Interface between Magic and Reality in Coelho's Like the Flowing River

Abstract

To delve into the everyday phenomena like death, love, circulation of money, faith among others which are either taken for granted or ignored by people in general, Paulo Coelho in his novel Like the Flowing River, makes use of supernatural elements. Coelho in the novel presents own thoughts and feeling on life experiences where he touches the philosophy of life and appeals to go on an exciting journey of own. The present research probes into the issue of unveiling daily phenomena of life devouring magic realism as its weapon. In Like the Flowing River magic realism occurs when a character in the story continues to be alive beyond the normal length of life and this is subtly depicted by the character being present throughout many generations. The research diving into nearly fifteen stories and articles collected in Like the Flowing River unveil the blending of reality with the fantasy. Through these different stories Coelho deepens to find out how we receive spiritual guidance or wisdom presenting the real characters in the fictional events and settings and vice-versa.