A TESTAMENT OF FAITH: THE SEMINARIAN’S PATH IN BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT

Abstract

This article examines the themes of spirituality, authenticity, and the journey to self-discovery are central to the literary works of Paulo Coelho. The theory of radical individualism as explored by Marshall Berman in The Politics of Authenticity: Radical Individualism and the Emergence of Modern Society and Friedrich Nietzsche in Thus Spoke Zarathustra is embodied by the characters Coelho present in The Valkyries and The Alchemist when they reject institutionalized religion in favour of personal faith. This research paper argues that the anonymity of the seminarian in By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept is the absence not of a defined identity, but rather a conscious act of effacement—one that permits him to trail the paths of the Divine Feminine of Christianity over the patriarchal dogma of organised religion. Organised religion and the systematic regulation of believers can be explored through Michel Foucault’s concept of docility which examines institutionalised conformity as a method of discipline. Individual autonomy is jeopardised by fostering obedience among the masses under the guise of faith.

Nietzsche’s critique of herd mentality is also central to this research in analysing the seminarian’s faith in the Divine Feminine as a rejection of orthodox practices. This research paper aims to answer the questions concerning transformative religion and is significant in the exploration of anonymity as an act of effacement—a perspective that is overlooked in existing scholarship