Analysis Essay: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

“He is half of my soul, as the poets say.”

This is my favorite quote from The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. In my eyes, this book is truly a masterpiece. Let’s break it down and see how it meets each quality of literature. 

In terms of artistry, this book is incredible. It truly immerses you in the story and connects you to both of the main characters, Patroclus and Achilles. It brings out emotion and it moves you. A part of the book I distinctly remember because of how it made me feel was this exchange between Briseis and Achilles:

“ Achilles’ gaze lifts to meet hers. She is afraid, but does not draw back. “I hope

that Hector kills you.” The breath rasps in his throat. “Do you think I do not hope the same?” he asks.” 

When it comes to intellectual value, this book has so much to offer. It is very educational and it gives good insight into the Trojan war and how it felt to be there when it was happening. Other than that, the main plot twist that comes near the end of the book was so well executed and written. There are no plot holes whatsoever, and this book manages to keep you thinking until the very end. 

The Song of Achilles is not lacking in suggestiveness or symbolisms either. In the first few chapters, Patroclus is given a pair of dice. These dice would later come to represent his honor and would ultimately lead to him being exiled from his kingdom. This puts into perspective the butterfly effect and how something as minuscule and irrelevant as a pair of dice could change your life forever. 

Permanence is something that The Song of Achilles will always have. It immerses you into the horrors of war.  This is an issue that will never go away. There will always be conflict, there will always be war to some extent. This is what makes this book timeless. There will always be something to compare it to in your current time whether it is 50, or 100 years into the future.

Not only is it timeless, but this book is universal as well. All age groups, races, and genders can appreciate the lessons imparted to us by this literary text. I won’t be the first to say that it does get violent towards the end, however, I do not think that it exceeds the limit of what an adolescent can be exposed to. Above all else, this book depicts a coming-of-age story, which everyone can understand and to some extent relate to. 

There is an abundance of values and lessons that can be learned from The Song of Achilles. Near the end of the book, we see Achilles become consumed by pride, and how that ultimately leads to Patroclus’ death.  It teaches us that pride never has been and never will be a good thing. It also shows us that no matter where you came from, or how bad your past was, someone will always find you and make sure you’re okay. Amidst the tragedy in this book though, it teaches us to love. To love no matter who you are and where you are from. 

The style in which this book was written is something I truly admire. You would think that because Achilles is the more popular one, and because his name is in the book’s title, that he would be our narrator. This is in fact, not the case. We read this book through the eyes of Patroclus, the boy who falls madly in love with Achilles. We are not reading it as the hero who saves the day, but as someone who truly knows him. We do not see a perfect protagonist in this story. We see one with flaws. This could have only been done by making the narrator someone who knows the protagonist very well, but who is also not blinded by love. Madeline Miller executed this perfectly and it really gave the characters so much more depth. Seeing Patroclus struggle when he knew that what Achilles was doing was wrong, but not knowing what to do was so interesting and it was something that I have never seen before. 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is so incredible for so many different reasons and it truly does have all seven of the qualities and traits of literature.