Odysseus And Telemachus Relationship

Telemachus embarks on a physical and psychological journey in order to define his identity. His journeys will allow him to pass the threshold of youth into adulthood and uncover information about his father. As an adolescent, Telemachus is trying to find his identity based on where he is, who he is with, and what he is doing. With the lack of a father in his life, Telemachus is incognizant of his identity. He identifies himself as royalty and as the son of Odysseus and Penelope, the King and Queen of Ithaca. Telemachus is instructed to find out information about his father, which will further help in defining Telemachus’ self-cognizance. Odysseus is the only missing piece to Telemachus’ puzzle of identity. Telemachus can only fully understand his own identity with the understanding of his father’s identity. …show more content…
He acknowledges that Odysseus is his father, but is uncertain. Telemachus says, “‘Mother has always told me I’m his son, it’s true, / but I am not so certain. Who, on his own, / has ever really known who gave him life?’” (1.249-51). Athena requires Telemachus to journey to Pylos and Sparta. According to critic John Heath, Telemachus goes on a journey “as a pursuit of his own identity in terms of his father’s famous characteristics: endurance, restraint, intelligence, and deception” (129). Through learning about his father, Telemachus learns about himself. One’s father is considered to be the determiner of one’s identity. Especially among the ancient Greeks, the identity of a young man was explicitly tied to that of his father. For example, a son was named according to the name of his father. Consequently, Telemachus’ journey is one of illumination of self and of maturing (Tracy