Comparing the plot similarities of the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and the story 'Zamzam' by Reza Amirkhani مقالة

خلاصة:

Research and comparative study of literary works, especially in the field of fiction, is considered one of the most important approaches to literary criticism and research. The aim of the present article is to examine the similarities in the narrative plot of the novel The Alchemist by Coelho and the story 'Zamzam' by Reza Amirkhani. There are many similarities in the structure of these two narrative stories, some of which can also be sought in other works such as Rumi's Masnavi, Divan-e Shams, Maqalat-e Shams, Attar's The Conference of the Birds, Aja'ib-nameh of Mohammad bin Mahmoud Hamadani, etc. Some common aspects in the mentioned works can be listed as follows: the longing for seeking and movement towards the dominant norms of society, the existence of undeveloped loves in others, the role of sleep and true dreams in the plots of stories, the existence of a higher and transcendental truth and its discovery at the end of stories, etc. Specific common points are also seen in the two main stories, including: similarity in the gender and age range of the main characters, the internal and spontaneous passion of the characters towards achieving personal interests without self-interest or profiteering, the attention to detail by authors in introducing secondary characters, the presence of spiritual and influential humans, addressing the concept of mysticism in the modern world, etc.