In the story The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is a self-centered warrior who feels as if he will never face defeat. Odysseus’ men are also selfish and constantly make decisions based on the well-being of themselves and with total disregard for others. However, throughout their journey amongst the many islands of Greece, they learn to be more humble and they realize that life isn’t always about winning. Odysseus and his men learn to be humble by making mistakes, having bad consequences, and feeling pain.
The mistakes made by Odysseus teach us that everybody is destined to blunder at some point in their life. The reader may think that Odysseus is a flawless warrior; however, his actions show how even the strongest of warriors face misfortune and mishaps. For example, when Odysseus tells the Cyclops his real name on page 227 (lines 558-562), “‘Cyclops if any man on the face of the earth should ask you blinded you, shamed you so —say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” he ends …show more content…
Before the war, Odysseus feels as if he would never feel a sense of heartache, however, the war teaches him that everyone is going to hurt at some point. Odysseus feels pain when he sees his mother’s spirit in Hades and realizes that he would never see her again, “‘But look, the ghost of my mother came! My mother, dead and gone now… Anticleia —daughter of that great heart Autolycus — whom I had left alive when I sailed for sacred Troy. I broke into tears to see her here, but filled with pity, even throbbing with grief, I would not let her ghost approach the blood till I had questioned Tiresias myself.” In this moment, Odysseus learns that life isn’t easy and there will be moments of grief that must overcome. The sense of pain he feels now is transient and once he grows stronger again, he will be able to
The mistakes made by Odysseus teach us that everybody is destined to blunder at some point in their life. The reader may think that Odysseus is a flawless warrior; however, his actions show how even the strongest of warriors face misfortune and mishaps. For example, when Odysseus tells the Cyclops his real name on page 227 (lines 558-562), “‘Cyclops if any man on the face of the earth should ask you blinded you, shamed you so —say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” he ends …show more content…
Before the war, Odysseus feels as if he would never feel a sense of heartache, however, the war teaches him that everyone is going to hurt at some point. Odysseus feels pain when he sees his mother’s spirit in Hades and realizes that he would never see her again, “‘But look, the ghost of my mother came! My mother, dead and gone now… Anticleia —daughter of that great heart Autolycus — whom I had left alive when I sailed for sacred Troy. I broke into tears to see her here, but filled with pity, even throbbing with grief, I would not let her ghost approach the blood till I had questioned Tiresias myself.” In this moment, Odysseus learns that life isn’t easy and there will be moments of grief that must overcome. The sense of pain he feels now is transient and once he grows stronger again, he will be able to