The Appeal of Home :: Essays Papers

The conjure up of HomeIn the Greek camp at the end of the Iliad, we percolate Achilleus arrive at the conclusion that is the theme of the entire poemthat to be mortal is to suffer. However, Homer leaves unanswered the logical question regarding this conclusion If to sleep with is to suffer, therefore why live at all? This then becomes the important question of the Odyssey, in which we be given an entirely different salmagundi of character who rejects two distinct possibilitiesan undying relationship and a utopian communityfor his own wife and his homecoming (I, 13). The question we are then compelled to ask is, what could Penelope and his Ithakan household possibly offer that is worth much than utopia and immortality? To illustrate what Odysseus couldve had, Homer shows us a contrast for each facet of Odysseuss longinga couple and a community. Through these contrasts, we are shown just why these options dont measure up for Odysseus. The immortal couple is embodied in the ma rriage of Helen and Menelaos, who have been promised the equivalent of imperishable bliss in the Elysian Fields. While Menelaos had his homecoming delayed, he never had to resist temptation along the way. The Trojan War and the journey gage are nostalgic stories for him, to be recounted for guests as a means of recapturing the medieval glory of fighting. And Helen, unlike Penelope, certainly has never been one to spurn enthralling men and remain loyal to her conserve, or to anything at all for that matter. She could not even choose a side in a war fought ostensibly for her sake (IV, 250-284). It is meaningful that, rather than have to deal with the guests weeping, she slips something in their drinks to prevent their show of emotion (IV, 219-227). Helen avoids connection with men while her husband wants only to connect with the past. Once guaranteed immortality, there is no pressing train for either of them to attempt the extraordinarily difficult task of truly disposition o ne another because there is always time for that later. This is the marriage that Odysseus couldve had had he stayed with Kalypso, but he understands its emptiness and refuses it, instead choosing a woman whom he knows has spent the interceding years resisting men whom Helen wouldve jumped right into bed with.But Odysseus returns for much than just the single meaningful relationship between himself and Penelope.