A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE STORY ‘THE MAN AND THE TREASURE’ AND THE NOVEL ‘THE ALCHEMIST

Abstract

This article is dedicated to a comparative analysis of Jalaluddin Rumi’s “The Man and the Treasure” story from Masnavi-ye Ma'navi and Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. The main goal of the article is to identify the deep connection between these two works and to reveal the authors’ philosophical and moral views through plot structure and symbolic imagery. Rumi’s “The Man and the Treasure” reflects the symbolic and philosophical essence of Sufi literature, while Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, about the journey of the shepherd Santiago, explains the concept of destiny.

Keywords

Rumi, Paulo Coelho, Sufism, treasure, destiny, symbol, metaphor.