Odysseus As A Greek Hero In Homer's Odyssey

It is both completely effortless and extremely challenging to return home. This is due to the true meaning of home itself; it is both a physical building and a place where one flourishes. For Odysseus, this was his endpoint as well as his goal, both of which would not happen simultaneously. As Odysseus reached his endpoint, his goal wasn't exactly achieved. He still had an adventure left in and of itself; he had arrived, but he still wasn't quite home yet. It is argued that the entire venture home was excruciatingly pointless for him. After all, he suffered many sorrows along the way. However, the journey back proved to be a heroic, well-rewarded adventure, especially important for Odysseus as a Greek hero. Odysseus' adventure proves that …show more content…
Every stop he made taught him a new life lesson, and he began to learn about humility in submitting to the gods (a good idea for any Greek that wanted to live happily) and trust. This was especially important because, back at home, his house was plagued by suitors draining his wealth and attempting to force his wife into marriage with them. These lessons, especially trust, would play a major role in his final battle against those suitors. Odysseus had to learn about trust when facing the consequences of his mutinous crew. For example, consider the time his crew killed the cattle of the Sun god, even though it was warned, "harm them in any way, and.../[you will see] your ship destroyed, your men destroyed as well" (Fagles 200). Despite Odysseus' plea, his crew murdered not only one but many of the cattle and ate them while he was asleep, dooming themselves and prolonging Odysseus' return. Odysseus learned to be very cautious about who to trust; after all, he couldn't even trust his own crew! Because of this, when the time came for his battle against the suitors, Odysseus only fought with three other men, each of which he had tested thoroughly to be certain they were trustworthy. If not for the journey, Odysseus would've still had misplaced trust in men and would have been betrayed …show more content…
For the Greeks, it was worse for a mortal to lose the favor of the gods than it was to die. Because of how sorrowful they made Odysseus' journey home, the gods began to pity Odysseus, and each in turn forgave him (except Poseidon). With the favor of the gods on his side, nothing could stop Odysseus from returning home; he could finally return to the life he had left and flourish in his own home instead of wandering aimlessly, cursed and forsaken. Athena specifically guided him and began his official journey home by advocating for him in front of all the gods (again, except for Poseidon): "surely he goes down to a death earned in full!/...my heart breaks for Odysseus..." (Fagles 4). Along with this, Athena protected and defended Odysseus countless times along the way, giving him aid that would last well past his return to Ithaca. This is one of the main reasons the journey home was much more important than the destination; it further prepared Odysseus, gave him immortal guidance, and marked a turning point in his entire journey, undoing each of his sorrows with somewhat apologetic aid and essentially putting his adventure "back on track", making him ready for the final battle to restore his home. Odysseus' journey gave him the favor of the the gods, one of the most important things he could ever have; without it, he could never face any of the challenges ahead, especially the