Paulo Coelho
The Enigma
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Adultery
I loved it! And by loving it doesn’t mean that I agree on everything, namely, Adultery.
God said: “Thou shalt not commit adultery” I wholeheartedly agree with God. Not because we will burn in hell when we die, no, the punishment is more immediate; we enter the road to hell in the here and now, just as we see with Linda and her troubles.
Adultery is the story of Linda, a married women with two children who suffers from depression and the occasional bipolar tendencies, who risks her perfect life by committing adultery.
I do not like Linda’s character at all! She goes through life lying to everyone; to doctors, to people, to strangers, to her husband, even to herself. Even when the truth is handed to her she chooses to completely ignore it. All the characters have their flaws in the book, just as each one of us have in our lives, but since Linda is the protagonist, let me point her out. I’ll keep it short so I don’t give away any spoilers, I’ll let you, the reader, read and see for yourselves how different life can be for characters such as Linda if they practiced gratitude in their lives, and counted their blessings instead of talking about them.
Paulo Coelho captures and releases in his words, Linda’s character exceptionally well. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself annoyed through most of the book. Though one thing we can all learn from Linda is her persistence and perseverance. I would be more sensitive towards her had she done it for love, but instead, it was for revenge, jealousy, hatred, emptiness, etc. Even if she had love and passion for the man, there are things such as truth, honesty, choices and decisions, which we all make according to where we are mentally and spiritually in our lives.
None of us deserve to suffer. It is the consequences of our choices and actions which determine the state of our well-being or the lack thereof. I think Linda got away too easily, it is lucky for her, otherwise, it could have been devastating. Perhaps it is the invisible, silent sting of wounds that linger long after, which is the most painful. As the saying goes, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle”, as some of us are remarkable at hiding our pain.
So how did it end for Linda? Did she come out changed and transformed through her adulterous experience? Is it right? Is it wrong? Was it worth it? I will quote a line from the book:
“Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel, if that’s what you mean. But sometimes, when the person crosses through the darkness and reaches the other side, he leaves an enormous path of destruction behind him.”
Leaves of Grass
I first read this poem in Paulo Coelho’s novel The Winner Stands Alone and I fell in love with it completely. Here I share it for you all to read:
Whoever you are holding me now in hand,
Without one thing all will be useless,
I give you fair warning before you attempt me further,
I am not what you supposed, but far different.
Who is he that would become my follower?
Who would sign himself a candidate for my affections?
The way is suspicious, the result uncertain, perhaps destructive,
You would have to give up all else, I alone would expect
to be your sole and exclusive standard,
Your novitiate would even then be long and exhausting,
The whole past theory of your life and all conformity to the lives
around you would have to be abandon’d,
Therefore release me now before troubling yourself any further,
let go your hand from my shoulders,
Put me down and depart on your way.
~ Walt Whitman
Read more "Leaves of Grass"The Writer
My Quest of Paulo Coelho’s Sword
God and the Devil
“Music isn’t just something that comforts or distracts us, it goes beyond that – it’s an ideology. You can judge people by the kind of music they listen to.”
~ Paulo Coelho, The Witch of Portobello
“Man needs what’s worst in him in order to achieve what’s best in him.”
~ Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym
Images ©The Witch of Portobello.
Paulo Coelho’s Experimental Film The Witch of Portobello, based on his best-selling book of the same name.