The Travels of Odysseus Essay Example
Sometimes, people leave their homes and the people they know for many reasons, like glory. In The Odyssey by Homer, the main character Odysseus does just that, accompanied by his crew. As a result of his actions, he faces innumerable obstacles, like evil beasts, and suffering; not returning to his land, Ithaca, for twenty years. His mother, dog, and crew partake in that very suffering and die unfortunate preventable deaths. The journey of Odysseus is full of troubles and hardships, causing misery and death to those around him, and therefore, is not worth it.
One of the evil beasts that Odysseus faces is the Cyclops- an evil, murderous one-eyed monster. Odysseus and his men merely enter a cave, which turns out to be the abode of the creature in question. They are starving and simply require nourishment to continue on their journey home towards their families and land. However, the Cyclops returns a short while later, and the text narrates that “in one stride he clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies to beat their brains out, spattering the floor. Then he dismembered them and made his meal, gaping and crunching like a mountain lion –everything: innards, flesh, and marrow bones” (Book Nine). The author narrates how gruesomely they are devoured, with no mercy. Additionally, two more will meet the same fate. Odysseus narrowly escapes the peril he finds himself and his crew in by employing the use of his wits and conjuring up a plan. Yet once he is safe, he makes the mistake of declaring his name to the Cyclops, only to be cursed by his father, the God of the Seas, when he continues his voyage. Odysseus and his crew are in distress because of this. All in all, Odysseus endangers his crew, four of his men are atrociously slaughtered, and he is hexed on his voyage home- showing how the journey, or at least this part of it, is not worth the losses suffered.
Another loss that Odysseus has to come to terms with is the loss of his mother, which he finds out about when he takes a trip to the Land of the Dead. The witch Circe will not set him and his men free until they visit the Land of the Dead, so they heed her command. There, he encounters Elpenor, a dead member of his crew who fell off the roof when he was drunk. But what deeply wounds Odysseus is the sight of his mother amongst these corpses. “Now came the soul of Anticlea, dead, my mother, daughter of Autolycus, dead now, though living still when I took ship for holy Troy. Seeing this ghost I grieved, but held her off, through pang on pang of tears” (Book Eleven). That is not even the worst part of it though. When he converses with his mother, he learns the truth about how she passed away- of a broken heart, grieving for him. Odysseus’ mother, one of the people who helped raise him and shape him into the person he is now, is gone from this world because of him. He goes on this journey, leaving everyone and everything behind, and for what? For glory and fame? The rest of his family is also grieving for him, he discovers, they have all taken him for dead. Eventually, Odysseus accomplishes his mission there, talks with some more spirits, and departs back to his ship, with one crewman less and his conscience weighing on him because of his poor mother. He will live in misery with this for the rest of his life, knowing that he ended his mother’s. This is a tragedy that would not have occurred had he not embarked on this journey in the first place.
Yet it does not end there; the next misfortune that Odysseus suffers through is the beast Scylla. Odysseus is cursed with the impossible choice between Scylla, a six-headed monster who ingests one sailor for each head she possesses, or Charybdis, a massive whirlpool that will ultimately sink his ship. He selects the option of Scylla to preserve the other crewmen. However, he must guard this secret- the knowledge that he has now, else there will be widespread panic and chaos amongst his fellow crewmates. This is quite possibly one of the most challenging times of his life, as he is essentially playing God, and having at the very least, a say over his friends’ lives. Nevertheless, the ship makes its way into the clutches of Scylla, and while they attempt to defend themselves, six men are eaten. The author tells through Odysseus’ point of view that, “Then Scylla made her strike, whisking six of my best men from the ship. I happened to glance aft at ship and oarsmen and caught sight of their arms and legs, dangling high overhead. Voices came down to me in anguish, calling my name for the last time” (Book twelve). This will haunt him, and in a manner of speaking, eat at him. To sum it all up, those men lost their lives and a monster got her meal, all of which could have been avoided if they had not gone on their travels.
Although what happened was devastating, there is far more in store. Odysseus advises his men about not eating the cattle belonging to Helios on Thrinacia, but they do not heed his warning and perish as a result. Odysseus is the sole survivor in the entire journey. Fortunately for him though, he gets sent home after landing on a King’s island and recounting his whole tale. He reunites with his son again, now all grown up without a proper father in his childhood. On the way to a contest against suitors who want to marry his wife, he sees his old dog Argos, who is in a dreadful state. Physically, he is resting on a pile of waste, with the flies surrounding him, elderly and weakened. Yet his spirit is indeed worse. One of the servants in the area tells Odysseus that “Now misery has him in leash. His owner died abroad, and here the women slaves will take no care of him” (Book Seventeen). Had Odysseus not left, Argos would have been loved and cared for; but alas, Odysseus still departed. Argos then passes away. “Death and darkness in that instant closed the eyes of Argos, who had seen his master Odysseus, after twenty years” (Book Seventeen). He is so ecstatic that his owner is back that he feels he can move on and die. Regrettably, Argos is neglected all his life and this is the fault of Odysseus. For his dog as well as several other reasons, Odysseus should have stayed home instead of going on the journey.
Not only did he abandon his dog, but also his son, and especially his wife. He meets her and she can not even fathom the idea that her husband is back after all of these years. She tests him and realizes that her partner is actually with her right now. She says to him, “Think what difficulty the gods gave: they denied us life together in our prime and flowering years, kept us from crossing into age together. Forgive me, don’t be angry. I could not welcome you with love on sight! I armed myself long ago against the frauds of men, impostors who might come -- and all those many whose underhanded ways bring evil on” (Book twenty-three)! He missed the precious young years with his wife, and subjected her and their son to harsh and cruel treatment from the suitors. They did not bat an eyelash towards his wife and child. Furthermore, life is fleeting, and essentially, they do not have much time together now. Yes, he did not know he would be detained for so long, but there is always a risk of things not going the way you expect them to. His family was in misery this whole time, and they both could have died. Odysseus overheard that the suitors were plotting to murder his son, and his wife could have died of older age without catching a glimpse of him for twenty years. At the end of the day, Odysseus puts his beloved family at risk and misses crucial, pivotal moments in their lives that he can never get back.
Undoubtedly, the expedition of Odysseus is packed with obstacles and impediments, which lead to demise and suffering towards those affiliated with him, proving the journey is not worth it. A few crewmates are eaten by the Cyclops and Odysseus’ mother dies of a broken heart due to him leaving. Next Scylla ends the lives of six of the crew, the rest of the crew later passes away at Thrinacia, and Odysseus is the sole survivor. After twenty years have passed, he finally heads home to his mistreated old dog, who breathes his last breath shortly after, and to his wife and son who barely even remember him and have been abused by the suitors. People should think and consider others before they act rashly, like Odysseus did, and remember that family and your loved ones are what matter. We should not lose sight of that, and that is the lesson to be learned from The Odyssey.
