Anxiety and fulfillment in Paulo Coelho’s the alchemist (1988) and Robin Sharma’s the monk who sold his Ferrari (1996)

Abstract

This research work is a comparative study that analyzes the affinities between: Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist (1988) and Robin Sharma’s The Monk who Sold his Ferrari (1996) in relation to the issues of Anxiety and Fulfillment. The purpose of this dissertation is to study these issues by drawing a comparison between the two mentioned novels. To support our research with theoretical basis, we rely on Sigmund Freud’s A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis and Alan Gewirth’s Self-fulfillment. This research paper discusses notions referring to Freud’s concept of fear and anxiety, and Alan Gewirth’s concepts of: capacity and aspiration fulfillment. After our analysis, we reached the results that both authors share affinities, first, in the way they present the main characters’ anxiety throughout their journeys, and in the way they realized several achievements. Finally, we examined the literary devices which are: “Allegory” and “Symbolism” to explore the parallel abstract and complex ideas linked to anxiety and fulfillment in both novels.