Santiago's Journey

This theme is developed through Odysseus’ beliefs and actions. When Odysseus is telling the Phaeacians where he is from, he makes a point about the importance of home, “Where shall a man find sweetness to surpass his own home and his parents? In far lands he shall not, though he find a house of gold.” (895). This reveals that Odysseus finds home to not be a place, but a feeling that is above all others. He uses this to drive himself until he can return home. This is why Odysseus had enough willpower on his 20-year journey back to Ithaca. Additionally,

Heroes, as shown in literature, often undertake the most difficult tasks and place themselves in mortal danger in order to bring back, for themselves and their societies, both knowledge and treasure. Their stories follow “Hero Journey.” The Odyssey, as the epic story of the hero Odysseus, follows closely the complete cycle of a Hero Journey, both as a physical and as a psychological undertaking. The Hero Journey, used as a framework for both Odysseus’ physical and mental journeys, serves to bind the two together. Each of Odysseus’s physical difficulties can be viewed as a metaphor for a psychological hardship that he must overcome, and by overcoming these hardships, Odysseus matures—achieving a more complete understanding of himself and

Although Odysseus wants to get home as fast as possible, that does not mean he did not have an adventure, but the opinion of whether the

Odysseus is the main character in an epic poem called the Odyssey. In the poem Odysseus has had some bad luck getting home, with some of the gods helping him and some hindering him; his journey towards home is a constant struggle. In this poem we see a man being broke and rebuilt, through constant irony his faith was damaged and without the help of Athena he probably would have given up on his journey. Through his hard work and wise spirit he finally does achieve his goal.

Odysseus seeks adventure out of reckless curiosity. On the tiresome voyage to get home, Odysseus

The Hero’s Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer’s The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from being a

After the Trojan War, it took Odysseus years to get home. The winds swept him and his crew way off course and “drove [them] wandering past Cythera” (Homer 3). He also had to make his way through the “land of the lotus” and the “land of the Cyclopes” which was very difficult (Homer 3). These are just a few obstacles that prohibited him from getting to his homeland sooner. This is similar to Santiago because he too faced many obstacles that made his journey even longer. When he first headed to his destination, he was conned by a thief. He had no money, so he worked at a crystal shop. He had lost his motivation, and he thought of finding his treasure as “distant a dream for him as was Mecca for the merchant” (Coelho 40). He regained hope after nine months and decided to continue his journey. He faced many more obstacles after this, that further increased the amount of time of his journey. Because of all the complications faced by both Santiago and Odysseus, they experienced a long journey.

Odysseus runs into many challenges on his way back to Ithaca but he emerges victorious. Odysseus

Odysseus and Salak desire to reach a destination, but the significance of

Lyndon B. Johnson once said, “Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time”. In the Odyssey the main character Odysseus sets out on a journey that leads him to face many obstacles. He is forced to resist temptation , pridefulness, and being away from his family. Each one of this obstacles had a tremendous affect on him and how he is portrayed as a character. In the Odyssey, Homer uses Odysseus’s journey to show how one’s journey can affect them as a person.

A journey is a path of personal struggles that can ultimately lead to a great achievement, leaving the adventurer strongly affected by the experience. The impact of struggle on an adventurer can be clearly seen in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, and Kira Salak’s travel narrative The Cruelest Journey: 600 Miles to Timbuktu as the protagonists undertake journeys of their own, changing their outlook for future events. The Odyssey’s protagonist, Odysseus, finds himself wandering across many islands after the Battle of Troy, facing various foes for twenty long years, returning home to Ithaca, and having to save his wife and son from suitors. Similarly, Kira Salak, an explorer, writer, and protagonist of The Cruelest Journey must endure the harsh environment of West Africa as she prepares and attempts to travel down the Niger River in a kayak

Odysseus and Salak both start their quests by wanting to reach a certain destination. “...who has been wandering for ten years on the seas, to find his way home to his family

Traveling from one place to another, physically moving, is beneficial in changing scenery and changing perspective however, physical travel is not the only travel that brings about a positive change in people. Metaphysical travel, also known as a mental or spiritual exploration, is just as powerful as a physical one. Dante, in his epic poem Inferno, and Odysseus, in the epic tale written by Homer known as The Odyssey, experience travel in the physical and mental state. Dante travels through Purgatory, Hell, and Heaven upon force to reevaluate where he has come in his life. Dante’s journey forces him to think about the cost of decisions each person makes in this life that affects the next one. Odysseus is physically separated from his family and most go through mental and physical obstacles to get back to them. He must figure out what he wants most and find the strength to fight for it. Though Dante and Odysseus experience contrasting adventures and tribulations both individual’s journeys change their future courses and give them enlightenment into the rest of their lives. Both forms of travel are valid for growth and necessary to bring about positive and new perspective to Dante and Odysseus.

A young shepherd boy from Spain and was named Santiago who starts to have a recurring dream of travel and fortune and embarks on a journey to achieve his foretold personal legend and finds more to the land,people,places,and religions of the country in which he lived. He traveled great distances and met many new people and explored their ideals and continuously explored his personal legend,others personal legend, and what a personal legend is/means to everyone.

Santiago stands over his discovered treasure and places Urim and Thummim in the chest as they are also a part of his treasure as a reminder of the old king who he would never see again. “It's true; life really is generous to those who pursue their destiny, the boy thought. Then he remembered that he had to get to Tarifa so he could give one-tenth of his treasure to the Gypsy woman, as he had promised. Those Gypsies are really smart, he thought. Maybe it was because they moved around so much”. And with that he began his journey back to Fatima.