According to The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, an archetypal mythical hero appears in different cultures in different forms. Two protagonists from Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist and Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki share similar heroic characteristics despite their different backgrounds and cultures. One of the concepts explained in The Power of Myth concerns the stages of human development. Campbell states that “As a child you grow up in a world of discipline, obedience and dependency on others. All of this must be transcended when you reach maturity, so that you can live not in dependence but with self-responsible authority” (Campbell 87). Thor and Santiago both experience stages of human development, from dependence to maturity. In The Alchemist, Santiago decides to become a shepherd and travel the world, disobeying his parents who want him to become a priest. When his father says "Among us the only ones who travel are the shepherds", Santiago decides to become a shepherd. (Coelho 9). In Kon-Tiki, Thor is disappointed and discouraged because his theory is rejected and ignored by people. Soon, however, he decides to sail the sea together with a few other people to prove that his theory is right. Thor tells his friend, “I am so sure that the Indians crossed the Pacific on their rafts that I am willing to build a raft of the same kind myself and cross the sea just to prove that it is possible” (Heyerdahl 23). The way Santiago makes his own decisions and Thor's action to get out of his helpless situation show their developments to more mature humans. According to The Power of Myth, one of the characteristics of the hero is encountering problems. He explains: “The trials are designed to make the hero intend to free himself… of paper… by giving money to prepare for the navigation and the equipment he needs during the navigation. Additionally, when struggling to settle the land, the natives aid Thor and his companions. The natives helped them place the raft on the island and reach their destination. According to Thor, the native inhabitants “pointed westward indicating that they were heading toward dangerous coral reefs” (Heyerdahl 182). Hearing this, they prepared for the dangerous road and manage to cross it. These examples demonstrate that the two protagonists escape from their problems with the help of other people. In conclusion, the two characters of The Alchemist and Kon-Tiki share similarities in their stages of human development, encountering problems and getting help from other sources. These supporting details illustrate the universality of the characteristics of mythical heroes.