Why is the Englishman Santiago's foil in The Alchemist?

Great
question! To fully answer your query about the Englishman in s novel , it
is important to fully understand the concept of a foil.

In literature, a foil
is a character who mirrors another character, most frequently the . A foil is similar enough to
the protagonist for a reader to see parallels between the two. For example, both may have the
same motivations, the same background, or the same personality. However, a foil differs from the
protagonist in some major way that creates a visible contrast. This contrast between characters
highlights certain qualities of the protagonist. In Coelhos book The
Alchemist, the Englishman fits this mold of a literary foil. To clearly explain why,
we need to review the characteristics of the protagonist.

The protagonist of
The Alchemist is Santiago, a youthful Andalusian shepherd. Santiago
journeys to the Egyptian pyramids in search of a treasure. However, Santiagos journey quickly
shifts purpose when he meets...