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Obstacle Or Opportunity: Journeys in the Odyssey Western Washington University Western CEDAR WWU Honors Program Senior Projects WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship Spring 1999 Obstacle or Opportunity: Journeys in the Odyssey Heather Kaschmitter Western Washington University Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Kaschmitter, Heather, "Obstacle or Opportunity: Journeys in the Odyssey" (1999). WWU Honors Program Senior Projects. 245. https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/245 This Project is brought to you for free and open access by the WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in WWU Honors Program Senior Projects by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY_____________________________ ______________ An equal opportunityuniversity HonBors Program Bellingham, Washington 98225-9089 (360)650-3034 Fax (360) 650-7305 HONORS THESIS In presenting this honors paper in partial requirements for a bachelor ’s degree at Western Washington University, I agree that the Library shall make its copies freely available for inspection. I further agree that extensive copying of this thesis is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood that anv publication of this thesis for commercial Burposes or for financial gain shall not be allowed without mv written permission. OBSTACLE OR OPPORTUNITY: Journeys in the Odyssey An Honors Senior Project by Heather Kaschmitter June 1999 They bent to their rowing, and with their oars tossed up the sea spray, and upon the eyes of Odysseus there fell a sleep, gentle, the sweetest kind of sleep with no awakening, most like death; while the ship, as in a field four stallions drawing a chariot all break together at the stroke of the whiplash, and lifting high their feet lightly beat out their path, so the stem of this ship would lift and the creaming wave behind her boiled amain in the thunderous crash of the sea. She ran on very steady and never wavering; even the falcon, that hawk that flies lightest of winged creatures, could not have paced her so lightly did she mn on her way and cut through the sea’s waves. She carried a man with a mind like the gods for counsel, one whose spirit up to this time had endured much, suffering many pains: the wars of men, hard crossing of the big waters; but now he slept still, oblivious of all he had suffered. (Lattimore, XIII. 78-92) The final leg of Odysseus’journeyhome occurs nearly halfway through the poem, serving as a transitional point. Odysseus, having related his adventures to the Phaeacians, can move on from them. It is Athena who guided Odysseus, still trembling from all he has experienced, to the palace of King Alcinods in Scheria. The goddess knew that the healing process would begin there. In writing of the sadness, rage, and tears that Odysseus displays at a banquet given for him by Alcinoos, Homer makes some of the initial "observations as to the effects of combat on men,” (Schwartz, 26) which we might now label as Post Traumatic 1 Stress Disorder. (It should be noted that this is strictly a 2Cf^ century term.) To compliment this idea, the Phaeacians serve almost as counselors for Odysseus, providing a secure community in which Odysseus can release all of his pent-up experiences. Scheria is the midway point in his journey; it is between the supernatural and the human. Set in Edenic surroundings, it represents the ideal human civilization. It is here that he relates his adventures of the past decade, and the first time that we as readers hear the tale. His progression —from the wisdom mentioned as he sleeps to a "waking ignorance of his whereabouts” (Clay, 191) (compliments of Athena's mist)~is crucial. It is not irrelevant that Odysseus is asleep when he arrives home, although it is ironic; one usually is alert or aware when awake and unaware when asleep. It is strange that Odysseus sleeps through this part of his homecoming, since he has looked forward to it for two decades. But not all is what it appears to be in the Odyssey; sleep is a kind of transition through which he must pass, with Athena as his guide. As he sleeps, his past sufferings become a dream, a memory. In turn, when he wakes on Ithaca, he will be prepared to face the future. Although Odysseus sees Ithaca, he cannot recognize it—"seeing is not the equivalent of knowing. ” (Clay, 191) The mist Athena creates to hide Ithaca’s identity from Odysseus makes an opportunity for disguising Odysseus so that no one recognizes him until he has had his revenge, and also allows her to explain to him what he can expect at home. (192) It is of the greatest importance that Athena, "the cleverest of the gods," and Odysseus, "the wiliest of mortals," meet face to face (glorious Athena, undisguised) for 2 the first time on Ithaca for a duel of wits. (188) It reveals the especially close relationship between Athena and Odysseus. Simply knowing she is present will allay doubts he may have about the future, and this will strengthen any weaknesses he may have once at home. Most of all, Athena’s presence bridges the gap between "the wandering adventures of the past and the reestablishment of Odysseus on Ithaca." (190) Thus far, she has done everything in her power to protect him, and she now disguises him from those who may harm him. This allows him time to get a feel for the situation at home and to plot his revenge After being gone for twenty years, any man would be eager to come home. But when Odysseus returns home to Ithaca, he is still as cautious as ever. His self-control and denial of immediate impulse had been useful in protecting him from harm in the past, and he seems to know instinctively that one cannot jump into a homecoming, especially after such a great deal of time. Ostensibly, he must wait because the conditions at home may have evolved radically since his departure, but this wait also allows an opportunity for the healing process to occur, a process which should not be rushed. In a war, soldiers give up a part of their hearts for their causes, their societies, and their families. This kind of sacrifice "must be honored and dealt with so [a warrior] can return to the work of the real world without bringing glory and madness within him.” (Heidlebaugh in Red Eagle, x) In other words, a period of adjustment and quiet is needed. Athena herself tells Odysseus that there is more that he must endure at home, and stresses the need for the continuation of patience and secrecy. (Clay, 199-200) The first hint of the (necessary) hardship involved in the homecoming process comes near the beginning of the poem, when Calypso (her name means "the concealer" in 3 Greek) receives a message from Zeus delivered by Hermes demanding the release of Odysseus. For seven years she has detained him by constraint (IV. 557-58) on her island; that is enough. But there is a catch; Zeus decrees that Odysseus’journey home is to be undertaken with neither mortal nor immortal help, on a ship that Odysseus must himself construct. Calypso’s covering "which hides Odysseus away from the world he knows and that knows him is to be lifted only gradually and under hardship.” (Thornton, 16-17) Odysseus' former perceptions of reality and the world are obscured or changed by the mists of new knowledge that may either confuse or enlighten him. Just as Calypso's mist prevents his homecoming, Athena's mist protects him when he does come home. Mists, divine or otherwise, play both literal and metaphorical roles throughout the whole poem. From a postmodernist perspective, Homer spends a great deal of time constructing and deconstructing binaries of image and reality. Simply put, nothing is what it seems. Every place that his journey takes him, every being that he meets, forces him constantly to redvaluate human-made categories such as nature and culture. Everything Odysseus comes into contact with is scrutinized (Thalmann, 72) and reinterpreted. Odysseus encounters all types of beings and places, ranging from the divine or superhuman to human to inhuman monsters. For example, where would Polyphemos, the Cyclops, be placed—in the nature category or the culture category? Polyphemos is less than human in many respects, but more human than animal in others. His cannibalism makes him seem animal-like, but he can speak like a person. He does have an intellect, but is outwitted by the clever Odysseus. Odysseus-as well as the reader-swims in the confused gray areas that color many of his travels. With this kind of 4 inconsistency and instability, Odysseus’ inherent skepticism and caution become increasingly indispensable skills necessary for survival. Already in the fact of Odysseus’ survival, there is ample evidence supporting the idea that Odysseus has the qualities that make him a different kind of hero than, say, Achilles in the Iliad. Achilles "gained honor and fame at the cost of an early though glorious death in battle. The Odyssey, by contrast, is a poem of survival.” (Thalmann, 11) It praises more than physical prowess. Odysseus has many nicknames in the poem that describe him as possessing the qualities of a hero: "man of many ways” (I. 1) and "godlike" (I. 21). Odysseus is known for being "wily" and resourceful as well. A hero is usually defined as having "distinguished courage or ability", "noble qualities", or "godlike prowess, ” and many aspects of this dictionary definition apply to Odysseus.
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