Odysseus and Everett also share similar experiences with their families. When Odysseus returns home from the war, his son Telemachus does not recognize him. In lines 1036-1039, when they reunite, “Telemachus, uncomprehending, wild with incredulity, cried out: ‘You cannot be my father Odysseus!’”. Odysseus’ family presume he was killed in the war and does not expect to see him again after being gone for 20 years. Similarly, Everett’s family believes that he was hit by a train and killed. The stories of Penelope and Penny, Odysseus and Everett’s respective wives, parallel each other as well. Both Penelope and Penny took their husbands back. Both Penelope and Penny were the reasons their husbands wanted to return home. Their feelings toward
