Book Report On The Novel ' Xvi '

Odysseus must now face the other suitors in order to win Penelope. He must rely on physical strength to get past this task then to face Penelope and convince her it is really Odysseus. After defeating the other suitors Odysseus was cleaned up and made to

This book unites characters and events from the past, present, and future to help Odysseus see why he needs to get home quickly. Odysseus's mother is the most important character from the past with whom Odysseus reunites. Odysseus did not know his mother died while he was away and found out while he was looking for Teiresias. Odysseus states, "now came the soul of Antikleia, dead, my mother…seeing this ghost I grieved" (187). She asks him how he came to Hades, a place that is "no sight for living eyes" (190). Odysseus tells her he came to see Teiresias, then asks her about the rest of his family. She tells him Penelope is grieving for him and his son has taken over his kingdom. Odysseus then asks, "what was the bane that pinned you down in Death?" (190). She answers that she died of a broken heart, longing for her son to return. This conversation is a direct link to Odysseus's past.

Next, Telemachus did as Mentor told him and sailed off to Pylos in search of his father. When Telemachus landed on the shore of Pylos, he found King Nestor and his son sacrificing bulls to the Gods. Telemachus is graciously received by Nestor, and is invited to be a guest at dinner. After dinner Telemachus and Nestor introduce themselves and Telemachus explains the reason for his visit. Nestor does not provide

Still he searches out for clues and any information of the possible demise of his father. He is willing to go far and wide just for the knowledge of his father's whereabouts. He is a faithful son and aids his father in all possible ways as Odysseus returns and reclaims what is legitimately his. Telemachus is there to fight side by side with his father whom he has only loved in his heart and mind. Some would call that blind faith. Just as the God whom we serve today calls us to love and serve him without seeing him with our eyes, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Although Odysseus is Telemachus' earthly father, one can see the parallels. He is as devoted to Odysseus as Penelope is; yet he has no actual memory of his father what so ever.

The relationship between Telemachus and his mother is that of a mother and son but also head of household and subordinate member of the household. Up until the beginning of the poem, Penelope had been Telemachus’ authority figure. But as Telemachus starts to mature and gain confidence with help from the goddess, Athena, he becomes the authority figure for Penelope, giving her advice and wisdom. One example is when the minstrel sings a song that reminds Penelope of her husband, Odysseus, and she asks for him to stop singing because it brings her pain to think of him. But

Later, Eurycleia washes Odysseus’s feet and notices his scar. She realizes it’s Odysseus right away, but Odysseus pleads her to keep himself a secret. Then, Penelope decides to marry the man who could shoot an arrow through holes of 12 axes.

While Odyesseus was gone his son Telemachus has grown into a man and his wife Penelope is overwhelmed by suitors who think Odysseus is dead. These suitors have been living in Odysseus’ home eating his food trying to overrun his palace. While Poseidon is away from Olympus, Penelope convinces the other gods to help Odysseus return home. In disguise in Ithaca, she convinces Telemachus to look for his father. Telemachus goes to Pylos and finds out that Odysseus is being held prisoner by Calypso. Zeus orders that Odysseus be allowed to go home so he leaves on a raft.

Odysseus’s wife, Penelope lives back in their town, Ithaka, is being pressured by unwanted suitors. Their son, Telemachos, is visited by the goddess Athene. Athene was quite close with Odysseus, and she tells Telemachos to go looking for his missing father. He travels to Pylos to see the King, Nestor. Nestor takes him in, gives him dinner and then tells him to go see King Menelaos in Sparta. Telemachos does as he’s told and travels to Sparta to see King Menelaos. He tells him that his father Odysseus is alive and is being kept captive on Kalypso’s island. He also tells him that his brother, King Agamemnon, has been murdered by his own wife, Klytamestra, and her lover Aigisthos. But, Agamemnon’s son, Orestes has killed his father’s murderers

Odysseus is brought back to being a human because he has conflict with the suitors.

Odysseus invited himself to an open feast of the king and elders in Phaeacia where he begged Arete for mercy. Odysseus was observed by the feasters lying at Arete's feet begging for rapid voyage home along with praying that the God's give good fortune to the feasters. Echeneus, the eldest Lord in Phaeacia responded by stating,

The loss of his wife is also very important, because twenty years of staying loyal to a husband which Penelope has not seen or heard from in a long time is not fair. A young Telemachus cautiously replied, “I’ll try, my friend, to give you a frank answer. Mother has always told me I’m his son, it’s true, but I am not so certain. Who, on his own, has ever really known who gave him life?” (1. 248-251).

This statement is very telling as it defines not only the appearance of the great Odysseus, but also the son he left behind. Furthermore, it begins to develop a timeline of actions by announcing that Odysseus left home when Telemachus was only a baby. Nestor recognizes that Odysseus ' appearance, vivacity, and personality are apparent in his progeny, Telemachus. This is encouraging to Telemachus as he hears that he resembles the great king Odysseus. As Telemachus presses for news of what has become of his father, Telemachus learns that his father may yet be alive and held captive by a goddess-nymph named Calypso. He then glorifies the strong will of Orestes and encourages Telemachus to do the same: "And you, my friend - / how tall and handsome I see you now - be brave, you too, / so men to come will sing your praises down the years." (3, 226 - 227).

Now we return to the re-encounter of the father and the son. They spend twenty years apart from each other undergoing trials and hardship that poise them for their final confrontation. Telemachus and Odysseus both arrive on the island of Ithaca within more or less the same time period. And they both, out of prudence and devotion, seek safety in the swineherd's security; in this they are analogous. Odysseus' restraint is shown when he abstains from revealing his identity to his son until Eumaeus has exited. Before father and son first recognize each other, and before Telemachus knows that he is talking to his father, an interesting phenomenon occurs in which both father and son demonstrate their humility and likeness to each other. The event involves Odysseus offering his seat to Telemachus and Telemachus refusing the offer. The significance of this event is that Odysseus, who is in disguise as a beggar, is a more dominant man than Telemachus and modest enough to offer his seat. Telemachus in turn knows that he is a better man than a beggar but refuses chivalrously to take the beggar's seat. The

Through his journey to Pylos and Sparta, Telemachus, who was born into a very privileged and high ranking family, learns how to use his inherited social status and connections for his own interests, which will help him mature into manhood. Telemachus was never old enough to remember what it was like when his father was around. Since Odysseus left, he has lived with his mom and nurse. However, for three years, he has been overwhelmed by suitors, who have taken over his house. Odysseus was never able to show Telemachus how to stand up for himself. Telemachus has been less than passive when going about doing things to get what he wants. When Athena comes and tells him that his father is going to come home, he realizes he has been ignoring what he knows is wrong, such as the suitors throwing parties every night, and that he needs to stop them. He doesn’t have any idea of how he is going to find his father when Athena comes, but he along his way finds that he has many resources and connections at hand that will allow him to find out what happened to his dad. Athena, disguised as Mentor, an old friend of Odysseus, encourages Telemachus to talk to Nestor. "Telemachus, no more shyness, this is not the time!/ We sailed the seas for this, for news of your father —// So go right up to Nestor...// Press him yourself to tell the whole truth:/ he'll never lie — the man is far too wise"(3.16-22) Here, Athena is encouraging Telemachus to be assertive, to get what the needs to know to find his father. Telemachus responds, "How can I greet him, Mentor, even approach the king?/ I'm hardly adept at subtle conversation./ Someone my age might feel shy, what's more,/ interrogating an older man."/ (3.23-27) He is intimidated. The irony is that he himself is of the higher class, and if Odysseus had been home, he would be accustomed to these interactions. This is Odysseus learning that he has high social status and can enjoy the privileges he was born with, such as being able to talk to the king. While there, Telemachus learns of the fate of the family of Agamemnon. Agamemnon came home to find his wife in love with Aegisthus, and together they kill him. Orestes, one of Agamemnon’s sons, avenges his father’s murder and kills

In the Underworld, Odysseus meets many different shades, or ghosts. In order for these shades to talk to Odysseus, they have to drink the sacrificed blood. The first shade to talk to Odysseus was Elpenor. Elpenor is one of Odysseus' crew mates that Odysseus has left behind at Circe's home. Unfortunately, he falls off of Circe's roof and dies. Odysseus is sad and ashamed for not being up to task. After, Elpenor asks for a proper burial because he did not receive one. Odysseus accepts and promises that he will carry out this task. Odysseus then sees his mom, Anticlea. He is surprised that she is a shade, but they do not talk just yet. Tereisias of Thebes, the dead blind prophet, shows up. He warns Odysseus of Helios' cattle and that he will die if he eats it. He tells Odysseus that he will be the only one to survive getting back to Ithaca and his companions will die. He warns him that even when he gets home, he will have to deal with troubling suitors and most likely, have to kill them all. Not only that, Odysseus has to travel far inland. He then has to make a very important sacrifice to Poseidon and pray for peace. Odyssseus then speaks back to his mother, and wants to know about his family situation back in Ithaca. She tells him that Telemachus has grown older but still cannot fight against the troubling and overwhelming suitors. Also, Penelope is loyal but still very depressed. He tried to hug his mother three times, but failed because she