Odysseus As A Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

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Everyone has their own definitions of a hero. The novel titled The Odyssey by Homer is about Odysseus who goes through intense trials to get back home to his family. Although Odysseus has made some selfish decisions, he cares for his crew and faces his trials. Odysseus saves his crew many times. After the crew eats the lotus and forgets all their memory of going home, Odysseus “brings them back, back to the hollow ships” (Homer 1). Odysseus could have left them, but he drags them back. Instead of leaving them, he saves their lives, even though they refused his help. Additionally, after Odysseus and the crew gets stuck in the cave from the cyclops, he thinks of a way to “escape from death for [his] crew
[himself] as well” (Homer 6). This emphasizes on the fact that he puts the crew lives before his. Heroes are often selfless and put others before themselves. Therefore a hero saves lives.
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In the Monomyth by Joseph Campbell, it discusses about the hero’s journey. According to Campbell, Stage 8 of the Monomyth states that the hero “confronts death or faces his or her greatest fear. Out of the moment of death comes a new life”. A hero does the right thing even if it’s the harder choice. This emphasizes on the fact that no one wants to face their fear but Odysseus did. For example when he put his armor on and grabs his weapons, he then “marches out on the half-deck” (Homer 4). This reveals that Odysseus decides to fight with his men. Instead of cowering away and staying below deck, he chooses to conquer his fear of death with his crew members and fight Scylla. Thus, Odysseus encounters obstacles but overcomes them same as a hero