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Homer - The Odyssey - Episode 5 - Home And Penelope Reunited!

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Hi, I\\u2019m Christy Shriver and we\\u2019re here to discuss books that have changed the world and have changed us.\\xa0

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And I\\u2019m Garry Shriver and this is the How to Love Lit Podcast.\\xa0 Today we conclude our discussion over the Odyssey, the timeless 24 books that introduced us to so many monsters and legends, but, of course, it goes without saying, we\\u2019ve just scratched the surface in understanding how all of this has influenced our world.\\xa0 In fact, even as we claim to be on the last episode, we\\u2019re still just a little over halfway through the story itself.\\xa0 Our task today is to fly through the rest of the books in 45 minutes give or take a few.\\xa0 Can we do it?\\xa0\\xa0

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We\\u2019ll give it a try.\\xa0 Obviously there is no way to discuss everything that could be said or even has been said about\\xa0 Homer himself, these books and all the themes so cleverly weaved.\\xa0 We\\u2019ve chosen to hit the points thematically which stand out the most and of course- that leads us to the all-important Greek idea of WEAVING.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Oh yes, the woman and their weaving.\\xa0 Christy, how good of a weaver are you?\\xa0

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Well, you know the answer to that- I have no idea how to weave, spin or even sew.\\xa0 I can sew on a button.\\xa0 You know my mother and both of my grandmothers were amazing seamstresses.\\xa0 My mom even competed in 4H in sewing competitions at Boones Creek High School in Gray, Tennessee.\\xa0 And your sisters Barbara and Deanna are amazing seamstresses.\\xa0 But not me.\\xa0 And of course, sewing is not weaving.\\xa0 In my mind, although this is nowhere near historical fact,\\xa0 over time weaving has simplified itself to sewing because we don\\u2019t have to make our own cloth, and now sewing has become ordering off of Amazon because now most of us don\\u2019t sew.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 Instead we push buttons \\u2026. on a phones.\\xa0\\xa0

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HA!\\xa0 Well, first of all that analysis of the disintegration from weaving to ordering on Amazon is somewhat deliberately ridiculous, but if you\\u2019re going to go there, don\\u2019t take away from the talent of finding the sale and couponing.\\xa0 There\\u2019s an art to that.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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\\xa0I guess so, but back to the ancient Greeks, it\\u2019s easy to overlook if you\\u2019re not paying attention to the female characters really, but Homer places an enormous emphasis on weaving throughout the Odyssey, even the goddesses weave- Circe and we\\u2019ll see here at the end- Athena herself.\\xa0 It clearly indicates how interwoven (if I may use this term) weaving was to the idea of womanhood.\\xa0 Tell us a little bit about how important weaving was in Ancient Greece.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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For sure\\u2026.spinning and weaving were incredibly important in the expectations for women during this time period.\\xa0 The was a definite and strong connection between a woman\\u2019s ability to weave and her desirability as a woman.\\xa0 Even depictions of goddesses that we see today on ancient art work are often depictions of the goddess weaving.\\xa0 Athena, btw, was the goddess of women\\u2019s handicrafts, so of course, weaving and spinning were important elements of her cult.\\xa0 In fact,\\xa0 weaving a robe for the statue of Athena, was a part of the very important Panathenaic festival in Athens at the Acropolis.\\xa0\\xa0 In the archeological digs found in Greece archeologists have found all kinds of tools used in spinning and weaving.\\xa0 There is evidence of looms and textiles and strong evidence linking the female contribution in terms of textiles to economic trading at a domestic level as well as a commercial industry.\\xa0 It\\u2019s interesting to understand that women of all social classes were weaving- from the lowest slaves to the highest noble women like we saw in Queen Arete of the Phaeacians.\\xa0 Girls would learn to work wool and weave and would spend a big portion of their time on their \\u201ctrousseau\\u201d.\\xa0 A trousseau is a collection of all the garments, soft furnishings, beddings, and clothes that a girl would produce during her childhood and would represent her contribution to her marriage.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Yikes, again, I\\u2019d be a world of hurt. I can\\u2019t imagine what my trousseau would look like.\\xa0 But even without knowing that insight about weaving, it doesn\\u2019t take much to see that clothes are a big part of the all important recognition scenes that are basically what these last books are about- It\\u2019s an interesting element of the story to notice how clothes are used by Homer to designate identity.\\xa0 But before we do that, I wanted to weave in an anecdote, since we\\u2019re on the subject the weaving and mythology.\\xa0 Let\\u2019s take a second to talk about Arachne and Athena.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Arachne as in where we get the word arachnophobia- fear of spiders.\\xa0

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Yep, so the story goes that Arachne was a girl in Ancient Greece who was so good as weaving and spinning that she went around telling people she was a better weaver than Athena.\\xa0 Well, obviously this made Athena mad , so Athena challenged her to a weaving dual.\\xa0 They set up their looms in the same room and wove all day and into the night.\\xa0 When they finished, they compared their artifacts.\\xa0 Well, Athena had woven a scene of all the gods and goddess on Mt. Olympus sitting together doing good deeds for humanity.\\xa0 Arachne wove a cloth of all the gods and goddess on Mr. Olympus but in hers they were all getting drunk and falling over themselves.\\xa0 Archne\\u2019s was clearly the better craftmanship, but Athena didn\\u2019t care. She pointed her finger at Arachne and made her entire body shrivel up to what today we would call a spider.\\xa0 She said, \\u201cYou want to spin, go ahead and spin!\\u201d\\xa0 And so there you have it.\\xa0\\xa0

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Oh my, well, I will say, Arachne really should have known better; I would say the first rule of the gods is don\\u2019t hack off the gods.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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So, true.\\xa0

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So, by way of recapping, in episode 1, we discussed the poet Homer and the set up for this story.\\xa0 We introduced the idea that Homer does not take credit for writing the story, the Muse sung it to him- the story comes from the gods and is about a man Dr. Wilson translates as a complicated man; Fagles calls him the man of twists and turns.\\xa0 We learn at the beginning of book 1, that after offending Poseidon and wandering the sea for ten years, Odysseus returns home- a place called Ithaca- but he arrives there shipwrecked and alone- all of his companions destroyed by their own recklessness: They should never have eaten Helios\\u2019 cows.\\xa0\\xa0

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Indeed, next we introduced this Greek idea that there are things that happen to us as humans that are not our fault that are caused by the gods.\\xa0 That is a thing, but there are many things that happen to us that ARE our fault because of our own foolishness and often we blame the gods for things that were always in our control.\\xa0 Of course, what happened to Odysseus falls into this category.\\xa0 What happened to him was caused by him because he did not respect the gods and the rules of the universe they created.\\xa0 What happened to him also happened to him because he just couldn\\u2019t let his ego rest- he had the fear of being a nobody.\\xa0\\xa0

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He isn\\u2019t the only person on this earth with that fear. In episodes 2 and 3 we looked at the world the gods created and the values they instructed men to live by.\\xa0 Episode 2 we looked at books 1-4, often called the Telemachy, and we watched Telemachus develop as a man.\\xa0 Of course, the first tip to developing into a man is to learn to listen to Athena (something Arachne should have paid attention to).\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Indeed, maybe we wouldn\\u2019t have so many dangerous spiders, if she had.\\xa0 In episode 3, we talked about Xenia and how fundamental hospitality is to the books of the Odyssey as well as the lives of the Ancient Greeks.\\xa0 Well, if I\\u2019m honest, really not just the Greeks but many cultures around the globe- ancient and contemporary.\\xa0 We talked about Polyphemus, the one eyed-cyclopes and how his lack of hospitality could be contrasted with some of the many other examples of hospitality we see all over the epic.\\xa0 We talked about how the hospitality scenes are type scenes and we can learn a lot by comparing them to each other.\\xa0

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On a side note, I was reading a little bit about the Odyssey this week and one writer asked a very interesting question, I don\\u2019t know the answer to.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Oh yeah, what is it.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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This guy wondered how two Greeks gods, Polyphemus\\u2019 mother was a beautiful sea nymph, but he wondered how two beautiful Greek gods could possibly have an ugly child with only one eye.\\xa0

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HA!\\xa0 That\\u2019s a great question. Did you find the answer?\\xa0

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No.\\xa0 I can\\u2019t.\\xa0 So, if anyone out there knows, connect with us on our social media or via email.\\xa0 I\\u2019m interested.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Well, back to our story and the role Polyphemus plays in the Odyssey highlights a burning need inside of Odysseus.\\xa0 Odysseus, after Polyphemus begins eating his men one by one, is able to blind the cyclopes and then sneak away and back onto his ship.\\xa0 Blind and enraged Polyphemus begins hurling rocks at Odysseus as Odysseus leaves.\\xa0 Odysseus\\u2019 big mistake came, not from blinding Polyphemus, but from taunting him.\\xa0 As he leaves, Odysseus just can\\u2019t leave it alone, he tells Polyphemus that if anyone ever asks who blinded him to tell him it was Odysseus.\\xa0 He had previously told Polyphemus his name was Nobody- but he just couldn\\u2019t leave it at that.\\xa0 Odysseus didn\\u2019t want to be a nobody, he wanted to be a somebody, he wanted to be the recognized leader of his oikos- and he was going to strive for that- no matter if it took the entirety of his mortal life.\\xa0 He would pay any price to get him- he would even relinquish the offer of immortality.\\xa0

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And so Odysseus takes his ten year odyssey to get there.\\xa0 I will say- it is not lost on me that one of the most central ironies of the entire story is that here at the very beginning Odysseus cannot let a lie stay a lie- but for the rest of the epic especially here at the end, we see that, Odysseus is not just extremely comfortable lying, but\\xa0 In fact, it\\u2019s his trademark.\\xa0 He prides himself on his ability to deceive.\\xa0 This last half of the book is literally him lying and deceiving first one group of people than another- all the way until the last chapter where he lies to his own dad for no apparent reason.\\xa0

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So true, strangely enough, though, Athena finds it admirable and helps him conceal time and time again.\\xa0 Odysseus calls it tactics.\\xa0 He learns to use deceit and recognition as a weapon for survival.\\xa0 What we\\u2019re going to see as Homer\\xa0 brings the story to its dramatic climax, from a literary stand point is that Homer is him using a type-scene to structure- the recognition scene.\\xa0 Remember a type scene is a scene that is repeated over and over again.\\xa0 There are over a dozen of these in the second half of the book and they pretty much follow a similar pattern- first Odysseus tests the person he wants to reveal himself to.\\xa0 He wants to know if they are loyal, not just to him, but to the oikos.\\xa0 He uses deception and concealment in the testing process.\\xa0 Most of the time, he tells these crazy stories about who he is and where he\\u2019s been.\\xa0 After going through some long convoluted story about some fake travel, he either foretells that Odysseus will return- or he reveals his true identity- depending on the audience.\\xa0\\xa0

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Well.\\xa0 Never again after Polyphemus will he make the rash decision of just openly stating his identity- not even to Penelope.\\xa0 Athena is most responsible for his many disguises- She changes his physical appearance and she gives him false covers of other kinds, including these convoluted stories.\\xa0 The whole game is to go into the place, conceal who he is until he\\u2019s in full control of the moment, and then together with the gods make his move.\\xa0 Here at the end, he and his oikos\\xa0 will be given divine power to overthrow the suitors, reclaim his physical space and title, AND do all of this without starting a war with the families or oikos from which all these suitors come from- that\\u2019s a trick even greater than killing the suitors.\\xa0

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So true, and to bring this back to weaving and textiles for just a second, I think it\\u2019s one important thing to pay attention to the role people\\u2019s clothes pay in identifying who they are.\\xa0 It is very clear that in Homer\\u2019s world, a person\\u2019s outfit is very much a way of determining how they ranked in society.\\xa0 Textile gifts are a big deal.\\xa0 Notice how important it is to be dressed in the proper way in order to receive the proper respect.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Well, of course, this is not uncommon in all cultures and a very important psychological observation.\\xa0\\xa0 I think it was Virginia Wolfe, the British writer, who said, \\u201cVain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than merely to keep us warm.\\xa0 They change our view of the world and the world\\u2019s view of us\\u2026 There are endless studies on the role of clothing functioning as identification.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Which I guess the simplest way to see what we have going to here is to reduce it to this:\\xa0 A king without a proper tunic is not a king.\\xa0 Odysseus dressed as a beggar is not Odysseus.\\xa0 He may be so in his head, in Telemachus\\u2019 head and even in Athena\\u2019s head, but until he is recognized from the outside, he cannot reclaim his oikos.\\xa0\\xa0 And we see clothing playing an important part in the various recognition scenes.\\xa0

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The goddess Athena before she allows Telemachus to recognize his father, she makes a point to- before she even changes Odysseus body- to change his clothes.\\xa0 Let\\u2019s read that famous passage where Athena reveals to Telemachus that his father has come home.\\xa0

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It soon turns into such a sweet passage.\\xa0 A son recognizing a father; a father recognizing a son.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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For sure it\\u2019s sweet, but in one sense the word \\u201crecognition\\u201d isn\\u2019t really the right word here.\\xa0 Telemachus doesn\\u2019t know his father.\\xa0 He can\\u2019t possibly recognize him.\\xa0 Which I think is an interesting thing to pay attention to as we go through all these scenes.\\xa0 All of these people who Odysseus presents himself to have different relationships with Odysseus.\\xa0 Telemachus has an intimate relationship with his father in one way, but he has no shared history with him.\\xa0 He has no idea what his father is capable of which comes out in their dialogue. Telemachus is quick to tell his father that reclaiming the oikos is not just a matter of showing up.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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He goes on to count them out-- we have at a minimum 106 posers maybe more.\\xa0

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To which Odysseus responds that he\\u2019s not worried.\\xa0 He\\u2019s being flanked by Athena and Father Zeus.\\xa0

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That would make me feel more confident.\\xa0

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I know right.\\xa0 And Telemachus does seem a little more confident, at least he talks to his mom more brazenly, which I find annoying, to be totally honest- can\\u2019t get rid of that arrogance of the presence.\\xa0 But he also talks more boldly to the suitors as well.\\xa0 I love that Odysseus cannot keep his identity a secret from his old nurse.\\xa0 The recognition scene with Eurycleia is the only one that he does not initiate.\\xa0 When she washes the beggars feel and legs, she touches the scar and immediately knows what\\u2019s going on.\\xa0 Of course this freaks him out and he threatens her, needlessly, I might add.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Don\\u2019t forget about Argos, the dog.\\xa0 Argos recognizes him.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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\\xa0True, there is a lot of drama that goes on as Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, loiters around his home and watches how horrible all the suitors are behaving.\\xa0 The place is in utter chaos and the whole thing is designed to fill him with rage.\\xa0 I did want to draw just a small minute of attention to book 19 when the beggar and Penelope talk.\\xa0 At this point in the story, Penelope does not know that Odysseus is Odysseus- at least we aren\\u2019t told that she knows.\\xa0 There are many scholars that are absolutely convinced she knows who he is and is faking it, but the interaction between the two is sweet no matter what.\\xa0 Odysseus, as he always does, tells a long elaborate lie about who he is.\\xa0 However, during the course of his story, he claims that he met Odysseus.\\xa0 Penelope wants to test the beggar so she asks him to describe what Odusseys was wearing when he met him.\\xa0 Let\\u2019s read that part.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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For something he saw all those years ago, that\\u2019s quite a bit of detail he remembers.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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And of course, this makes Penelope cry because she had given him that outfit and fastened the brooch on herself.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Well, it isn\\u2019t too long after that that the scene will be set for Odysseus\\u2019 complete revelation.\\xa0 Just as a recap for those who haven\\u2019t read the story in a while.\\xa0 Penelope has made the decision that it is time to pick a husband.\\xa0 She has gone into the vault and pulled out Odysseus\\u2019 old bow- one he never took to Troy.\\xa0 She goes downstairs and faces the suitors with a challenge that will decide her fate.\\xa0 Let\\u2019s read what she says.\\xa0

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The part about all the suitors getting up and trying to string the bow is just classic dramatic build up.\\xa0 Finally the beggar gets his turn courtesy of Penelope, Eumaeus the swineherd, and even Telemachus.\\xa0 The suitors have no idea what hits them\\u2026it\\u2019s a pun!!\\xa0

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Oh my, it is!! I do want to point out that the recognition scene with Eumaeus and Philoetius in book 21, is very quick.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

There\\u2019s not any time.The bow contest is heating up and revenge is coming.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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That\\u2019s true, but I also think what we are witnessing is this progression from the less intimate relationships towards the most.\\xa0 He didn\\u2019t know Telemachus at all, not really.\\xa0 He did know Eurycleia, the swineherd and the goatherd, but his relationship with these is one of master/servant- employer/employee- to use our language.\\xa0 He engages them here like, in some sense in the old way. Odysseus needs these servants, as well as Eurycleia, to come through for him right here.\\xa0 Eumaues had already spent quite a bit of time with Odysseus as a beggar, and Eumaeus had already made multiple comments as to how much this beggar resembled Odysseus so he was pretty much primed.\\xa0 But Philoteus had been primed too, if you remember at one point Odysseus, as a beggar asks Philoetius, if Odysseus were to come back would you help him?\\xa0 Both of these were familiar with his scar and he uses it as evidence- really the only evidence- except they fall back into the old work relationship they enjoyed back in the old days. Odysseus\\u2019 tone is matter of fact and authoritative at this point.\\xa0 They are very comfortable falling back into this relationship and it isn\\u2019t really much of a struggle.\\xa0\\xa0

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This point where the suitors recognize Odysseus is one of the most exciting parts of the whole story. Even after Odysseus strings the bow and shoots the arrow through the axes, the suitors really don\\u2019t know what\\u2019s going on.\\xa0 It\\u2019s really only after Antinous is murdered in front of them, that they really start to figure out what\\u2019s happening.\\xa0 But of course, whether they recognize Odysseus at this point really doesn\\u2019t matter at all- they are getting ready to die.\\xa0

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Homer does like to get graphic with his death scenes and I have to admit they are super-fun.\\xa0 IF you don\\u2019t read anything but like gore- reading chapter 22 is worth a perusal.\\xa0 Eurymachus tries to broker a deal.\\xa0 And the poor female slaves, they have a pretty terrible end.\\xa0 Their existence and the fact that the suitors took them as their concubines- whether or not the women were given an option makes no difference.\\xa0 They are a source of shame to the oikos and must go.\\xa0\\xa0

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\\xa0\\u201c\\u201dWith that, taking a cable used on a dark-prowed ship he coiled it over the roundhouse, lashed it fast to a tall column, hoisting it up so high no toes could touch the ground.\\xa0 Then, as doves or thrushes beating their spread wings against some snare rigged up in thickets- flying in for a cozy nest but a grisly bed receives them- as the women\\u2019s heads were trapped in a line, nooses yanking their necks up one by one so all might die a pitiful, ghastly death\\u2026they kicked up heels for a little- not for long.\\u201d\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Odysseus is cleaning.\\xa0 Eurycleia brought her master fire and brimstone.\\xa0 He is purging the halls, the palace, the court- all of it.\\xa0 It\\u2019s quite a picture of devastation and renewal- however- even with all of the emphasis Homer puts on the end of the suitor- the killing or the revenge isn\\u2019t the main thing.\\xa0 Much more attention is given to Odysseus becoming recognized by those that matter most- his father and his wife- the completion of his oikos.\\xa0 And that is yet to come- chapters 23-24.\\xa0 With Penelope it literally takes three attempts to convince her of who he is.\\xa0 The first two of these attempts aren\\u2019t even made by Odyssues at all but by Eurycleia and then Telemachus.\\xa0

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Well, just to bring it back to a modern theme and something that we have to think about especially when it comes to reuniting with romantic partners.\\xa0 The recognition with Telemachus was easy.\\xa0 The recognition scene with the servants was exciting.\\xa0 This recognition scene with Penelope is expressed with way more mixed emotions- which is extremely understandable.\\xa0 When two people are brought together after a long time, there\\u2019s a sense that the external recognition is only a part.\\xa0 I may recognize who you are on the outside- but will I recognize who you are on the inside?\\xa0 Are you even the same person you were when I last saw you?\\xa0 Am I the same person I was when you last saw me?\\xa0 And of course, the answer is NO- of course neither one of you is.\\xa0 Your literally not even the same person- molecules in your body have all completely changed- but of course that\\u2019s not what worries people- will we have a relationship anymore?\\xa0 Those are not easy questions for anyone.\\xa0 The psychological gap in a case of twenty years is enormous.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Homer expresses every bit of that.\\xa0 After Penelope is told Odysseus is home she responds with coldness and skepticism.\\xa0 Homer says her heart was in turmoil.\\xa0 Torn.\\xa0 \\u201cShould she keep her distance, probe her husband?\\u201d\\xa0 Let\\u2019s read the whole paragraph\\u2026\\xa0

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Notice the detail that he\\u2019s in rags.\\xa0 Telemachus, like a child, fusses at his mother, but sweet dad comes to his wife\\u2019s defense (that would charm me).\\xa0 Anyway, I think it\\u2019s cute how Homer creates this developing connection for these two.\\xa0 In essence, they perform something of a mental fight, or a dance.\\xa0 They engage each other intellectually, in some sense to see if they are still compatible.\\xa0 Odysseus, up to this point in the story has never met his match.\\xa0 He has outsmarted even goddess Circe, nevermind 100 plus suitors.\\xa0 But Penelope stumps him.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Athena does her part- back to clothes- she weaves for him \\u2013 decking him out in fine clothes- he is now the recognized king- she makes him godlike, And yet- that is not enough.\\xa0 Penelope outdoes Odysseus in scepticism and tests HIM with the instruction that his bed be prepared outside in the hall.\\xa0 What we see here is the difference between outside recognition and inside recognition.\\xa0 For the servants, seeing the scars were evidence enough that their master was home.\\xa0 For Penelope, not even seeing her husband as king was enough.\\xa0 What is special about the bed is that it contained a secret.\\xa0 It was theirs.\\xa0 She wanted to know if the bed, in his mind, was still their secret.\\xa0

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This is so ingenuous because not only does she prove that she is indeed Odysseus\\u2019 wife, but in essence she opens the door to allow them to engage in very intimate feelings at this juncture.\\xa0 What matters isn\\u2019t really the recollection that the bed can\\u2019t move, but what that bed has meant to them regarding loyalty, fidelity, trust- these are the issues at stake in Penelope\\u2019s heart.\\xa0 And in many ways we are really never told how she feels.\\xa0 Her options in life have been so very limited.\\xa0 The stress has been so very great.\\xa0 Odysseus comes back as a savior, in one sense, but that is a fairy-tale way of thinking about life, and the text here seems much more honest as to the range of emotions that would be engaged as well as the uncertainty of the future not just with Ithaca, but between these two main characters.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Of course, there\\u2019s a lot metaphorically we could say there, there\\u2019s a lot in regard to gender roles for sure, but not just that- what she feels, what he feels is way beyond even the two of them.\\xa0 Reconstituting the oikos starts with Penelope and ends with Penelope.\\xa0 Of course, this story is told from an ancient male perspective, with a ancient male audience in mind, but that doesn\\u2019t mean there isn\\u2019t a lot here to think about when we think about what constitutes a healthy oikos- a home- many of us want to build economic, social entities that will constitute a positive legacy- The ancient Greeks saw intellectual compatibility, mutual respect and the absence of secrets between partners central tenants to an lasting oikos.\\xa0

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Of course, I agree, but I will add, although Penelope is clearly front and center to all of this, what we just read is still chapter 23.\\xa0 There is one more relationship to be reconstituted and that is with Laertes, Odysseus father.\\xa0\\xa0 If there is to be a complete reconstruction of structure out of chaos, this relationship is not simply a p.s., but it\\u2019s central.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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Agreed- and of course, Laertes is a reminder, at least you must think that would be, that Odysseus gave up immortality with Calypso for what he is now recreating.\\xa0 Also, Penelope\\u2019s entire schtick for keeping the suitors at bay was in weaving a funeral shroud for Laertes.\\xa0 So, in a sense, and this would be an entire episode if we wanted to trace this theme, the meaning of death is in many ways an idea that has been in this story since the beginning.\\xa0 We did visit hades, at one point.\\xa0 But there is something conclusive about this father-son relationship.\\xa0 It is finding resolution in this final recognition that harmony is restored.\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

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True- although I will say, I found this recognition scene slightly problematic.\\xa0 Why does Odysseus have to lie to his father?\\xa0 The first thought I had was that maybe he didn\\u2019t want to give his father a heart attack- thinking back to the recognition scene with the dog, Argos.\\xa0\\xa0

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Yeah- I don\\u2019t know- what I do know- and where we will end because we just don\\u2019t have time to go into anything else- is that the story ends with Odysseus and Laertes sharing an intimate moment, but a different kind of intimacy than Odysseus shared with Penelope.\\xa0 We end with trees.\\xa0 Trees are a tangible token of history.\\xa0 They are identifying markers.\\xa0 In this case, the orchard is well-tended.\\xa0 Odysseus will now be a different kind of hero.\\xa0 He will not be a warrior doing battle with the world, but a tender of gardens- a man who will live to see his children grow up, who will build, create, and structure a world that has once been filled with chaos.\\xa0 The orchard of Laertes bares fruit.\\xa0 There\\u2019s a little more to the story, Odysseus has to handle that issue with Poseidon, but in the end, I think this is the Greek vision of peace- of a satisfying life. It\\u2019s not a bad vision.\\xa0 And the very end, Athena says, \\u201cHold back ye men of Ithaca, back from brutal war! Break off- shed no more blood- make peace at once!\\u201d\\xa0\\xa0 I agree!!\\xa0

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It is definitely not a bad vision.\\xa0 They clearly were on to something.\\xa0\\xa0 Well, thank you for listening.\\xa0 We hope you have enjoyed our race through the epic, The Odyssey.\\xa0 We know there is a lot more to say, but hopefully, we left you with some food for thought as you sort through this complex tale that has mesmerized the world for millenia.\\xa0 Please remember that if you enjoy our work, give us a good review on any of the podcast apps- apple, amazon, spotify, etc.\\xa0 If you are an educator, visit our website for support materials. www.howtolovelitpodcast.com.\\xa0 Also, feel free to connect with us on Instagram, fb, linked in or just plain email.\\xa0 We\\u2019d love to hear from you.\\xa0

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Peace out!!\\xa0

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