Discuss the significance of the relationship between Somax and Priam By Hugh Binks

The relationship between Somax and Priam is intrinsic in understanding ‘Ransom’. David Malouf’s novel ‘Ransom’ is a reinterpretation of book 24 of the Iliad, an epic poem composed by Homer in approximately the 8th century BC. Using shifting perspectives and flashbacks, Malouf explores the world through the eyes of a king, Priam, and a “simple carter” Somax as they undertake a seemingly perilous journey together. Somax, who has been chosen as Priam’s herald on the king’s journey to ransom the body of his son Hector, encourages Priam to experience the simple pleasures of the world outside his kingly sphere. Empathy is established between the two men as they both have been “blessed and then unblessed” by sons. Furthermore, Somax delivers key messages about life and endurance to Priam. While the protagonists of Ransom are the Greek warrior Achilles and Priam, the interaction of Priam and Somax is an important aspect of the novel, and tells us much about Priam and Somax

Meaning is delivered by Malouf through the ways in which Priam and Somax view things. Priam is a man who is shaped by his past and is “obliged in his role as king”. Initially “wracked with grief” over the death and mutilation of his son Hector by the Greek warrior Achilles, Priam is encouraged by Iris, the messenger of the gods, to ransom the body of Hector. Priam undertakes this mission against all rational opposition, deciding to go as “the world is also subject to chance”. Embracing this idea of chance, Priam is determined to go not “as a king” to Achilles, but “man to man” and “as a father”. Priam discards his kingly appearance and hires the “simple workman” Somax, the owner of two strong black mules. A simple man with two black mules had appeared in a vision to Priam from the gods, prompting him to seek such a companion for his risky venture.

Somax, an original character created by Malouf, offers the reader a different perspective in the way a “commoner” views the world as opposed to a king. This is demonstrated when an eagle appears in the royal courtyard. Somax initially sees it as being a “chickenhawk”, highlighting his simplicity. On the other hand, Priam and the rest of the Trojan royalty, who are attuned with the gods, see the eagle as “a symbol of Jove” and a sign that the gods are supporting Priam on his journey. The opposite outlooks of Somax and Priam portray to the reader the different worlds they come from.

One of the most vital parts of the connection between Priam and Somax is the ways in which Somax introduces Priam to new experiences. The worlds of Priam and Somax are very different. Priam is a king and he is obliged to maintain his kingly role as he is “the fountainhead of all that keeps Troy civil and just”. He is not supposed to be interested in things that are “not part of the royal sphere”, isolating him from the experiences of the natural world and the world of the commoner. In contrast, Somax lives in a very different world where “he had never in all his life till now had to do with any but simple folk like himself”. Eager to appease the king and not affront him, Somax presents Priam to the “simple pleasures” of the outside world. Indeed, Somax’s actions have an impact on Priam as the “coolness of the water” and the “griddlecakes” ease the burden of the journey, making him feel “comfortably restored”. Additionally, fitting in with the concept of Priam’s spiritual awakening, Priam understands through Somax’s encouragements that “what was new could also be pleasurable”.

Somax’s views on life also have a great impact on Priam. Priam, “in his own world”, was raised to believe that “power lay in containment” and not in speech, reconsiders the importance of speech by observing how Somax “let his tongue run on” and it “did so little harm” to himself. This is intrinsic in understanding how Priam changes as he notices that the world outside of the palace “was a prattling world”. Furthermore, Somax conveys Malouf’s belief that despite the hardships and tragedies in life, people can endure, “we go on. For all our losses”. In fact, it is the endurance of the characters through their struggles which allow them to feel relief. An instrument of the author, Somax delivers key messages to Priam and the reader.

Empathy is established between Somax and Priam, showing what they have in common. Both men have been “blessed and then unblessed by sons”, sharing a joy in raising them and grief when their lives are cut short. But the two men have a different connection with their children. Somax, who is “neither a prince nor a warrior, just a villager like so many more”, has been deeply affected by the death of his children and speaks about them to Priam “so full of emotion”. He displays intimacy and treasures his granddaughter and his mule Beauty, who are the only living links to his lost sons. Conversely, Priam, who thinks that “he of all men knew what it was to lose a son”, does not share the same intimacy that Somax does with his sons. To Priam, his relationship with his children “was formal and symbolic”. While Priam views his children in this way in order to seek refuge from “the unnecessary and particular” brutality of war that has cost him so many sons, he feels regret as “the ghostly recollection now of what he had never in fact allowed himself to see made his old heart leap and flutter”. Filled with curiosity of Somax’s tale and regret over the feeling he had felt for his children, Priam becomes the one to press Somax on with his tale. The tale connects Priam with Somax and Priam is so affected by it and his other conversations with Somax that he vows to “remember all this”. The understanding between Somax and Priam causes them to share their common losses.

Malouf’s novel “Ransom” displays the importance of the relationship between King Priam and Somax the “simple carter”. With imagery, dialogue and storytelling, Malouf contrasts and compares the similarities and differences between Priam and Somax. The character of Somax teaches Priam, who is out of his comfort zone, the wonder in making the most out of what people receive in life and the value of sons. Even though the ransom Priam offers for Hector’s body is the centrepiece of the novel, the relationship between Priam and Somax leads the reader to understand the king and his people so much more deeply.