In Homer’s Odyssey, the main charater, Odysseus, emerges as a heroic figure. How ever, in order to be a gero Odysseus must face and overcome numerous emotional, physical and mental hardships. The challenges he endures start at the begining in Ithaca before he went to war at Troy. He had to face many challenges on the day he left ithaca and the way back home to Ithaca to be with his beloved family. The first hardships he endured were to leave his family and first born son, and his kingdom behind.
AT Troy he has lost some of his best friend and had fought for 10 years without seeing his family, but his hardship does not end at Troy for he has to travel 10 more years in order to return home. He faced monsters, witches, gods, and lost all of his men. Even when ge returned home, he had other obstacles to endure also; such as hiding his identity and having to plot a plan to get his kingdom back. Odysseus actions can be said to the part clever and part stupid. For he was clever when he said taht he was No man to Polyphemas so that the other Cyclopes won’t know who blinded Polyphemas.
He was also clever to keep his identity to himself and only to Telemach, who he was at Ithaca. He was not the type taht goes on a suicide mission and runs to his family knowing that other people, such as the suitors, would just kill him before he reaches his wife. He was clever for hiscalmness, for his plan on how to get his kingdom back. He was stupid for telling his name to Polyphemas when he was sailing away, and other times like when he got the bag of winds.
He should have told his crew what was in the bag he would not have to spent 10 more years wandering somewhere and trying to get home. These things effect many people such as Penelope, Telemachos, his mother, his crew, and maybe the suitors. If he had not told his name and told the crew what was in the bag, he would be home and his mother would not have died, Penelope would not have to worry about the suitors for they would not have started to eat their belonging and Telemachos would have a better life.
Even the crew and suitors could have still be alive. These challenges were important for the character/s life. It was a good thing that Odyseeeus knew that his wife cared for him a lot and would not betray him Yet, this is bad because in order to learn this he had to be away for 20 years. These challenges were important because each of the main characters had to endure many trails before they got back to the place where they wanted to be.
