Odysseus Journey In Homer's The Odyssey

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In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus’s journey has three main stages: the separation, the initiation, and the transformation. The separation, or the call, is what sends him on his heroic quest. The initiation, or the challenges and temptations, consists of the trials that brave Odysseus must face while on his lengthy voyage. Finally, the transformation, or his return, occurs when the jaded hero has changed as a result of his arduous adventure and encounters other difficulties upon his homecoming. Odysseus’s great expedition lasts twenty years and has three main components. To begin, the hero Odysseus s called to war and separated from his homeland, wife, and child. There are actually two calls in Homer’s Odyssey. The first is the call to arms, in which neighboring kingdoms ask him to fight alongside them in the war against…show more content…
Many people believe that Odysseus died at sea, and many men are happy for his death. Others, including his son, Telemachus, do not accept the theory that he died a sailor’s death and await his return. When Odysseus asks a swineherd and a cowherd what they think of him, the cowherd cries out, “Ah, let the master come! Father Zeus, grant our old wish! Some courier guide him back! Then judge what stuff is in me and how I manage arms!” (773). Even though many people are glad to have him back, he has changed. He is older by twenty years, and he has learned much through his experiences. Odysseus is a true hero now because he defends his homeland, he has been victorious in all his battles, he is loyal to his kingdom and his servants, and he has come to respect the gods and goddesses. Odysseus himself tells the swineherd the cowherd, “I am home for I am he. I bore adversities, but in the twentieth year I am ashore in my land” (773). Odysseus has heard the call, faced every challenge and obstacle, and returned home, changed in all but his core desire: his longing for home and

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