Paulo Coelho’s Women Characters Viewed as the Alter Ego of the Protagonists in his Select Novels

Going beyond the Freudian tripartite analysis of the workings of the mind – the Id, the Ego and the Super Ego, which determines and validates the actions of people there is some element present in everyone, which drives people towards achievement. That is what is termed as the alter ego. When the Ego rationalises every thought and action according to the standards directed by the society, the alter ego tries to work towards the fulfilment of the dreams by channelizing the energies. Paulo Coelho's novels are stories of people, a few are autobiographical, and who are able to achieve their heart's desire. Though the situations that they find themselves in and the other characters overlay the way, the women characters help them achieve their goals. The paper analyses how some characters prove to be the alter ego of the protagonist/other in the novels chosen for study- the trilogy- Veronica Decides to Die, The Devil and Miss Prym, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept,and The Alchemist.