The Odyssey: Is Odysseus a True Hero?

The Odyssey by Homer is one of the most famous books in Western history. I remember learning about the story when I was seven years old. Even at that young age, I marveled at the strength and bravery of the mortal hero Odysseus, who against all odds, was able to return to his homeland after twenty long years. The stories of sirens, Cyclops, and monsters enchanted me and I loved hearing about how the crafty, clever Odysseus overcame all those challenges. In my mind, he was a perfect hero: a moral, ordinary man who used his wits and courage to return to his family and home.

However, after reading The Odyssey carefully in the last few weeks, my perspective on Odysseus has altered. I still see him as a strong, determined man that strove to return to his wife and son but now I see his more negative traits. The arrogance, the cheating, and the brashness. For all his calmness and cleverness, Odysseus is really quite a hothead. We mentioned this in class but the whole thing with Polyphemus that prolonged the journey home by another additional ten years was very much Odysseus' fault. If he hadn't blurted his name to the Cyclops, Polyphemus would have never been able to identify him and subsequently, Poseidon wouldn't know who blinded his son. So, because of his own brashness and arrogance, Odysseus endangered his own crew and himself. 

This arrogance appears throughout the book regularly. When Odysseus is rallying his men to go past Scylla and Charybdis, he says "But even from there my courage, my presence of mind and tactics saved us all." Even in the midst of incoming death, he's going to brag about his tactical skills? This was one instance that caused me to slightly dislike Odysseus. 

There is also the cheating. This is the one thing that I didn't realize as a kid. In my mind, Odysseus was forever faithful to Penelope. I remember watching one film adaptation of The Odyssey in which a tree grows from Odysseus and Penelope's bed. That tree symbolizes their eternal love and faith in one another. In that film, Odysseus was not a questionable hero at all. He didn't cheat on Penelope at all throughout the long journey and when finally reuniting, was overjoyed to see his faithful wife. 

The book itself definitely hints if not outright states Odysseus' many affairs with other women. There is Calypso with whom Odysseus stays with for seven years. Right before he leaves the island, right before announcing his love for Penelope, Odysseus and Calypso "now, withdrawing into the cavern’s deep recesses, long in each other’s arms they lost themselves in love". Although Homer makes it clear throughout the book that everything extramarital that happened on the island is Calypso's fault--she is always called "the lustrous goddess" and is accused of "holding him [Odysseus] there by force"--the language of that sentence makes it ambiguous. Is Odysseus being enchanted by Calypso? Or is it mutual attraction? 

It isn't just Calypso Odysseus has a "spark" with. He stays with Circe for a year, completely forgetting about the journey home. Like we said in class, it is his own crew that has to remind our hero that he has a home to get back to. These little but important interactions alienated me from Odysseus. Homer's inclination to raise Odysseus on a pedestal and to blame those around him--his crew, Calypso, etc--when things go wrong further alienated me from the heroic aspects of Odysseus. 

I don't think that I'll see Odysseus the same way again. When I was little, I painted him as a legend, a mortal god. However, the actual book makes Odysseus seem much more human and flawed. When he isn't clever and shrewd, he can be stupid and foolhardy. His fate is also nearly controlled by the gods and makes me wonder how much agency Odysseus actually has. He's almost a puppet, a plaything that the gods use when they are amused or bored. With not a lot of free will, a few key flaws, is Odysseus a true hero? 

I don't think so. Despite the fact that Homer wants to place him in that heroic role, I don't think that Odysseus is truly heroic. There's just too much he does wrong, too much that he isn't held accountable for. Of course, other people may think differently. 

Unbroken: A Story of Resilience

I guess you could say that I am a pretty big reader. Since the age of six, I've consumed countless books. I read everything--mystery, fantasy, romance, nonfiction--but I have to say that, these days, I tend to read mostly nonfiction. However, I still like the feeling of a story unfolding, which is why narrative nonfiction--factually accurate narratives--are so compelling to me.

Despite the many great narrative nonfiction books in the world, my favorite will always be Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. You may have heard of it--it's a pretty famous book. I discovered it four years ago in an airport bookstore. I was surprised at how fast I was sucked into the story. Hillenbrand's masterful writing and extensive research probably played a big role. 

The protagonist of Unbroken is Louis Zamperini, a U.S prisoner of war survivor of WWII and an Olympics distance runner. I don't know why this book is so close to my heart. In many ways, Zamperini follows the stereotypical hero's journey. He is pulled out of the "ordinary world" of America and literally goes to Berlin for the 1936 Olympics. He enters "the unknown" over and over again when he runs for America at the Olympics, fights as a bomber, and becomes a prisoner of war when his plane crashes into the ocean. There are many horrifying, scary ordeals that Zamperini goes through, especially in the POW camp where he is beaten by Japanese soldiers. The sheer amount of challenges he faced sometimes made me wonder if Hillenbrand is exaggerating. 

Zamperini follows the hero's journey but his call to adventure and entry into the unknown doesn't consist of magical worlds or fairy tale creatures. There isn't one single villain in the book. Rather, Zamperini enters the world of competitive sports and of war. He faces "villains" like war and certain Japanese POW overseers. Yet, I think this still appeals to people, perhaps even more so than Superman or Spiderman. While we can only dream about supernatural heroes, Louis Zamperini was very real and his story was very true. His journey is closer to home so its reality influences people a lot more. 

The values and traits that Hillenbrand emphasizes throughout the book are hinted at even in the title, Unbroken. Louis Zamperini, despite starvation, abuse, and loss of hope, in war and in POW camp, was somehow to stay alive and return home. Not only that, he was able to remain unbroken, mentally and spiritually, despite his suffering. This is definitely a key theme in this hero's narrative: resilience. The idea that even faced with defeat, heroes are able to draw on their last bit of strength and overcome is a very appealing one. I think resilience in the heroes we see and read about often reflect our own desire to surpass the obstacles and challenges in our own lives. Perhaps we draw inspiration from them and look to people like Zamperini as role models. 

Louis Zamperini was a war hero and a survivor. Many people have called his journey an "odyssey" of some sorts. Indeed, some of the trials he went through were almost mythical--after crashing into the ocean, he floated on a raft for a hundred days, hunting sharks and fish, until he was taken prisoner by the Japanese. In that way, he can be compared to Odysseus. But unlike Odysseus, Zamperini wasn't chosen by the gods. He was the youngest son of two Italian immigrants, an ordinary man who did some extraordinary things. 

The Hero's Journey

Hi everyone!

From this point on, everything written on Scribbles of Serendipity will be for my English class, The Hero's Journey. Thanks!

Serena