Friday, August 27, 2010

The Odyssey

My big question for my blog is: What does it mean to be an insider or outsider and how does it affect our personality?

In the Odyssey there are a few "outsider" characters such as Telemachus. He doesn't fit in at home because of the suitors. He basically got shoved out of his mother's love because of her never ending grief for his father. So he grows up alone surrounded by complete jerks for the most part. I find it super surprising that he grew up to be a strong man and helps his father in the end. His outsider status in his house obviously helped him to grow as a character and person in the poem.

However his mother is a completely different story, I would call her an insider considering all the attention she garnered from the various men after her. She stays shockingly strong (despite all the random crying fits). After 20 years it would make sense that she would marry someone else but she decides her husband is more important. So it would seem their great separation did them some good to show how strong their relationship really was.

But let's not forget the greatest outsiders that make awesome hero's in the end. The swine herdsmen. Even though they are slaves they still stand by their masters. It says a lot about their character and the character of their master. Because seriously what slave would actually help their owner....unless he was totally and utterly fair. After being put down for so long and abused by the suitors it only seems like a fair trade that they get to help exact revenge on them. They must have had complete love for Odysseus or else they wouldn't have even bothered.

So in the end whether you are in insider or an outsider in the Odyssey your life starts with tragedy but ends in a fairytale...except for the suitors but they caused their own fate.

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