49 pages • 1 hour read
Gareth HindsThe Odyssey
Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | YA | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Homecoming
The most prominent motif throughout the story is that of homecoming. Odysseus’s intense desire to return home dominates his thoughts and directs his actions, and this goal is emphasized in the narrator’s introduction, which calls on the Muse to “tell the story of [Odysseus’s] suffering, his trials and adventures, and his bloody homecoming” (1). Throughout his decade of wandering, Odysseus’s unwavering desire to return home emphasizes The Importance of Family Loyalty. Even when the goddess Calypso offers to make Odysseus immortal if he chooses to remain with her, Odysseus is intent on completing his homecoming, telling Calypso that though “no mortal woman can rival [her] for beauty of face and form […] it is his one wish, the never failing ache in [his] heart, to return to [Penelope] and to [his] own house” (52).
Odysseus’s homecoming is contrasted with the homecomings of other heroes. Some of these homecomings—like that of Menelaus and Helen—are successful, while others—like those of Ajax and Agamemnon—are not. Agamemnon’s homecoming is juxtaposed with Odysseus’s and stands as its opposite in almost every way. Agamemnon, unlike Odysseus, reached home quickly and easily, entering his home openly, but his wife betrayed him and plotted to murder him rather than welcome him home. Learning from negative models like Agamemnon, Odysseus realizes that he must tread carefully to ensure his successful homecoming, and he faces and overcomes many dangers along the way. These dangers include fearsome creatures and monsters on land and sea and the wrath of the sea god Poseidon, and he must also overcome the suitors trying to steal his wife and home. Only by using his intelligence and cunning and relying upon the intervention of favorable gods such as Athena does Odysseus manage to return home after a decade-long journey, reasserting his place as master of his house and king of the island of Ithaca.
Recognition
Recognition is a motif that appears throughout the story as characters struggle to discern friends from enemies and to recognize gods in disguise. When Odysseus returns to Ithaca, for instance, he gradually makes himself known to the members of his household and family, not all of whom recognize him at first glance. In the rest of the narrative, there are several intense moments in which key characters recognize or learn the identities of apparent strangers. Such recognition scenes can mark new relationships, such as when Helen and Menelaus recognize Telemachus as the son of their friend Odysseus, or when the Phaeacians recognize Odysseus as a hero of the famous Trojan War. However, some recognition scenes have more sinister overtones, such as when Odysseus reveals his identity to the wicked suitors just before he kills them all.
At various points in the story, recognition also highlights The Role of Divine Intervention in Human Affairs. Athena is particularly prominent when it comes to directing the plot of the story, and different characters recognize her disguised forms at various points. In Book 1, Telemachus realizes that his guest Mentes is a god (Athena) in disguise, and in Book 3, when Mentor transforms into an eagle and flies away, Nestor realizes that Telemachus’s companion is actually Athena. The goddess also appears to Odysseus in her own form at multiple points in his journey.
Hospitality
Hospitality serves as an important symbol of civilization and piety in the story of Odysseus’s wanderings. In civilized places, including the island of the Phaeacians and Greek cities such as Ithaca, Pylos, and Ithaca, hospitality is the norm. Likewise, when Athena visits Ithaca disguised as Mentes in Book 1, the young Telemachus demonstrates his virtuous nature by welcoming his guest graciously and offering food and hospitality. In Books 3 and 4, when Telemachus travels to Pylos and Sparta, Nestor and Menelaus both host him generously and in Books 6-13, the Phaeacians offer Odysseus hospitality and even convey him safely to Ithaca with many gifts. Finally, in Book 15, the cowherd Eumaeus gives Odysseus food and a place to stay even though he is poor.
On the other hand, Odysseus’s encounters with creatures, peoples, and deities that exist outside the bounds of civilization—including the cyclopes and the Laestrygonians—are marked by a breakdown in the practice of hospitality. When Odysseus tells the cyclops Polyphemus that “guests are under the protection of Zeus” (96), Polyphemus only scoffs before proceeding to kill and eat two of Odysseus’s men. Similarly, the suitors demonstrate their injustice when they mistreat the “beggar” who comes to the palace. Because hospitality is closely tied to religious piety in ancient Greek culture, the story focuses on the punishments of those who fail to respect the customs of hospitality; Polyphemus is blinded by Odysseus and his men, while the suitors are all slaughtered.
