Odysseus Is A Hero Analysis

I believe Odysseus is a hero because of what he did during his 20-year journey from home to Troy, then to home again. I say this because, during The Odyssey, Odysseus saves his men on several occasions and eventually saves his family from the suitors. As well his actions during the Trojan War turned the war in Greece’s favor. Moreover, he thinks of his men and getting them home.

Notably because of Odysseus’s actions during struggles/fights, he can turn the struggle in his favor. Such as during the Trojan War he devised the Trojan Horse “He told me of the wooden horse and how he would hide inside it with the other soldiers”(p.41) this plan won the Trojan War for Greece. During the struggle with Polyphemus, he devised a plan to escape from the Cyclops,

Odysseus just wants to get home to his family, and he is the commander of his men. He also looks out for his men, saving them several times. Odysseus also doesn’t try to get treasure or plunder towns. On one occasion where Odysseus was not looking out for himself is when he and a few of his men are stranded on Helios’s island, and Odysseus warns them not to kill the cattle. Another example is when his home and family are being taken over by the suitors, uninvited, and he kills them, a right and just punishment. “‘how this man is honored. He makes friends wherever we go. ... …Quick, let us see how much gold and silver is in the sack. They opened the sack, and the winds flew howling and raised a storm that carried us far away from our own country.”(p.88)

To conclude this essay, Odysseus is a hero for what he does, whether it is saving his men, fighting, or just trying to get home. He is not a hero who does things for himself but for things for his family and the men who were with him. Odysseus is a hero and should be viewed as a hero for he saves those who are close to