This simile is taken from Book 20 of The Odyssey of Homer. Odysseus is debating whether or not to kill the household maids who are laughing on their way to meet the suitors at night. When he witnesses the women who work in his own house go to bed with the suitors, who are dishonoring him and his family, he gets very angry.
He is compared to a growling female dog, which is trying to protect her pups from an unknown person. Odysseus, likewise, feels the same vulnerability of a mother dog with puppies—his livelihood, home, wife and son are being threatened and his heart aches to defend them. When he had thought of homecoming, he could never have imagined the situation he found after arriving at Ithaca. He feels completely helpless, surrounded by enemies, but has to somehow protect his household …show more content…
I would think so. This provides a contrast between the dog and Odysseus; while the dog is trying to shield her pups from strangers, Odysseus has to be careful of his own “pups”, which are on the strangers’ side and are essentially spying for them.
Another contrast, which can be seen in the simile, is that the dog would obviously not hold herself back from protecting her young, but Odysseus does. This shows that he is trying to control his animalistic instinct to be more responsible regarding his family. The contrasts provided by Homer, enhance our experience in Odysseus’ mind rather that create confusion. We are able to gain more understanding of the situation and the character.
The fact that Odysseus is compared to a dog might also suggest that he is a faithful person—similar to the dog, Argus. Argus was the first one to recognize Odysseus, even though he was disguised. He even tried to wag his tail, and died soon after, as if seeing Odysseus was his last wish. Similarly, Odysseus is faithful to his family; he even rejects the offer of immortality from Kalypso, the nymph and longs to be back to his own
He is compared to a growling female dog, which is trying to protect her pups from an unknown person. Odysseus, likewise, feels the same vulnerability of a mother dog with puppies—his livelihood, home, wife and son are being threatened and his heart aches to defend them. When he had thought of homecoming, he could never have imagined the situation he found after arriving at Ithaca. He feels completely helpless, surrounded by enemies, but has to somehow protect his household …show more content…
I would think so. This provides a contrast between the dog and Odysseus; while the dog is trying to shield her pups from strangers, Odysseus has to be careful of his own “pups”, which are on the strangers’ side and are essentially spying for them.
Another contrast, which can be seen in the simile, is that the dog would obviously not hold herself back from protecting her young, but Odysseus does. This shows that he is trying to control his animalistic instinct to be more responsible regarding his family. The contrasts provided by Homer, enhance our experience in Odysseus’ mind rather that create confusion. We are able to gain more understanding of the situation and the character.
The fact that Odysseus is compared to a dog might also suggest that he is a faithful person—similar to the dog, Argus. Argus was the first one to recognize Odysseus, even though he was disguised. He even tried to wag his tail, and died soon after, as if seeing Odysseus was his last wish. Similarly, Odysseus is faithful to his family; he even rejects the offer of immortality from Kalypso, the nymph and longs to be back to his own