Examples Of Suffering In The Odyssey

Suffering: The Odyssey of Humans Suffering is an intimate part of mortality; something that adds to the human experience and something the gods cannot understand. It is something that pushes humans to be better. The realization that mortal life is short can make it more meaningful and can make one understand what is truly important. Through Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates that virtue can be acquired through tribulation and that sometimes one must endure to gain what is significant in life. Odysseus has everything he could desire with Calypso: everlasting youth, wealth, luxury, and sex. Still he yearns for the trials of a mortal life back at home with his family. Here, Homer showcases an aspect of human nature; that humans will chose the more difficult path, especially when fighting for something that means a great deal to them such as family and a sense of home. As Calypso tells Odysseus that he is free to leave, she finds him with his “life draining away in homesickness” (V, 153). Even with a seemingly perfect situation Odysseus …show more content…
Calypso tells him, “if you had any idea of all the pain you’re destined to suffer before getting home, you’d stay here with me, deathless-” (V, 205-207). Calypso is perplexed by Odysseus’s desire to leave the island and endure harsher forms of suffering as well as his choosing of his aging Penelope over an immortal goddess. While the decision to take on more suffering seems counterintuitive to the human condition, Odysseus makes that choice. He is determined to accomplish his goal and return home to his wife and son, even in the face of overwhelming hardship. In this way, Homer reveals the strength of mortals through Odysseus. While he does not have the strength of the gods, Odysseus maintains a strong belief in his goal and perseveres through many hardships to gain back what is important to him; his wife,