Odyssey

The Odyssey

The Odyssey is a long narrative composed in a dignified style which explores several themes relating to humanity on the struggle of a hero (Odysseus) who appears never to be at a loss. Each theme falls in the realm of virtue, the will and desire overcome life's ills. Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, is the epitome of a young man whose life is based on the theme maturation as a passage into manhood. Throughout the epic, Telemachus, a young man raised without the presence of his father, is faced with several personal challenges which would determine his transformation into becoming the man who would reclaim his father's estate from the control of several suitors exploiting the absence of Odysseus. Every boy in life will one day have to make the decisions of a man to fulfill his vows; not every journey into manhood is an easy one and not every easy journey is a trip into manhood. Telemachus made all of the difficult decisions appear easy and all of the easy ones difficult, thus he properly completed his expedition from boyhood to manhood.

Meanwhile, within the epic, Telemachus's father, Odysseus, has fallen to the melancholy of separation. He has the greatest desires to return home to his loving wife and will do so by any means. Within his long voyage home he goes to the extremes of sacrifice to guarantee a return trip to his dwelling. Odysseus was offered crew members to assist him in his travel, but the sad-heartedness that existed deep within him forced him to forfeit the lives of several members of his crew to assure continuance of his mission to return to his wife. Like the jaws of a raging animal grasping a heavily desired meal, it is hard to separate a man from his love of the world. Thus, Odysseus's desires to reclaim his bride overshadowed his sacrifices which were made to mend a broken heart.

Along with the will empowered by a saddened