Homer’s The Odyssey, is a Greek epic poem detailing the homecoming of Odysseus to his kingdom of Ithaca. Throughout the piece of literature, the Greek hero has multiple altercations that invoke acts of deception of himself to others. Homer describes him as “…a man of twists and turns” early within the poem, making the theme of deception apparent and prominent (Homer). Odysseus uses deception as a way of protecting himself from his own vulnerability. An early impediment to Odysseus’s journey home is Polyphemus, a cyclops who inhabits an island that Odysseus and his fellow crew arrive on. During an altercation, Odysseus pronounces that his identity is “Noman,” therefore, the giant perceives him as such, and cries out “Noman is hurting me” (Homer).
