“So after much practicing, we no longer think about the necessary movements.”
The Archer
One of many lines from Paulo Coelho’s book The Archer which any high school literature student would be able to point to as symbolism for life.
The Archer starts off strong. A stranger visits a town in search of a master archer. This man has dedicated his life to his craft and only by defeating the archer he greatly respects would he be able to say that he is a success. A local boy tells him there is no master archer in the town but recognizes the name of the local carpenter. There is a short competition and the boy asks the carpenter to teach him to become an archer.
What follows is the master speaking of archery as a metaphor for life and success. No description is given of what the two see on their walk back to town or any other details that would contribute to the tale. In fact, there is no tale all aside from the step by step archery guide for the young boy which is obviously a step by step goal achieving guide for the reader.
Although I am familiar with Coelho’s works and his parable-like story telling, The Archer stood apart from his previous books in that there is little story told. Instead, there is a list of platitudes many of which can be found in most self-help books. There were some solid affirmations for anyone setting out to accomplish their dreams (the arrow is your intention, be sure your intention is pure and balanced) however this short book could have been even shorter when considering how often key lessons are repeated (did I mention the arrow is your intention?).
Just when more plot appeared to arrive, the master gives a short summary of his life and his pursuit of archery in 3-5 pages. The acknowledgement, author bio and illustrator bio were longer by comparison.
The Archer gives great reminders on how to be successful but there is nothing new here. It could have made for a great tale if there was a tale to be told.
PhoebeJaneWrites 