Odeysseus Margaret Atwood Analysis

In both passages, Attwood highlights the distinctive perspectives with the focus directing towards the maids. In the first passage, the perspective that Attwood presents is the maids’, where she uses a repetition of “wipe” to suggest that the maid’s are forced to “wipe the floor and wipe away the grease.” Contextually, this passage occurs in the days where Penelope is alone and Odeysseus hasn’t come back yet. The author chooses to use the repetition of “wipe” instead of describing the maids’ daily tasks through the noble’s demands to suggest that the maids know that they have no choice but to follow instructions. She also further emphasises this through the connotation “we are not chased around the hall,” where she refers to the maids’ dreams. By doing this, Attwood infers that those who have names and roles, namely the suitors who chase

In a distinctive manner, the perspective Attwood presents in the second passage focuses on the Judge in Odeysseus’ trial. When Odeysseus has finally arrived in the underworld and a trial is being held to either dismiss his sins or force him to atone, Attwood highlights how the Judge “chuckles” at the suggestion that the maids were being “raped without permission.” By doing this, Attwood highlights to her readers that the maids’ traumatic experiences are dismissed. This is further depicted through the Attorney for the Defence’s claim that the maids were raped “without permission of their master.” Through this, Attwood emphasises how the maids in Ancient Greek times were perceived as merely objects, which generally isn’t that unusual as it occurs often. In reference to Attwood’s time, this is also relevant as many people who have an abundance of money perceive those who have less than them as replaceable or, like the maids, little to nothing. Ultimately, both passages were paired to highlight just how harsh maids’ were