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Rama Vs Odyssey

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Realism versus Perfection:
Throughout history, different cultures have created heroes as representations of the ideals that these cultures value. Often times these heroes have very little or no flaws, such is the case with the Hindu hero Rama. On the other hand, some heroes have many virtuous attributes to them, while still containing flaws, creating a more realistic and achievable hero, such as with Odysseus. Both of these heroes represent the principles that were valued from their respective cultures of origin; therefore, the heroes themselves are representations of the society during the time of their (the heroes) creation. These heroes serve as guides to how the people of their respective cultures try to lead their lives, which makes Perfect heroes problematic for people who try to follow their actions.…show more content…
Although Odysseus and Rama are similar in the fact that they are both heroes who long to reunite with their respective wives, the differences between them are clear. Odysseus is a very flawed character, which allows modern readers to relate to him easier than Rama, who is nearly perfect in every aspect, and serves more as an idealization of how to behave in Hindu culture, rather than a realistic and relatable hero. Despite their differences, both heroes share a common journey. Odysseus’s journey takes place after the war, with Odysseus choosing to fight in the war for ten years, voluntarily leaving his family behind. Likewise, Rama chose to accept his fourteen-year exile out of respect to his father, despite his family and community begging him to stay and rule as king. However, Odysseus causes the prolonging of his return home, due to his arrogance after outsmarting Polyphemus, whereas Ravana kidnapping Sita prolonged and increased the difficulty of Rama’s exile. Another similarity between the two stems from the divine forces that helped them along their journeys. Rama, being a reincarnation of the god Vishnu, has a
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