I wonder about the drawings in The Alchemist. Most novels for adults don't have drawings. They're more common in children's book or some YA books. I wonder: Does this mean The Alchemist is a children's book? It is pretty straight-forward and easy to read. But I wonder if the drawings serve to remove ambiguity. It's pretty easy to know what the book is about. It's hard to mistake the main idea, that everyone has a Personal Legend, that they're hard to achieve, that the journey is as important as the result, etc. Should a novel be this straight-forward? Shouldn't its readers have to try a little harder to get it? Another, related, question: Would you be likely to reread this book?
The Drawings in The Alchemist provide a visual aid for the reader, Most adult novels don't have drawings in it since children's books keep a child engaged with an imagination and it helps them follow along. With The Alchemist having drawings I would say It envokes the feeling of reading as a kid and the drawings help guide your imagination to whee the story is going. Also the book has this sense of wonder and magic to it that can be seen as child like. A novel can be any way a writer wants it I say that writing is a freedom and that I shouldn't have to be a certain way. A thing that keeps readers wanting more is the unexpected in storytelling, if all stories followed the same trope will it still be engaging and keep you wanting more? If I was to reread the book I would rather have not read it in the first place. by that I mean to read the book again with a new set of eyes and if I wasn't told it was a out a personal ledger I could interpret the book in a new light.
Nice response, Marinda. I agree that The Alchemist does seem to have a childlike quality to it, much in the way that myths or folktales do. In fact, most religious books are full of stories too.
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