she was tired of being treated horribly by her father. She did not risk as much as Santiago because she left with Rosaleen whom she had known from a very young age. Santiago on the other hand had a tougher jouney and although he did make friends with the people that he met on his journey but he did not really know those people. He was taking a risk by going with strange people into a strange land. It also took many months for Santiago to reach the pyramids in Egypt. His whole journey lasted two years. Lily didn’t need to cross a whole desert or meet many new people. Rosaleen was with her the whole time through the journey.
i disagree with Desiree D. for the reason that santiago did have guidance and from many people like the king the tea shop man,also lilys quest was a little bit unclear because she didnt know why she was even at the Boatright house she just had this “feeling” that she needed to b there.
i agree with Cody M.D. about how tough it was for Santiago because he had to give up more, and lily ended up with three new mothers.
The two stories, the Alchemist and the Secret life of Bees both have similar goals yet different ways to accomplish them. In the alchemist Santiago has a tougher journey, because of the harsh travels through the dessert. Also, During Santiago’s journey he had 2 figure out the omens. He also has to learn things on his own. In The secret life of bees Lily had to live with her very abusive father, who is a bitter and resentful man. Lily takes a great risk by running away and breaking the law to bust her house keeper Rosaleen out. Although they both had different ways of solving their spiritual quest, there were also some similarities. They both had to leave home in order to find out what the world had to offer, and they both fell in love during their journey. Above all they both succeeded in their quest even though they did not know the outcome.
I disagree with Marisa A.C.
I don’t think tat they were love connected. Yes, they both found love on their journey, but the main connection was them pursuing their journey’s.
I agree with Olivia N.G.
Santiago journey was more important than Lily’s because even though Santiago made friends with the people he met he truly didn’t know them. Lily knew Rosaleen since she was a toddler. Rosaleen was the one who raised her.
In the books The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees they both go on a spiritual quest to find a better life for themselves; however they don’t know if the outcome is good or bad. Even if something bad happened they kept going. Just like when were little and did something that we knew it might get us in trouble, but we took the chance and did it anyway. The characters in these books took the same chances to get somewhere better.
In comparing, The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees,both main characters are young, and have left their homes in search of something. Lily and Santiago have to overcome their fears to find happiness. Both find love through their Journey’s.
In comparison, Santiago’s trip is more difficult as he travels through the desert for weeks to seek his “personal legend”, and gives up more along his journey. In the end though he finds his “personal legend”. Lily has less to worry about, because she is not alone during her short travel. I believe that Santiago had to have more courage than Lily, because he gave up everything.
I agree with you Cody M.D. Santiago’s journey was much more difficult than Lily’s. Santiago gave up everything and there was a point where he had nothing. Lily always had someone with her and the things she needed. Santaigo never stayed in one place for two long in his journey. Lily was basically taken care of by August throughout the whole book. The worst that could have happened to Lily is that she would be sent to jail and beaten by T-RAY. Santiagos fate couldve have been death. So whose fate would you rather choose?
I agree with Jacob R.S. because, like he says, Lily does not have to face as many difficulties as Santiago did. She had to leave behind her house and abusive father, although that would not be easy to do, she was never alone. In contrast, Santiago had to give up everything he had to find his own personal legend. Her travel was much less dangerous and alot shorter than his. He had to cross a desert and avoid wars also, his trip took weeks to accomplish. That is why I believe Santiago was more courageous than Lily.
i think that Santiago and Lili were both very brave. Even though their stories are different they can still relate somehow. They both had to leave their homes in order to accomplish what they wanted to do. Both of them went through many tough things and they both overcame those situations. I think their courage is pretty even
i think that santiago and lily were both brave in pursuing what they believed in. Both of them wouldn’t stop trying until they accomplished what they were set out for. Both of this great stories are the same in so many ways. Lily had enough courage to break some one out off jail and Santiago had enough courage to cross the desert sure their not the same but is that courage that makes this great stories the same.
Daniel, I agree with you that it was brave of both Lily and Santiago to pursue what they believed in. Even though breaking Rosaleen out of jail was wrong, it was a brave act.
I agree and disagree with Marisa A.C. i believe that Fatima motivated Santiago to continue on his journey to reach his personal legend or dream because he was ready to just make a life there with her. yet i disagree that Zach was Lilys motivation in the secret life of bees because lily felt loved by rosaleen and later by august. So i believe her motivation was already there by wanting to know more about her mother.
i think Lily and Santiago are similar and different in their spiritual quest. Lily is on her quest to find out more about her mother who died and Santiago is on his quest to find treasure that would be found in the pyramids of Egypt that he dreamed about. I believe that Santiago and Lily faced many challenges to get to their destiny. They were both abused at one point. They had to be aware of eveverything around them. Santiago had to get through the war in the desert. They both had to risk their lives and almost faced death. Lily could have faced death by sleeping in the creeks with Rosaleen. Santiago almost faced death when he got captured, but a miracle happened and he saved himself by becoming a sand storm. Lily went to the boatwright sisters not knowing is they were nice or if they would report them to the police. Yet i believe that Santiago faced his jorney worse than Lily did. Santiago traveled alone although he did meet strangers along the way that helped him, he never had anyone like Lily did. Lily had Rosaleen by her side the whole quest, she did meet strangers along the way but she was never really alone like Santiago was.
I don’t believe that they had different spiritual quests. The difference was that the books had two different religions
I think lily and santiago are similar and different in their spiritual quest. Lily is on her quest to find out more about her mother who died and Santiago is on his quest to find treasure that would be found in the pyramids of egypt that he dreamed about.I believe that both Santiago and Lily face many challenges to get to their destiny.They were both abused and mistreated at some point.They had to be aware of everything around them. Santiago had to get through the war in the desert. They both had to to risk their lives and both almosted faced death.Lily could have faced death by sleeping in the creeks with rosaleen.Santiago almost faced death when he got captured, but a miracle happened and he saved himself by becoming a sand storm.Lily went to the Boatwright sisters not knowing if they would be nice or if they would repot them to the police.Yet, I believe Santiago faced his jorney worse than Lily did. Santiago traveled alone although he did meet many strangers along the way that helped him, he never had anyone like Lily did.Lily had Rosaleen by her side the whole quest, she did meet new strangers along the way but she was never alone like Santiago.
I have to disagree with Marisa A. C.
Yes, Fatima gave Santiago the motivation to not give up on his personal legend, but I believe that Lily was motivated by the fact that she had to know more about her mother and whether or not she really killed her.
I agree with chris j. m.
They both showed great amounts of courage. Lily and Santiago gave up so much and could have ended up with absolutely nothing. Lily gave up her home and would have to struggle to survive with Rosaleen if she didn’t find the Boatwright’s house. Santiago could have been killed on his kourney through the desert because of some dream he had and what some old king told him.
I have to agree with Adam R.H
Although santiago gave up so much and could have died multiple times,he came out of the experience with the knowledge that he actualized his destiny and found his treasure.
Lily gave up just as much but in the end it was her determination to find out about her mother that kept her moving towards her goal and destiny
“The Alchemist” and “The Secret Life of Bees” are similar in many different ways. Both Santiago and Lily must make a hard choice for their future. If they chose follow their dreams and their destiny then they might end up with everything that they ever wanted, but there’s a flip side to that if they chose to follow their destiny and they fail then they might end up miserable or even dead. They also could just remain where they are and stay average the rest of their lives. It just depended on if they were a gambling person or not. Santiago wants to realize his dream of finding riches not only does he find riches ,but by following his heart he finds a beautiful wife and the ability to talk to the spirits around him. Lily dream is to find out the truth about her mother her mother’s past. After she runs away with Rosaleen anything could of happened and fortune smiled upon them as they reached the calendar sisters big, bright pink house. There Lily found a job, Zach her secret boyfriend, and her found out all of the information that she needed or wanted about both her mother and herself.
Chris, I have to disagree with you slightly. It was not Liliy’s dream to leave, she felt like she had to to get away from her fathers abuse. So maybe it wasn’t so much a dream as it was desperation.
I have to disagree with Corrin E.B in a few ways. Both quests involved tremendous amounts of courage and faith, but in my opinion Lily’s journey didn’t have more of a purpose than Santiago’s. While Lily did have to realize she had all the love and courage she needed was inside herself all along, as well as the fact that she accidentally killed her mother, it doesn’t necessarily mean one held more of an importance over the other. Santiago did have helpers along the way, but didn’t know them at all and if what they said was true. Lily had a sense of trust and love with Rosaleen, and Santiago was for the most part alone on his quest. Lily had to overcome her issues with her father and accepting love, and Santiago had to discover himself and what truly mattered to him in the end, love or riches.
I agree with Priscila L.G. In both stories the main characters had different reasons to begin their journeys. For Santiago it was discovering treasure and putting faith in his beliefs. For Lily it was accepting the death of her mother and finding peace within herself as well as around her. Both showed bravery and courage in times when most around them wouldn’t. They tested boundaries and the rules of society set around them. Lily had the courage to leave her father, and Santiago had the bravery to continue on with his journey when the circumstances were trying to convince his otherwise. Both had different reasons for their journeys, but in the end both found a sense of what they were looking for in life.
While both characters had spiritual quests to follow, I believe both had certain moments of importance over the other. Santiago was on a quest to find treasure and discover his destiny as well as putting faith into his dreams. Lily had to come to terms with the death of her mother and the impact it made on the life with her father. Santiago gave up almost everything he had to go on the quest to find this treasure, which ended up taking almost two years. He faced many struggles along the way, including a war in the desert and the decision on whether or not to give himself to the wind. His journey had struggles and hardships, including ending his journey for a year to work for a crystal merchant to earn his money back. If not for the signs and omens along the way, who’s to say he wouldn’t have just given up? In the end he discovered his personal legend and found his treasure in a way not many would expect, in the place where it all began. Lily began her journey with Rosaleen with very little to her name, but had a better sense of where she was headed and a better sense of faith in the signs around her. Tiburon was relatively close, and although she didn’t know who she would find there, she knew this was where she needed to be. While there she helped with beekeeping which in a way helped her develop her personality and traits more than ever. Lily fought against the prejudices of racism and the conflict within herself about her mother’s death. In the end she found herself happier with who she was, which was the most she could ask for at the time. I found both novels compelling and interesting to read, but I will say I enjoyed The Alchemist over The Secret Life of Bees.
I agree with priscila beacuse Santiago actually did have alot of people or “teachers” help him along the way so he wasn’t alone. They gave him ideas and clues to help him out, and if they wouldn’t have persuaded him to continue I think he probably would have gone back. Lily also had people help her like Rosaleen and August so if she ever needed anything they were there for her. Santiago had a rough time in desert especially since he had to cross the whole sahara desert, it guts to do that. On the other hand it took guts for Lilly to take in the fact that she killed her own mother. Not everyone can do what Santiago and Lily did they were both brave and always knew what to do. So therefore they were equally brave, but in different aspects.
Santiago and Lily both had very strong motivations for wanting to achieve their goals. Lily wanted to find out more about her mother. Santiago was on a quest to find his treasure. They both had people to guide them. Lily had August who already knew who her mother was. Santiago had the alchemist who knew were his treasure was. There were many similarities, like finding love along their journeys and bieng content in the end. I think they both had the same amount of courage. Althought Santiago was more happy with his life than Lily was. They both left their homes and left the life they were accustomed to without knowing what would be the ending result.
I agree with valeria Santiago and Lily both had very strong motivators. Santiago wanted that treasure to such a point that it haunted him and made him do things he might have normally done like cross the sahara desart. Lily also had a very strong motivator because she needed to know more about her mother she she had to save Rosaleen. Lily and Santiago also found love on their journey. Lily found Zach the love that she could never have because of the differences in their skin. Santiago finds Fatima in the oasis that he would have he even had it not foor the desart wars going on.
i don’t agree with Valeria that they are basicly the same because although Lily had the picture that came from her mother she still didn’t know where or when to turn. Santiago on the other had …ok well at first he didn’t know even about his personal legend, but he in the long run had the old man, the englishman, and the alchmist guiding him through the whole way!
The story The Secret Life of Bees and The Alchemist are alike in many ways. Santiago leaves his home to pursue the dream of finding his treasure and Lily runs away from home to find out about her mother. They are both very courageous to leave their homes. Both of the characters pursued their personnel legends and accomplished them in the end. They both made friends and fell in love on their journey. Santiago fell in love with a girl that lived at an oasis named Fatima and Lily fell in love with a boy named Zach. They both made friends along the way too, Santiago made friends with an old king a crystal merchant and the alchemist and Lily made friends with three women named May, June, and August. They both receive soecific items in the story that help them in their journey; Santiago gets a white rock that signifies yes and a black rock that signifies no, and Lily gets a picture of her mother, a black Virgin Mary picture with the words Tiburon S.C. on the back and two latex gloves that belonged to Lily’s mother.
During their spiritual quests, these two books and characters connected by their love interests. Along his journey to the pyramids, Santiago is stopped at an oasis because of the wars that are going on. While he was there he had an encounter with a young girl named Fatima. When the day came, he would have to leave Fatima to search for the Alchemist and his treasure. In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily falls in love with her beekeeping partner, Zach. They get so involved that they even kiss, but what keeps them apart is the ongoing problem of racism. I think that their love for Fatima or Zach kept them spiritually strong to continue on their journeys. Santiago could go on his journey knowing that Fatima would wait for him to come back, and Lily had Zach who, in my opinion, let her know she had people who loved her.
I do not agree with you Marisa A.C. The idea of being rich and marrying Fatima kept Santiago Going to pursue his legend. What kept Lily pursuing her dream of finding out about her mother was how the people even though they were black cared for her. Lily also had the thought of never going back home to to live with T. Ray so she had no choice, but to keep going.
I disagree you with Crstian A.T. There was no going back for Lily if she did then she would have to deal with T.Ray which is something she knew she couldn’t do espicailly after the phone call she made to him. Santiago also didn’t have a choice because Fatima said that she’d never marry him if he didn’t finish his to find his treasure so there was no going back for him either.
I agree with Marisa completely! When i got to those special parts in the books I! felt a special connection to them…just as Marisa said, that love connection gave them an unknown power to go on with there jouneys to succeed.
I DISAGREE with you Marisa A.C. Lily’s motivation was the craving of finding more about her mother. I dont think Lily’s love for Zack was motivating her to find out more about her mother. Santiago’s love for Fatima may contibute to his urge in the end.But its the thought of completing his Personal Legend and having eternal happiness that kept him going since the beginning. Oh Snap!
In my opinion, Lily and Santiago’s quests are similar. They both had to give up something (some more than others), in order to follow their quest.Santiago gave up his sheep and Lily gave up her home. On their journeys, they both had some difficulties and like Alyssa L.M. said, “they both found some special; Lily found Zach and Santiago found Fatima.” Both stories had a final conflict in the end that would determine how the story will end. Lily had a final stance with her father and Santiago had to turn himself into wind. Finally, both stories had ended in a happy tone and the characters found what they wanted, but still had more to go.
I agree with you, Cesar A.M. They both had to sacrifice something important to them and do something difficult to fulfill their personal legends. Maybe their struggles weren’t as different as I originally thought.
In the two stories, The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees, Lily and Santiago each feel that they have a spiritual quest that they must fulfill . Their quests are the same, but at the same time different. Lily’s quest is a lot simpler, while Santiago’s requires a lot of courage and determination. They are each going on these quests for different reasons. Santiago is going to find his hidden treasure; while Lily is trying to find out as much as possible about her dead mother, to prove that her dad was wrong about her mother not loving her. They were both brave in leaving their lives behind, and going on these quests.
In both The Secret Life of Bees and The Alchemist, the main characters purse a spiritual quest. However, the motivations and circumstances were different for each character. In the Secret Life of Bees, Lily’s motivation was to learn everything she could about her mother who died when she was 4. However, I believe that she didn’t want to learn so much the facts about her mother as much as she wanted to fill a hole in her heart and be told that her mother loved her. Lily didn’t have anything holding her back from going on this quest, which made it a little bit easier than Santiago’s quest in the Alchemist. Santiago’s motivation was based on finding treasure and living a wonderful life with the woman he loved. However, he needed a lot of faith to embark on his journey and sell all his sheep. Not to mention, he was traveling through a dangerous desert full of thieves. I think Santiago’s quest required more courage, but I think Lily’s quest was for a better purpose.
I think Corrin E.B. is right. Both characters had different motivations and circumstances in ther journeys. That’s what make these 2 stories somewhat different.
I also agree with Corrin E.B. Both of the characters were in search of something important. But they were both important in different ways depending on the readers perspective. I agree that Santiago’s quest required more courage because he was alone for a major part of the time, but Lily’s journey also took a lot of courage hiding from the police and from T-Ray.
The two main characters from both storys did show a lot of bravery and courage in both storys. Santiago showed bravery and courage by sacrificing all he had to search for something that he beleived to be real. Lilly showed bravery and courage by running away from her father and rescueing Rosaleen from jail and heading to somewhere that she saw written on the back of a picture of a “Black Mary.”
Lily and Santiago both have different quests. They are very similar, yet different at the same time.
Santiago is a shepherd boy who has dreamed of a hidden treasure that is to be his if he finds it. His dream is to find the treasure and thus, change his economic status.
Lily is a young motherless teenage girl who in addition to living a life devoid of any love from anyone; she carries the tremendous burden of thinking that she killed her mother when she was a little girl. Her dream is to be forgiven of what she considers to be a crime, and to find the truth about her mother’s intentions towards her when she came home and told her father that she was leaving.
As they travel the roads that they think will lead them to the realization of their dream, both encounter a series of events that turn out to be something like pieces of a puzzle that little by little fit together to complete the big picture. “When you really have a true desire to make your dream come true and are willing to travel the road to get there, the universe conspires with you to achieve your goal.”
The fundamental difference between Santiago’s and Lily’s dream is that his is materialistic and hers is spiritual. But no matter how you label your dream, the best part of achieving it is the adventures that you experience in the journey that you undertake to get there. In the case of Santiago, he met some unusual and interesting people that taught him some very useful lessons. He also was able to visit places such as the pyramids to where he would never have gone if he had not undertaken his quest. In Lily’s case not only did she find love, but ended with three mothers instead of one.
In The Alchemist, Santiago is in search of a treasure. He knows that it is a treasure, but does not know what’s in it, what it looks like, or anything else,for that matter. Lily is looking for something, too. She doesn’t know anything about what she’s looking for, either, except she’s a black woman. Lily and Santiago’s quests, I believe, are very similar. They were both challenged to do things they’ve never done before; Lily tried beekeeping, and Santiago tried turning into the wind. They both also met someone special; Lily found Zach, and Santiago found Fatima. They are looking for two completely different things in to completely different parts of the world, yet, their journeys are very similar.
I totally agree with Kim.L she just said it all right there and then . Both of them faced alot of challenges and sure Lilly had Rosealeen but she also had T-Ray wearing her down inside . Santiago on the other hand had nothing but he had time to make all his desicions . See in Lilly’s case , she had to rush no time to think . She just had to hurry , get out the house and some how bail out Rosealeen . Thats why I believe that Lilly had a harder time . But both of the characters had extreme levels of bravery !
ps kim : great job at breaking everythign down!
Both Lily from, “Secret Life of Bees,” and Santiago from, “The Alchemist,” made spiritual journeys that have many things in common. In my opinion , both of the characters showed about the same amount of bravery and courage during their journey . Lily’sfound the bravery to run away from home , take a COLORED fugitave and give up everything to find more about here mother and hopefully finding some answers knowing that she may not find anything at all . Santiago on the other hand also showed alot of bravery by selling all of his sheep and leaving Spain in hope of finding his treasure , wich again just like in Lill’s case could have backfired and he could have been left with nothing . Lilly and Santiago both incountered many challenges but both showed the same level of courage in my opinion .
P.S. : Mrs . Nicastro you did a wonderfull job assigning us this book for summer reading , i absulutly loved it ! 🙂
The main character in this novel, Lily Owens, runs away from her father, T. Ray, on her fourteenth birthday because he would abuse her many times if she disobeied him for mostly nothing. Her mother had died when she was four years old by an accidental gunshot. She brakes Rosaleen from the hospital (prison) and head to Tiburon, South Carolina. Lily had noticed in the General Store that there was a picture of a black Mary which Lily’s mother had pasted on a block of wood. The picture that Lily had seen was on a bottle of honey. She asked the guy who sold those and the name was August Boatwright. Lily and Roaleen headed to her house and she let them stay with her only if they help with everything around the house. Lily helps August with the bees and Rosaleen helps August’s sister, May, inside the house with the cooking. While in town Lily and Zach, August’s partner, deliver a couple jars of honey to an atourney’s office. While Zach was in the back with the atourney Lily dialed her father’s number and when he picked up she told him do not bother looking for me and then she hung up. Another time they were in town, a group of men were outside of a theater. A group of Zach’s friends came over and started talking about why the men were standing out there. That’s when one man came over and Zach’s friend hit him in the head with a coke bottle, but none of them said who it was so Zach and all his friends got arrested. Lily, August, Rosaleen, and June said that didn’t want to tell may because she loved that boy too much. So May found out the hard way when Zach’s mother calls and tells her. She did not cry at all, but said that she would go out to the wall. August was worried because she was out too long and they went out to search for her and found her in the river with a big rock on her chest. After a week of mourning Zach had finally came home from jail and all of them were very happy to see him. Later Lily wanted to know about her mother so August told her all she knew. While Lily was writing in the parlor she heard a knock at the door but didn’t go get it. Then someone knocked again and when she answered it she saw her father standing there. He came into the house and started smacking her because she wouldn’t go home with him. He was told that Lily was welcomed to live here at their house so he let her stay there and left the house. Lily ran out and asked if it was really her who killed her mother and he said yes but it was an accident. This novel is much like the novel “The Alchemist ” because the main character, Santiago, leaves his sheep to pursue his “Personnel Legned”. I loved both of these books and would recommend both of these books to manby people.
The main character in this novel, Lily Owens, runs away from her father, T. Ray, on her fourteenth birthday because he would abuse her many times if she disobeied him for mostly nothing. Her mother had died when she was four years old by an accidental gunshot. She brakes Rosaleen from the hospital (prison) and head to Tiburon, South Carolina. Lily had noticed in the General Store that there was a picture of a black Mary which Lily’s mother had pasted on a block of wood. The picture that Lily had seen was on a bottle of honey. She asked the guy who sold those and the name was A
I think they were both courageous and brave in following their own mission or personal legend. They persevered and succeeded in following their personal legend.
Both Lily from, “Secret Life of Bees,” and Santiago from, “The Alchemist,” made spiritual quests that have many similarities. I believe that both of the characters showed about the same amount of courage during their quest. In Lily’s case she had the courage to give up everything she knew in search of finding out about her mother. Santiago also showed alot of courage when he sold all of his sheep and left the place he knew to just follow a dream. The main characters from both of the stories encountered many problems that they had to overcome to reach their goal.
I agree with Adam. Both characters had to have bravey. Santiago had the bravey and the strength to follow his dream and Lily had the courage and bravey to get over the fact she killed her mother and the fact she had runaway from home.
I agree with Adam R.H and Corie N.A. Both characters show their bravery and their courage to never give up on both of their’s personal quest.
Good Job!
I agree with Kaitlyn R.C.’s agreements.
Both characters showed a lot of bravery on their own scales. These 2 stories have so much in common.
In comparison of the Alchimest and the Secret Life of Bees, both of the main characters show bravery. In the Alchimest Santiago shows bravery by giving all that he had just to find his personnel legend.He was always going on his instincts not knowing what was going to happen.Also he had to travel through the desert not knowing if he would make it or not,to me that is braver.In the Secret Life of Bees Lily showed bravery by running away from her abusive father and freeing rosaleen from jail. The two of them traveled all the way to a place called Tiburon trying find out more information about her mother.They showed bravery by risking the chance of getting caught by the police.So this is why i beieve that both of the main characters showed the same personel traits.
I agree with Alexander J. C
they were both brave by the things they did, and in the end they showed the same personal trait. good job alex! (:
The main characters from The Secret Life of Bees and The Alchemist both made spiritual quests that were alike in many ways. In The Alchemist, Santiago had to give up everything he owned, which tested his courage to go on with his spiritual quest. Lily, the main character from The Secret Life of Bees, also showed great courage when she had to give up living with T. Ray to look for something she didn’t know. Santiago and Lily both pushed through the obstacles in the way of their goal. I think that Santiago and Lily both showed equal amounts of courage in the pursuit of their spiritual quests. In the end, they both fulfilled their spiritual quests with the power of their hearts.
I agree with you Kimberly C.L. Lily and Santiago both had no clue what they were getting into, but they each had the courage and the strength to push through each obstacle that came their way. In the end it paid off for both of them.
Both Lily and Santiago were faced with challenging situations that most people don’t experience. They both left their homes (in Santiago’s case his homeland) in pursuit of their dreams. Lily wanted to know more about her deceased mother and Santiago wanted to find his treasure. Who had the most courage? I think they both had the same amount of courage. Although maybe one had to work a little harder to achieve his goal. Both Lily and Santiago left everything they knew and loved to pursue something they weren’t sure they would find. That takes courage.
Yes, Santiago had to travel through the desert by himself, but Lily had to live with the fact that she killed her mother. Both characters had the courage to face that challenge. Neither was braver than the other, but both had their way of dealing with their situations.
I agree with Priscila L.G.. They both had to have a good amount of courage to be able to go on there journeys alone. But Santiago didn’t really go on his journey alone. For half the time he had the Alchemist and when he was on the caravan he had the Englishman. So yes Santiago did physically have to go on his journey alone he had help from others along the way just like Lily did when she wanted to find out information about her mother that she had killed.
I would have to disagree with Priscila. I beleive that Santiago showed more courage cause he gave away his belongings and crossed a vast desert to search for something that he beleived in. Lilly had Rosaleen with her and if she didnt find what she was looking for, she could just go back to her house, while Santiago couldn’t, and still have her life even though she would have gotten in a tremendous amount of trouble.
I’m going to have to disagree with you Santiago B.
Lily gave up her belongings when she left her home and so did Santiago. They both equally showed bravery, but just in their owns ways. Santiago usually was traveling with someone except for in the beginning and Lily traveled with Rosaleen to her destination. They both had a situation of life and death. If Santiago didn’t make it across the desert he could of been caught in the tribal wars and killed. If Lily was found by T.Ray, Lily could of been beaten to death and abused by her father. So I found equally they were the same in showing their courage.
I disagree with Priscilla L.G. Both Lily and Santiago did have a lot of courage to work through tough circumstances. However, I think it was harder for Santiago to pursue his personal legend because he did not have nearly as much support around him as Lily did. Lily had all the Daughters of Mary, Roseleen, May, June, August, and Zach. Santiago only had omens which required a lot of faith and a few different people here and there.
In “The Alchemist” and “The Secret Life of Bee’s”, both characters had to endure extremely difficult situations. The stories of Santiago and Lily are similar, but they experienced differing things. Santiago had to give up his sheep to find his “treasure”. Giving up his sheep was a physical challenge, but not only that, it turned his world upside down. His whole life was focused on the whims and wants of these sheep. Giving them up was very brave because leaving his sheep meant that he had to leave the only life he had ever wanted and had really known. In Lily’s case, she had to leave behind the home that was never her home. What I mean in saying that, is that she hated the whole thing, the peach farm, T. Ray and the dog. Lily had never felt love there, though leaving the only home she knew was brave. Lily left to save Rosaleen, find info about her past and her mother. She left to find the love she felt she never had, the “treasure” that she wanted. Both these characters gave up their lives for the want of finding their spiritual goals.
These two characters are the same in that they both had the urge to finish what they had started and that they both had difficulties to overcome and endure. Santiago had lots of help on the way, but even with the help his journey was not easy. These people each gave him the nudge he needed to continue on. While trying to fulfill his Personal Legend he ran into obstacles. He had to travel huge distances, get caught in a war, and turn himself into the wind. He has so much endurance and faith in himself to believe that he could make it despite his problems. Lily had Rosaleen to comfort her, but she also had all three Boatwright sisters. Lily had the courage needed to live despite the lies she had to tell and the memories she had to live with. Lily had to realize that all the love she could ever want was right in front of her, and that all the strength she needed to survive and forgive her mother and herself was in her own heart.
Santiago and Lily accomplished goals and dreams beyond their years. They had to experience problems mentally and physically to finally complete their spiritual journey. They were both brave in what they did. They had the will power to be bold and take chances in their journey. On the topic of coming-of-age, they both gave up all the things they loved to do what they needed to. They both showed courage, but on differing planes. I don’t think either showed more courage than the other, having both endured challenges.
Each displayed ample amounts of courage, in their unique situations. Lily for one stayed in a house of African-Americans which at that time was unheard of and broke someone she loved out of jail. Santiago had to cross deserts and continued on when he was robbed. I think that they both showed equal bravery in their tasks, plus it’s hard to judge who is smarter or braver when they are experiencing different things. But most importantly, they are a like because they each were able to fulfill their spiritual quest with the strength and endurance they had in their hearts.
I agree with you, Emma A.R. Both main characters from The Secret Life of Bees and The Alchemist show courage and bravery when facing difficult situations. The two may have had different situations, but both showed the same amount of courage.
Know that I look back, Desiree made a very good point. Lily did have more guidance than Santiago. Lily could rely on the past to get to the place she wanted to go, and she had someone she could trust with her. Santiago, on the other hand, was very much on his own. He put his trust in people he didn’t really know, and he went on his journey only hoping he would find a treasure. I think Lily had a much better chance of finding what she was looking for.
I agree with Marisa A. C. , Lily couldnt do nothing because if she did T. Ray would be so angry and Rosaleen would go to jail or prison Lily used signs just like Santiago as well.
In the two books I read they both seemed to connect in a way.The two main characters Lily and Santiago both seem like they want to find a treasure. Santiago believes that his treasure will be in the pyramids because that’s where his heart tell him in would be but along the way he realizes that he had his treasure with him all along.Lily though feels like she must run away from home from her dad because she wants to fund stuff out about her mother so it’s kinda like she trying to find a treasure. But just like Santiago she finds her treasure and kinda had a little piece of it with her the whole time.
In these two stories both caracters are faced with two very different challenges but they connect together in a way as well.In the Alchemist Santiago must get to the pyamids becaus ehe belives that’s where he will fund his personal legend. Along the way he meets instresting people who help him find his way. But as he gets to the very end of his travels he must go through his journey alone. In the Secret Life of Bees Lily as someone who can help her with everything at all times. She has Roasline but when she gets to August’s house and builds a relationship with August she has her to go to if she is feeling sad.
I agree, Lily does have someone helping her and watching over her during her journey. Santiago has had a little help, but not as much as Lily. Lily and Rosaleen got each other’s backs. Lily can trust Roseleen and Roseleen can trust Lily. Don’t forget Lily also has August and Zach. She has more help than she realizes.
I think the authors of both books gave the main characters difficult and life altering quests.The journeys that the two main characters embarked on were completely different. Santiago, the main character in “The Alchemist”, was trying to achieve his personal ledgend. Lily, The main character in “The Secret Life of Bees”, wanted to find out more about her dead mother. I also think Lily’s quest was a lot more clear than Santiago’s quest. All Santiago knew was he was supposed to go to the Pyramids looking for treasure. I felt Lily was kind-of falling in her mother’s footsteps, to were Santiago followed no one and made his own mark on the world. Santiago also looked forward to the future imagining what it would be like after his journey, while Lily mostly looked to the past.
I disagree with you Desiree D. I think that Santiago had guidance, if not more then Lily had. He had the old king to tell him where to start, and the alchemist to tell him where to go and what to do. Where as Lily only had a picture of a black Mary, with the words Tiburon, South Carolina written on the back.
I disagree with you Alyssa L.G
I do not believe that Santiago had more guidance if anything I believe that he had more faith. Yes Lily only had a picture with the words Tiburon, South Carolina written on it,but at least she knew where she was going. Santiago was relying solely on the words of strangers to guide him through the desert and he didn’t know exactly where to go.
In The Alchemist Santiago is truly content with what his heart has been searching for, both his Personal Legend and his truly, Fatima. He may have been hesitant, but as soon as he opened up his heart, he also opened up his mind to new things. Before he was set on a merchants daughter and his sheep, but then he learned about his Personal Legend which taught him his true meaning in life, and he did things because he wanted to do them not because that was all he would ever amount to. In the Secret Life of Bees , Lily learns what it is like to have a family that will stand beside her and protect her. She finally knows what it’s like to have people that love you unconditionally. She also learns to be more dependent on herself and be who she has always wanted to be. So in comparison they both learn to be who they want to be, and they set out for their own goals, and search for their true meanings in life.
I partially agree with Tyne because although they are both brave, Lily had it far worse than Santiago. Lily always had it in the back of her mind that there was always a chance that her father would come looking for her. She also had much worse fears because her father was abusive. Santiago didn’t have to worry about much getting in his way. Although he had a tough journey, he had less to worry about than Lily did. Santiago may have had to wander around without food or water and sell his sheep in the process of finding his personal legend, but Lily was also scrounging for food, taking chances with the law, and had to carry her guilt of lying in her and Rosaleen’s mind.
“And when you want something all the universe conspires to help you acheive it,”said in The Alchemist. In my opinion, Lily and Santiago’s way of passage are both briefly rooted in this quote.Lily had the Boatwrights and Santiago had the omens to drive them in the direction towards success. Though their hearts and desires were in totally different places(Lily resenting her mother and Santiago reachng a chamber of life fufillment)they both gradually realized that the struggles that took them to a better point was caused by the people who drove them there.”Remebering that where ever your heart is, there you will find your treasure, you’ve got to find the treasure, so that everything you learned along the way can make sense,”according to The Alchemist. So in conclusion, Lily”s and Santiago’s struggles made sense because of the result of their victory.
The quests given to the protagonists of each book are very different, for example Lily had someone she knew very well with her on her travels, but Santiago was alone or with strangers for much of his journey. Lily wasn’t really ever in any danger until she called T-Ray, but Santiago was in the middle of a tribal war and threatened with death twice! Lily just hitch-hiked to Tiburon but Santiago had to work to get money to travel, walk long distances, and join a caravan. Lily traveled cities, Santiago traveled continents. I wouldn’t call Lily’s personal quest easy but it was nothing compared to Santiago’s. They also had some similarities, both went far from home and stayed with people they had never met before, both found someone they loved and both got in trouble.
I agree with Tim G.I. Lily did have a hard time dealing with a broken heart, but Santiago had it way harder physically and mentally. Physically, he had to travel through countries and deal with the tough environment of a desert. Mentally, he had to trust the omens and he also experienced betrayal. Santiago also had to give up everything he had to go on his journey.
I disagree the fact that people say Santiago is brave. In comparison to Lily i feel that he isn’t as brave. He is about 18 years old and is free to do whatever he wants to do. Lily on the other hand is 14 and has a father that will beat her for anything she does. She has entirely different obstacles to overcome and very different situations. Santiago is brave for his age but i feel had it much eaier.
I don’t think it is fair to say that one character is braver than the other. The two characters are totally different. Their ages are different, the time periods the live in are different, and the situations they are in are different. Lily always has Rosaleen, Zach, and August. Santiago is mostly alone and can’t trust anyone. In fact, when he first arrived in Africa, someone stole his money! Santiago had a rough time too. He fought his way though the hot desert, learning lessons along the way.
I disagree with you, Tyne A.N. Santiago had to travel in treacherous places. Plus, there was the threat of thieves. Remember that at the end of the story, Santiago got beat up by some thieves. So Lily is not the only one who had the threat of being hurt. Yes, Lily had to be braver on a different level, but that does not take away from the courage Santiago had to show.
In The Alchemis and The Secret Life of Bees, the author shows us just how brave each character is. In The Alchemist, Santiago decides to give up his sheep in order to fullfill his personal legend of traveling across the desert by himself to the pyramids of Egypt to find his gold treasure. In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily leaves her mean father to break Rosaleen out of the hospital to travel to Tiburon, SC in search of information about her mother. In both of these books, the main character shows just how brave they are. I believe that they both needed the same amount of bravery but for different reasons. Santiago needed bravery to sell his sheep and leave his life behind in order to go on his quest to fullfill his personal legend. Leaving his life as a shepherd behind was a big deal and it took a lot of bravery to be able to do so. Santiago, unlike Lily had to go on his journey alone. Lily needed bravery to even run away from T. Ray, her father in the first place. Lily knew from the first moment she decided to run away and break Rosaleen out of the hospital that there was danger in it for both of them. Rosaleen could have gone to jail and been killed and Lily would have had to return to T. Ray. She had to have bravery from the start to even think about doing what she did. Therefor, I think they needed the same amount of bravery but for different reasons. 🙂
I agree with Kody that Santiago had more of a real spiritual goal then Lily did. Santiago talked with many people along his journey that helped him find his treasure. But, Lily on the other hand did have a spiritual goal as well, that was to find out more about her mother. And, as Kody said, leaving her father wasn’t part of her goal, it was the cause of her actually leaving but it wasnt part of her all around “goal”.
I agree with Cheyenne and Tyne. Both Lily and Santiago had to give something up to fulfull there “treasure”. They both had to leave something behind. For Santiago, it was leaving behind his sheep so he could go to the pyramids to find his gold treasure. For Lily, it was leaving behind everything she ever knew in life to go to Tiburon, SC to find more out about her mother. But, in the end, it was worth all the risks they made because they both found what they were looking for.
In “The Alchemist”, the main character,Santiago, abandoned his sheep to look for a hidden treasure that might not even be real. He traveled across dangerous foreign territory alone. No food, money, or anything. Just hopefulness.
In “The Secret Life of Bees”, Lily had a father that resented her. A substitute mother. No friends and no family. Nada.
Now the hard part…who had it easier and who had it harder? Well in my perspective, none. You can’t really label this one that and that one this. They both show bravery. But in their own way. They both go through tough obstacles. But different ones. In the end, they’re both just people going through the roller coaster ways of life. (:
The main characters The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees are faced with difficult challenges that in the end are life changing. The aftermath of their emotions are love, greatfulness, ecstatic, etc. For example, Santiago is ecstatic that he found what his heart was set on, both Fatima and his treasure and realized that a Personal Legend is what makse life worth living. Another example is that Lily finally gets to know what it’s like to love and be loved by a true family setting. These books were incredible and had multiple themes and feelings among the characters.
I agree with Cheyenne. Both characters had to give up something important to them or something that they were used to. But in the end, everything they had given up was all worth it.
In both stories both characters feel they have to change their lifes. Lily leaves her terrible father. Santiago is a shepard who feels for something different. “The Alchemist” to me is more interesting because its more daring and adventurous. Lily breaks a friend out of jail and finds a friends through her dead mothers past. Santiago finds out he needs to find his personal legend. In the end, Lily lives with her mothers old friends and Santiago finds a treasure chest full of treasure.
The two books “The Secret Life of Bees” and “The Alchemist” are kind of the same but also different. Lily and Santiago both face several challenges to get to their “treasure.” For Lily her treasure was to find out about ther mother and for Santiago his treasure was buried gold. Both the characters had to give up something to gain something even better. Lily had to give up everyting she had ever known to go to South Carolina and Santiago had to give up his sheep, Fatima, and also everything he knew. The treasure Lily and Santiago find is worth the traveling and the dangers.
I agree with Cheyenne that both characters had to give their lives in order to find his or her “treasure”. Also that they both had to give up something important to gain something in return. But I think that finding information on her mother was not Lily’s only “treasure”. I think Lily also wanted to be loved by the people around her and her mother.
Santiago and Lily are similar in some ways but different in others. Santiago traveled across the Mediterranean sea and the Sahara desert to get to where he needed to go. Lily, however, only traveled to another city in her own state.
Lily’s real quest was inside herself, she had to realize that things were different than she thought they were, she had to find out that her mother had left her before coming back for her. All along she really just wanted to find out why she had left her with her horrible father in the first place.
Santiago’s quest was seeking out his personal legend. He became a shepherd so that he could see the world, but he never really saw any other part of it except for Spain. God had chosen a specific way to show him where his treasure was and by doing this he was able to see a lot of the world and the different things that go on in different places. Santiago met many unique people along the way. They taught him different things and important lessons in life.
The two characters are alike in the way that they both had an urge or a reason to do what they did. Lily’s father was never nice to her and never acted as though he loved her. The way her father treated her and the things that he said to her about her mother gave her a reason to run away and inside of her there was the urge to just get as far away from her father. When she found the picture of the black Mary and name Tiburon on the back, she wanted to know if anyone there knew her mother and could tell her if she had really abandoned her.
Santiago hadn’t thought much about his dream but after the gypsy and the old king had told him that he should go to Egypt he had an urge to go and a reason. Both of the character’s bravery and strength to go through so much at a young age got them through their journey and helped them move on with their new way of life.
IN,” The Alchemist” and, ”The Secret Life Of Bees” both characters Santiago and Lily are similar but different. Similar beacuse they are both going after their dreams. And they know how to follow their omens and listen to their signs. But different beacuse Santiago is a yung boy going in search for something that he thinks is his dream and it is. He learns how to trust himself and believe in what he thinks is true and understand the universal language. On the other hand Lliy is a young girl who is trying to find herself and trying to be who she wants to be no matter what people may think. And she is just trynig to discover the truth about her mother.
”SINCERELY IT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ OF THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES. TRULY INSPIRED AND IRRESISITIBLY CUTE IIN AN INNOCENT LOVE.”
In the story,” The Secret Life Of Bees” and the,”Alchemist” both of the main characters go through some life changing and learning expiriences. Santiago and Llily are both led to their dreams by certain circumstances. They were both led by the path of different signs and omens. They just had to learn how to read and see even the smallest coinsidence that could lead them to their dream. In comparason with the story the two main characters are faced with certain challenges they have to over come. And i agree to Jacob s. I agree that both Santiago and Lily are faced with many obstacles. Yes Santiago’s journey mite have been more challenging physically becuase he had to cross the desert but i do not agree with jacob when he says that Santiago is braver. Because okay ya Santiago transformed himself into wind without being taught but you have to be very brave like Lily to run away from home in search of finding the true reality about her mother and if it was true about her mother leaving Lily behind. Lily will always have to live with the true reality that she killed her mother and that her mother left her. And Santiago has to live with the acomplishment the he made his dream come true. So did Lily BUT SHE STILL HAS THAT HARD REMORSE WITHIN HER. So you tell me whats harder to live with. That you killed your mother or that you found your dream or your treasure.
I agree with Mayra J. A
When discussing about how neither is braver than another, and how they were led by different signs and omens. Many people keep saying that Santiago was the braver character, but honestly i disagree. Bravery is bravery, even if it’s because someone crossed a desert in search of their treasure, or it’s becasue you ran away from home in finding information about your mother. Either way, they both did very courageous things and had a great outcome at the end. So i think their levels of bavery have no differnce, but then again that’s my opinion.
I agree with both of you. You dont have to be just brave to cross and entire desert like Santiago did. It took a lot of courage to leave Lily’s father, T Ray. Lily knew T.Ray wasn’t going to give up the fight of finding Lily. They are equal when it comes to courage. What truely matters is that you accomplished and overcame your personal fears.
In my opinion, The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees are the same in many ways but the main thing that make them alike is that the main characters, Santiago and Lily, were both brave. For example in the Alchemist, Santiago wanting to pursue his “personal legend” he gives up his sheep. But he also goes into the desert with the Alchemist during a war and leaving his love behind. I believe the bravest thing he did was that he crossed the desert not knowing of the dangers up ahead.
In comparison of the Secret Life of Bees, Lily the main character, she shows the same bravery or even more than Santiago. For example, Lily runs away from T.Ray in search of something about her mother’s death. And runs away with Rosaleen, who had been in the hospital, know that her father could possibly kill her if he finds her. I believe that Lily and Santiago show lots of bravery.
In comparison of The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees, the author shows how both of the main characters have bravery for following there quest. For example in the Alchemist, the author tells how Santiago gives up his sheep as one of his ways of trying to seek his “personal legend.” Along the way, he always went with his instinct or the “omens” not knowing what would end up happening, but he did it anyway. In my opinion the bravest thing he did was, give away his sheep to find his personal legend. In comparison of the Secret Life of Bees, the main character Lilly shows Bravery by running away from her “abusive” father and getting Rosaleen out of jail and following her heart to Tiburon where she discovers her mothers hidden past. So this is why I believe Santiago and Lilly showed the same traits such as their “bravery” of never giving up up. I agree with Clarissa B.F. about Lily yes she did need Rosaleen to guide her but that is someone she loved, just how Santiago found Fatima and tried to prove his love. This is how both of the characters find their personal quest of bravery and perseverance.
I agree with u Megan K.M. that both of the characters in the two books had to make big decisions, because throughout the book it was decision after decision. I also agree that at the very end they were both satisfied, because Santiago ended up with his treasure and Lily is now away from her dad.
Both Santiago and Lily are looking for somthing they dont have. Santiago is trying to follow his Personal Legend and Lily is trying to follow her mothers past in Tiburon. They both show courage in reaching thier goals but they also take risks. Santiago risks selling his sheep, trusting strangers, going to an oasis in the middle of a war, and losing Fatima to find his treasure. Lily risks running away from her father and braking Rosaleen out of jail. but it works out in the end because they both find what they are looking for. Lily finds out about her mothers past and makes alot of new friends who will love her. Santiago followed his Personal Legend and finds the love of his life.
In the Alchemist and the Secret Life of Bees both of the main characters were learning new experiences and growing up to be what they want to be. Santiago in th Alchemist learned to follow his dreams and and to believe and trust in himself. Lily in Secret Life of Bees was learning to grow up and be who she really wants to be and didn’t want to be trapped any longer. I think both characters had to make very big decisions throughout the book they were in. In the end I think both characters were satisfied with their out comes and their journey through life’s obstacles.
I agree with Megan K.M. Both characters Santiago and Lily are satisfied by the end of their individual journeys. With Lily in the Secret Life of Bees she grows up and just wanted to be herself and how she connects to her mother. Santiago in the Alchemist learned to follow his personal pursuit that was guided by many other influences. Lily seemed to be driven by one…her mothers.
i agree with Megan K.M. and Kaitlyn R.C. Santiago and Lily both have something to strive for. I believe the alchamist and Fatima both help Santiago decide that he needs to follow his personal legend and find his treasure so he can go back to Fatima. Lily was drivan to do wat she did so that she could find out more of her mother.
I agree with Megan K.M because in the end they knew what they had accomplished was big and they also knew that they would go through many obstacles.
I agree with Megan K.M. Lily and Santiago had to deal with similar situations. They both had to make extremely hard desicions which would impact the rest of their life forever. They also learned various lessons and facts throughout their journey, and at the end they both were content with the outcomes.
Lily and Santiago were both trying to find away. All they had to believe in was fate guide them where they need to be. Both of them had equal of knowledge of want they wanted. Lily was trying to find truth of her mother. Santiago was seeking out his personal legend. It does matter of strength they both got where the were headed.
It is good to point out that the paths were different and could be viewed as more difficult from their individual points of view. Both Santiago and Lilly came of age while taking their individual journeys on diverse paths. Santiago’s path seemed more rugged and Lilly’s appeared nearly paved out for her, as if it was her destiny to meet the Boatwright family and learn of her mother through August’s eyes.
Can we narrow this down?
Santiago traveled with no food and no money. He traveled mostly alone, but with the company of his herd of sheep. Santiago went walking through the rough deserts just to find his personal legend and the treasure that he dreamed of.
With Lily, she had no food, but she had saved up some money. She traveled with Rosaleen and she carried a picture of her mother and the picture of the black Mary. Even though she hitch-hiked all the way to Tiburon, she actually had a house to stay in. In Lily’s journey, she just wanted to find out if her dead mother actually left her with T-Ray on purpose.
It’s really hard to decide, but..I don’t think either of them were braver than the other. I think that since they had different obstacles and a different way of handling them, they both were brave in their own way.
I agree with you Kimberly L, people have many different ways of showing their own bravery. You don’t have to cross an entire desert alone to be brave. Your personal bravery is what counts, and it doesn’t matter if you walked 10 feet away from your house or miles away from your parents. What matters is that you have accomplished and conquered your fear. Santiago and Lily handled their objectives in different ways and by their own way of bravery.
AMEN SISTER!
EXACTLY!!! That’s what i have been trying to say Sydney and Selena. They both were equally brave but for different reasons. They weren’t on the same quest. They both wanted different things and u can only take what you have in front of you to an extint. If i was running the mile and someone else was running two miles and we both sprinted, who worked harder…. me or the other person?? NEITHER, we both worked the same because we did everything we could to be the fastest with what we had in front of us. That’s the same situation as Lily and Santiago! They both did everything they could to get what they wanted, therefor, they are both equally brave!! 🙂
I disagree. Santiago could have given up a long time ago. Instead, he continued on. I think it took a lot of courage to leave his sheep too. People are often afraid of change, but not Santiago. He kept going when times got hard. Even when he had to turn himself into the wind, and he didn’t know how, he preserved and learned how. Would you be willing to give up your life to go seek something that might not even exist? I know I wouldn’t.
In the two books “The Alchemist” and “The Secret Life of Bees”, the main characters both had spiritual quests which were different in many ways. For “The Alchemist,” Santiago had to travel very far and experience many things to find his “Personal Legend.” To meet his “Personal Legend,” he had to give up his sheep, make money for about a year, leave somebody he loves, and travel through the desert only ending up back at the ruined church. For “The Secret Life of Bees,” the main character Lily had to leave T. Ray, the peach farm, and T. Ray’s dog to meet her spiritual quest. She left all of these things, because she couldn’t take T. Ray anymore and wanted to go to Tiburon to find out information about her dead mom. These two main characters were faced with different circumstances and I think that Santiago was braver on his spiritual quest than Lily was. I think this, because Santiago had to travel most of his journey alone and Lily traveled with her friend Rosaleen. Santiago was also faced with a life or death situation and the worst thing that could happen to Lily is T. Ray beating her or being put in jail.
I dont really agree with Bryan J.L because they were both brave but on the other hand i think Lily was the bravest out of both of them. I think that because she broke someone out of jail and could of been beat by her dad,
@ Paola M.
I agree and disagree at the same time. i agree with the part when you said they were both brave. I disagree when you said Lilly was the bravest. Although she did brake Rosaleen out of jail and could have got beaten, Santiago could easily have died in the desert in search of his treasure. Or he could have gotten killed if the war had came. These things are just some examples to show that they were both brave, mentaly and physicaly.
I disagree with you Paola. Lily wasn’t giving up anything, her life sucked. She had no chose but to leave if she wanted to save Rosaleen. Plus, Lily was never alone. She always had Rosaleen. Rosaleen always watched out for Lily, Rosaleen would have never let T-Ray hurt her. I think T-Ray was afraid of Rosaleen. I think Lily would have been braver if she didn’t runaway from the problem. I would have been more surprised if she stood up for herself. Santiago had a great life! He decides to go in search his dreams and risk every thing he had. I think that took a lot of gusts.
I disagree with Bryan J.L. Both Lily and Santiago were brave.No one was braver than the other.Lily was brave for breaking Rosaleen out of jail and Santiago was brave for traveling in the hot desert by himself.
Cassie I agree with what your saying Lily never gave up and it made her seem more stronger. Santiago always had to get a little push from some one. To get were he was going, but that does happen sometimes people need a push to get were thier headed.
I agree too. Lily never gave up. But Santiago would always seem to give up but then end up trying again at the last minute. Lily followed through till the end.
Lily is a girl that is trying to find apart of herself that is missing. In the Alchemist Santiago is also trying to find his own importants. They both find what the’re looking for in the end of thier journey. Lily finds the love of people around her and Santiago finds more of himself not just the treasure. It doesn’t matter if one has more courge or already see what they have. The two characters are seaching out thier own personal reason of being.
@ Cassie A.W. last response
I agree with some of the things you state but when if you look at both of the stories overall you will see that Lily did in fact think twice about many of her actions and of the consequences she may face. Now with her running away from “her one and only father”…he was ABUSIVE AND MEAN. I think many people would want to or in fact leave if they had someone like that as their only parent. Also, with Santiago, yes he did have a helping hand along way but they were not setup and he didn’t know where to find them. It was by chance that he found them and they gave him some tips and were on their way. Also, just in my opinion, busting someone out of jail really doesn’t show their courage…it does show their ability to break the law, lie, and steal. Sorry but I personally believe that Santiago showed more “courage” if you want to say.
I think in both stories the characters Lily and Santiago go through tough times and hardships even though they are different problems they both overcome most of them which in some ways makes them alike.
Im so sorry, that last post was aimed at Cole A.G.’s last post.
I agree totally. That is a really good point because even though Lily had to hide, escape from the hospital and do other things, in the long run, Santiago didn’t get a car to drive in when he needed to go somewhere. He also didn’t get to sleep in a house in a warm bed and learn about a different religion from a bunch a people who really care about him. To me, it is obvious that Santiago had a much harder time than Lily in completing his quest. Now don’t get me wrong, Lily went through some hard times too but I don’t think that she had a harder time overall in trying to complete her quest.
I believe that the main characters spiritual quests in The Secret Life of Bees and The Alchemist are both the same and different, (but a little more different than same). I say more different because I believe that Santiago had more of a “real” spiritual quest than Lily had but I think she still had one. That is because Santiago talked to and learned from many people including the old king, the merchant, and even the Gypsy woman, and that is what brought his personal desire to go to the pyramids, find his treasure, and fulfill his personal quest which, the old king and himself believed, was inside of everyone. Now I still believe Lily had a spiritual quest and that was to find more out about her mother. I don’t think though, that leaving her dad was a part of her quest. I think it was more of a personal goal to try to get away from the bad circumstances that surrounded her in her house (mainly her father). Now that is why I think that the characters spiritual quest in The Secret Life of Bees and The Alchemist are both the same and different (but more different).
@Kimberly
lol that is a good point both characters are awesome but in there own. Lily in that she’s headstrong and semi-independent and I love that about her. Santiago on the other hand is nice (allitle two nice) but still nice and very independent.
Both Lily and Santiago have to face ordeals in their lives, yet both are able to overcome their problems one way or another. Lily, for example, could no longer handle her father treating her like dirt, so she chose to leave.
I agree! Sometimes change happens once you are pushed to make the first step. Lily had an urge and drive to make the first step, yet there were a lot of circumstances that drove her to run away and find truth in Tiburon. Santiago had a lot of influence that guided his journey to find his personal legend.
I agree with Kaitlyn R.C
you jus said it all!
I’ve read only “The Secret Life of Bees” and i liked it a lot. Well, maybe it is not the best book I’ve read in my life but quite good. Lilly is for me a kind of charakter that have heart and guts to do what must be done. Sometimes situation makes us the people we really are – I mean that those hard times force us to do things that we always wanted to do, but we were affraid (that is my opinion).
Both Lily and Santiago had a spiritual quest they had to accomplish. But, from my point of view, Santiago had a harder time with his. Although Lily’s is more realistic and some people somewhere can relate to Lily’s situation, is wasn’t as difficult as Santiago’s. Santiago had to cross the Sahara Desert to find the pyramids, just to go back to an old church that he has spent many nights at. You have to remember that Santiago did that without much money WHILE a war was going on. Don’t get me wrong, facing the truth about your past when you blurs of killing your mother is still pretty tough. Especially after lying to that many people with them believing you, which makes it that much more difficult for Lily.
I would have to agree with Cole. Ibeleive that both Lilly and Santiago showed bravery, but i beleive that Santiago showed more bravery cause he sacrificed everything he owned and risked his life to cross a desert to get to the pyramids of Egypt, during the time of war. However, Lilly did show bravery as well by running away to a place that she had never been there before, nor know if she would have to come back.
I think that both characters are brave but in difrent ways . & i think Lilly had a rougher time throughout the story . she was trying to survive & Santiago was just looking for treasure
I agree with you Michelle A.P. I think Lily did have a rougher time she had more to juggle and had to think quick to save herself and Rosaleen. Saniago also had a tough time but in a different way he had more mind troubles and conversations with things other then people.
I disagree with you completely Michelle and Megan!!! I think that it is more the opposite way around. Lily did have a hard time in the beginning, but after she found August, things were going good for her. All she had to do was some beekeeping. Yes she did have to deal with the reason she was there(her mother), but I think that in certain parts she forgot why she had gone. And, she found new people to love and people that would take care of her. Santiago on the other hand had to start his journey on his own. He didn’t have any people that he already knew, it was just some people he happened to meet along the way. Also he was the one that had some of the quick thinking periods throughout his journey. He had to decide quickly to sell his sheep. He had to think quickly on how he could earn his money back after being robbed. He had to think quickly when they were traveling through the desert. And what about when he had to turn himself into the wind??? Yes, they gave him three days but he didn’t have any help and when the day came, he still didn’t know how. Lily was in more of the “right place at the right time” situations. I still believe that Lily and Santiago both had the same amount of bravery, but for different reasons. But in my opinion, Santiago had an overall harder time! 🙂
I disagree with Michelle A.P and Megan K.M . I think that Santiago had it rougher than Lily because Santiago had to travel through the hot deserts not knowing if he will survive or not. Lily had it rough in the beginning but after she rfound August all she did was beekeeping.
Both Characters strive for something they believe they can reach
and both overcome obstacles. Also, both find their own version or kind love.
yes i agree with michael e. because he is right i do think both characters overcome or beat there obstacles in life , not one obstacle but many.
Lily and Santiago..Oh gosh, I love these characters. Lily is SO sarcastic and deep about everything while Santiago is more of a let’s-get-straight-to-the-point kinda person. But they’re both similar in their determination. They strive to reach their dreams and even when they’re at the point of giving up, they still have a little light in their mind telling them that they’ve gotta get that task finished one day!! They’re both risky and VERY bold. When it comes to the turning-of-age part, they both risked everything. They gave up what they loved to just..let go and do what they had to do.
I hope that makes sense!
I agree with Kimberly L. Both of the characters are very different but both have the will power to reach their goals. Lily and Santiago are brave and strong because they both risked everything, but in the end they finished their goal and had loved ones by their side.
Santiago was basically staring death in the face alot, especially out in the desert with the war going on and all.
yes but so did Lily. Well maybe not death but Santiago’s life was really only threatened once or twice. All the other times he was more just got robbed because he was careless
@ Cole A.G.
You’re right, but when Zach was learning how to be a lawyer, Lily broke down and called T. Ray, risking the fact that she could be threatened for life. Is it possible she made a bad decision by calling him?
to Selena A. T.
Yes it was a bad decision to call T. Ray, but he probably wouldn’t have killed his own daughter. He may hit her and punish her, but when Lily asks him that question when he is pulling out of the driveway, you can see that in his heart, he would never be able to KILL Lily. In the Alchemist, Santiago had to turn himself into the wind or they would have killed him. They didn’t care that he was only 17. To those men, Santiago was just another man in the war. They could go on in life without a single regret, but the fact that T. Ray went out to find Lily shows that he somewhat cares for her.
@Selena & Cole
Those are both good points but Lily also had to think about Rosealeen. If Rosealeen was caught she WOULD be killed and if I was Lily I’d rather die then put up with T-Ray anymore. Santiago however didn’t know there was a war going on until he got in the middle of the desert. Neither of them knew what trouble they were geting into but Santiago could always go home with out a second thought (wich he did think about) and nothing would happen unlike Lily who couldn’t do that.
no cole i think she made i good decision by calling T.Ray. She just wanted to give him one more chance to see if he really cared about her by asking him if he knew her favorite color.
The Secret Life of Bees and the Alchemist both show signs of bravery, self sacrafice, a true love, and fulfilled their destinies. I feel that Lily showed more courage than Santiago. To prove my response is that during her whole voyage she didn’t know where she was going to turn next, and also she didn’t give up (not once). During Santiago’s destination he endures many obstacles, but during this process he always felt like he needed to give up and go back to frolic in the sun with his cute little sheep. Lily on the other hand actually left her one and only father without even leting him know and showing her courage by busting Rosealeen out of a hospital! Even though Santiago left without a trace, he still had a helping hand guiding him every step of the way. Lily knew that the prices were high to break the law, bust Rosealeen out of the hospital, steal, and ran away from home. And by doing all of these unjust things she kept a right mind, didn’t freak out, and most of all didn’t even think twice about it!!
I disagree with you about Lily showing more courage than Santiago. First of all, Lily DID know where she was going to go like Santiago in a sense. Lily knew she was supposed to go to Tiburon and Santiago knew he was supposed to be going to the pyramids in Egypt. Also Santiago knew where to go because of his instincts and omens such as on Page 161 in The Alchemist. The scarab beetle gave him a sign about where to find his treasure. What if he hadn’t noticed that omen? In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily was told straight up where to go in a sense such as the general store manager telling Lily to go to the pink house. Lily had the same picture of Mary that was on the honey bottle. Which is harder to find: A picture that you have somewhere else, or noticing a scarab beetle in the middle of a sand dune to figure out that it was an omen from God?Second of all, Santiago wanted to go back to his sheep because he missed them. They were his friends and he had took care of them for many years. Lily supposeably didn’t “give up” because she didn’t want to go back home. She hated her one and only dad, his dog, the peach farm, and the kids in Sylvan. Yes she broke Rosaleen out of a hospital, but Santiago faced a life or death situation if he didn’t turn into the wind. Which is worse: Dying for not turning into the wind, or going to jail for breaking a friend out of a hospital? And out of those two, which requires more courage? Lily didn’t really need to free Rosaleen, but because she loved her she decided to do it anyways. Lily was lucky to break Rosaleen out. I think this shows in a sense that Lily couldn’t do this journey to find more about her mom alone. Santiago was forced to. Yes he had help from the Alchemist, but over half the time he was with him he didn’t give him very specific instructions about how to turn lead into gold or yourself into the wind. He basically had to go with it and figure it out himself like a riddle. Lily somewhat planned it out in her head. Santiago had wisdom while Lily was at the right place at the right time. This is why Santiago showed more courage than Lily.
Cassie A. W. I agree with you. Lily showed much more courage. She defies the law by getting Rosaleen out of the hospital and she has to live with the fact that she accidently killed her mother. It’s harder to run away after breaking the law and Santiago was basically told where his treasure was. Lily had to think fast where Santiago had omens to tell him what to do and where to go. In the end, Lily was braver, smarter throughout her spritual quest.
In my opinion, Lily only had to worry about going to jail or T. Ray finding her in Tiburon. Santiago had to keep in mind that there was a war going on in the desert he had to cross on his way to the pyramids. I belive that Santiago had to have more courage and bravery because he was alone for most of his trip, except for the short time that he was with the Alchemist. Lily had Rosaleen the whole time. I agree with Gary A. L. about the fact that Santiago had a life or death situation. Lily never had to make a difficult decision or complete a complicated task that may result in death.
I agree with Cole A.G. Santiago was more than brave. He was courageous, fearless and audacious. Yet, I still believe that Lilly was brave because she went to a strange and new place with hope to find information regarding her mother.
@ Sydney K.T.
That’s a really good point when you think about it…
Lily did give up very little, but when you really think about it, it kind of sounds like she didn’t give up anything. It sounds more like she took risky decisions, where as Santiago gave up the things he loved, like his sheep.
@ Selena A.T.
I agree with you she did give up very little, but when you do think about it she didn’t give up that much. She hated living with T.Ray and her life at the peach orchard…
I agree Selena and Sydney!! Lily barely had to give anything up. I mean… her father??? Does that even really count? She didn’t even like him! All she had to do was make some decisions that could have potentially lead to bad things. I mean i’m not saying she isn’t brave but Santiago gave up things he loved. But overall, i believe that they both had the same amount of bravery but for different reasons. 🙂
The two books Secret Life of Bees and the Alchemist both show that each character shows courage, gave up something, and succeeded in their missions. I felt Lily gave up very little to pursue her mission to find out more information about her mother. She only showed her courage by breaking Rosaleen out of the hospital and running away because of fear and selfishness of being alone and out in the wild. Santiago on the other hand, gives up his sheep and some gold to make his “personal legend” a reality. He shows enormous amounts of bravery by crossing the desert alone and tons of courage when he was told to turn into the wind. He eventually found his treasure, in the place he least expected it. Lily, also succeeds in her mission on finding out what really happened to her mother. I felt Santiago showed more courage, but they equally were successful in their spiritual quests.
I agree with Sydney K.T with the part about being equally successful in thier spititual quests. I know what you mean when you said Lily gave up very little compared to Santiago. In a way i believed it was more or less the same, because finding out information about her dead mother, but not knowing anyone from anywhere can be very challenging just like Santiago finding his “treasure” in Egypt. But other than that i agree with you.
Ok, one comparison, and it probably was mentioned already, is that Santiago and Lily both have quests and discoveries ahead of them, and to be more specific, unexpected discoveries. Yes, they did know what they were searching for; however, what they would see and get into on their perilous quest was totally unexpected. By the way, the thought made by Gary A.L. where he mentioned Santiago’s bravery, those are good points, but it sounds more like a sacrifice rather than it does a movement of bravery.
@Emily H.R.
ya it makes sence but still wouldn’t be easier to take her back when he was passing through the Oasis?
The main characters’ spiritual quests in The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees are different in many ways. Their motivations were different and they lived very different lives before embarking on the journey. Santiago was an independent shepherd always traveling along the Andalusia valleys. In order to discover his “Personal Legend”, he had to abandon his herd of sheep, which were like his friends and listened to him. Lily was content, introvert girl who never traveled a lot outside of Sylvan that wanted to learn more about her dead mother. Lily really didn’t have to give up anything. She didn’t really love her father, his dog, or the peach farm they lived on. I believe that Santiago’s spiritual quest to find his “Personal Legend” was harder and more difficult than Lily’s. I believe this because other than Santiago leaving his sheep behind, he had to earn more money after it was stolen, be more independent, trust his instincts most of the journey, meet more people, encounter more obstacles, and travel a greater distance to realize his treasure. When Santiago met a person, he would soon part ways with them down the line and never see them again. It also took many months for Santiago to reach the pyramids in Egypt. His whole journey lasted two years. Lily didn’t need to cross a whole desert or meet many new people. Rosaleen was with her the whole time through the journey, and they could’ve been in Tiburon in two hours if they traveled by car. I also believe that Santiago is braver than Lily and that he has matured much more than her through his experiences because even though his “teachers” taught him much more things than Lily, he had to learn about the treasure by himself. This is why I believe that the Spiritual Quests of Santiago and Lily are different.
@ Jacob R. S.
Lily gave up a place to sleep, the comfort of having meals every night, and being in the place her mother once lived. However I do agree with you, Lily left a lot of horrible things behind on her journey and she was better off without them. Such as her dad, her dad’s dog, the school kids, and the horrible memory of a gun firing and killing her mother.
@ Jacob R.S.
I also agree with Sydney K.T. about Lily giving up a place to sleep, and eating meals and so on. She never had to leave. She made a choice in going to find a better way of living instead of constantly being abused by her father. She might not of given up things that she loved, but she gave up her life as she knew it to find a better one that she knew she deserved. That meant a lot to her just as it meant a lot to Santiago when he gave up his sheep to follow his “personal legend.” This is why i believe Lily gave up something even though it might not of been something physical like Santiago’s.
I agree with you about how Santiago gave up things he loved and Lily didn’t. For example, Santiago gave up his sheep and the woman who he loved. Lily wouldn’t regret leaving. She left behind the mean kids, her abusive father, and her curiosity of her mother.
I disagree with you on some parts. Yes Santiago left behind his love and sheep and all but didnt you get the feeling that she sometimes loved her father just a bit in the book up until she called him in that law office? Lily didnt leave behind her curiosity for her mother. By leaving her father and going to the Boatwright family she actually learned MORE about her mother than what her father told her.
@ Jacob R. S
I think that Lily had to give up more. Santiago had a simpler and happier life. Lily lives with the guilt that she accidently killed her mother. Santiago wanted to travel and by seeking his “Personal Legend” he is doing what he wanted to do all along. Lily learns life lessons from August just how Santiago learns about the Language of the World. I do, however, agree with you that Santigao matured more than Lily did and it is a little sad that Santiago meets people and then never sees them again.
I disagree with Jacob. In my opinion, Santiago was not any braver than Lily. They both had to give up their lives. Lily may have been more willing because she hated the peach farm, but leaving home is still hard. Yes leaving home did her good, but Lily’s and Santiago’s problems were very similar.
@ Jessica L.C.
After I read your comment, i thought about the subject for awhile. I realized that you are right about Lily being braver then Santiago because she risked her life to free Rosalen from jail knowing that if she got caught she could die. But Santiago was very brave too in his “personal legend.” Now i have changed my mind about my first opinion on how the books relate to each other. Both characters were very brave, not on different levels, but in different ways.
** I read the Epilogue too and i thought the same thing, but then i realized that when Santiago had to go he wanted to stay there with her but she was the one who said NO finish what you started then come back for me, i will still be here when you have found what you found. So i hope that makes sense to you.
I agree in the fact that both Santiago and Lily were brave however saying that yes Santiago went by himself and had allitle help on the way it still took him awile to descide to go. Lily on the other hand did have Rosaleen with her all the time but just right away she descided to leave AND spring Rosaleen from jail. I personaly think that when your being brave for someone else as well as your self is better and in my view braver then just going because there is a treasure involved
yes I also know that Santiago was following his “Personal Legend” and that was some of the reason but still I think Lily was braver also because she knew she would probley be dead if T-Ray or the Police found her.
**I have a quick question though if you read the Epilogue he gose back home to Spain finds actual treasure and then remembers oh hey I have a beautiful woman waiting for me back in the middle of the desert oops my bad I shall go get her. HOW COULD HE FORGET HIS TRUE LOVE plus wouldn’t he of had to pass back through the Oasis to get home?
I disagree with you about Lily being braver than Santiago. Yes Santiago had helped but he was actually in a life or death situation. For example, when he and the alchemist got caught, he had to turn himself into wind or they would of been killed. Lily didn’t have any of those situation. The worst that could of happened to her was going to jail or getting caught by her father.
@ Jessica L.C.
I don’t think he forgot about his true love, I think that he wanted to find his treasure, first, before he went back to get his true love. Also, I think he could go back to Spain from any major city, one being Egypt. I think the reason why he didn’t just go straight to Egypt in the first place is because he didn’t have enough money.
I also disagree with you that Lily was braver than Santiago, because Lily traveled with Rosaleen most of her time and Santiago traveled with nobody most of the time. Lily also only stayed in and around a house while she was gone, while Santiago was traveling around the desert while a war was going on.
@ Clarissa B.F.
After I read your last response and thought about it some more, I totally agree with you on the part that Santiago was in fact not alone several times during his “personal legend”, but i disagree with you on the part when you said he wasn’t alone in the end. He was with the alchemist but only half the way cause the alchemist said he had to go back so he told Santiago the rest of the way and he traveled three hours by himself to reach the Pyramids. In my opinion, i still believe that Santiago was a little braver than Lily though. Don’t you think so because not everyone crosses the desert especially by him or her self?
In your response you also mentioned that during the times when he wasn’t alone he was guided in a spiritual matter by the omens or such and that was really good thinking on your part so good job on that. But when i thought about it more it made me confused because you said that but did you mean that like when he was alone in start of the book or at the end too? I need an honest answer too because i want to know what your thinking because i wasn’t really sure.
Im sorry for the confusion. When i talked about the spiritual part, I meant that he wasn’t alone at all, throughout the book. But then again thats my opinion. Even though you did mention that the Alchemist left him half way, I still think he wasn’t alone. This may not be the right answer, but it’s my opinion. Hope i clearified things. (:
Woah so many people’s actualy replying. It’s really impressive especially considering that it’s summer and all. Good job.
I also agree that the main characters from The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees are very courageous. In The Alchemist, Santiago showed bravery by giving up his sheep for doing something he saw in a dream. He had to cross a desert where a war was taking place, and he had to leave the young woman who he loved behind. With all those difficult obstacles, he did not give up and followed through his “personal legend.” In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily showed her bravery by running away from her home. She had to save Rosaleen out of the hospital and traveled to Tiburon just because she knew her mother went there. Lily had to not get caught by her dad and the police. She learned information about her mom and also followed through her quest. They both followed through their quest, but they did it differently. Santiago had to give up the things he loved to do and a person who he loved. Lily didn’t give up anything she liked. She gave up her mean, abusive father and the life that she never liked. I believe that they both showed courage by following through their quest but they did it differently.
I agree with both Clarissa B.F and Emily H.R, but in different ways. Both of the characters are very brave, and are characters that never give up. In The Alchemist, Santiago shows his bravery when he simply gave up this flock of sheep to find his “personal legend”. As the journey became challenging, he never gave up even though he was alone and faced the possibility that he would not make it. In the Secret Life of Bees Lilly is brave because she saves Rosaleen from jail and the possibility of getting killed from a racist man, and while Lilly knowing if she got caught she would be in huge trouble with her “abusive” farther T. Ray. Yet, they both take the chance of getting caught by the police and go to a town named Tiburon where she hopes to find more information about her mother. I believe this is how Lilly and Santiago show their bravery and determination to find their personal pursuits.
I agree with the comparison made by Clarissa B.F. but the the main charaters do not accomplish their quests the same way, therefore in my opinion, they have different levels of bravery. For example in the Alchemist, Santiago leaves his life in Spain as a shepherd so that he can achieve his “personal legend.” He has to cross the desert by himself with the feeling of not knowing what would happen next, but he makes it. I believe that crossing the desert was a very brave thing indeed (agreeing with Clarissa B.F.) but especially since he was all by himself traveling the sand dunes. In the Secret Life of Bees, Lily escapes the hands of her abusive father, T. Ray, but since she breaks Rosaleen out of jail she has someone to travel with so at least she would feel somewhat safe while on her journey to Tiburon to look for any remaining traces of her dead mother. This is why i believe they both show bravery while on their journeys but different levels of bravery.
i totally agree with you on the part when you said, that Santiago was braver because he was all alone on his quest, and Lilly had Rosaleen. You made a good point right there. (:
Although i agreed with what you said about Santiago being braver, now that I think about it, he wasn’t alone on his quest for his “personal legend.” Along the way he always had something or someone with him. For example, in the beginning he had his sheep as his companion, then as he sold them he met the the King who told him where to go. At one point he was alone but was guided in a spiritual way which was why he was able to read what the “animals” tried to tell him. Lastly, on his quest to the pyramids he was definatly not alone, he was with the alchemist who showed him the way. So i disagree with that statement about him being braver than Lilly.
@ Emily H.R. and Clarissa B.F.
I’m not sure I agree with you guys. I think they both needed they same amount of bravery, but in different ways. Lily needed bravery to run away from T. Ray, just like Santiago needed bravery to leave his life behind. They both need bravery for different reasons.
In comparison of The Alchemist and The Secret Life of Bees, the author shows how both of the main characters have bravery. For example in the Alchemist, the author tells how Santiago gives up his sheep as one of his ways of trying to seek his “personal legend.” Along the way, he always went with his instinct not knowing what would end up happening, but he did it anyway. In my opinion the bravest thing he did was, crossing the desert and traving all that way to find the pyramids. He never gave up even though there could have been a possibility he would’nt make it. In comparison of the Secret Life of Bees, the main character Lilly shows the same bravery to life as Santiago did. She was trying to seek more information about the death of her mother. For example, when Lilly ran away and helped Rosaleen escape the hospital all by herself, knowing that her “abusive” father T. Ray might catch her. The two of them traveling to a place called Tiburon, hoping to find out information out there. They were also risking the chance of getting recognized by police. Rosaleen could have went back to jail, and Lilly going back to T. Ray. But the bravery and love Lilly had for her mother gave her the determination of finding out any possible information or people linking to her mother. So this is why I believe Santiago and Lillly showed the same traits such as their “bravery” of never giving up on their personal quests.
I do not agree with you Clarissa B.F. about Santiago and Lily having the same bravery. Lily only risked going to jail by helping Rosaleen escape because she knew that she couldn’t go to Tiburon by herself. In my opinion, she only needed Rosaleen to protect her through the journey there. On the other hand, Santiago risked his life to travel across the desert to the pyramids in Egypt to find the treasure. Also because I think his heart was telling him to, even though he didn’t know the stuff about the Soul of the world and the Universal Language yet. It was an instinct, and the book doesn’t even mention him asking anybody to go with him. He knew he had the strength to do it by himself such as the task where he has to become the wind. The wise alchemist didn’t teach him how to become the wind. Wouldn’t you be scared if you had to do this task with no one helping you and if your life depended on it? I know I would. But in the end, he worked hard and suceeded. Santiago had to go through more grueling things than Lily. This is why I think he is braver than Lily. They were both striving to find something, not showing the same bravery.
They totaly took the same risks. Sure from YOUR perspective they were unpropotional but I belive that in Lily’s mind the risk was the same.
I agree with you Jacob R.S. about the difference in courage. Risking your life crossing the desert and breaking someone out of jail don’t even out. Santiago had a family that loved him at home and all Lily had was a father that didn’t love her. Lily had to leave home and Santiago wanted to follow his dream. Sure, sometimes he decided to go back to Spain to become a sheperdand Lily never wanted to go back at all, but in the end, he pursued his personal legend.
“Endurance is not just the ability to bare hard things but to turn them into glory,” according to William Barcay. Santiago and Lily both underwent difficult journies that helped them write their own stories in the end placing them in a position to receive their glory in different ways. So, i disagree with Jacob R. S. The definiton of being brave is not based upon peoples opinion on how much turmoil a person went through, but the defintion, is possesing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance. So, comparing Lily and Santiago’s journies and saying Lily’s way of passage is inadequate in my opinion is being naive to her struggle; because in her point of view the stress she went through at the time, in her mind, could have been much worse than what Santiago had to overcome .Because for one thing Santiago chose to go on the quest Lily didnt have the choice. In the end they both struggled and acheived.”Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures the final victory comes,” Buddah.
I agree with Clarissa B.F both of the main characters never gave up on their personnel legened.Also they both showed the same bravery. Lily showed bravery by running away and trying to find more information about her mother. Santiago showed bravery by giving up all he had to try to find his personal legened.