Odysseus Quest For Immortality In Homer's Odyssey

Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality. Frodo’s quest to banish the evil that plagues his world. A man’s quest to get home. While Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey might not seem as grand an adventure as other famous stories, It does contain one of the best protagonists in literature. Homer is a King who simply wants to get home after a ten year war, but runs into constant struggle with giant monsters, tempting enchantresses, and magical bird people. However, Homer made Odysseus as a relatable character by having him be prideful and irresponsible, flaws shared by most of humanity, as well as quick-thinking person to keep the story interesting.
One trait of Odysseus is that he’s incredibly prideful. For instance, in Book Nine, Odysseus screams his name

For example, in Book Ten, Odysseus leaves a bag of winds given to him by Aeolus in order to get home out on the deck without telling his men what’s inside. They then proceed to open the bag, launching the boat away from home, and Odysseus is quick to blame his men for the event(1-55). He fails to see his fault at first, and instead lashes out at his men who were not solely at fault here. Should he have took the time to look at his own actions, as a true leader should, he would be able to avoid looking like a fool to the gods. In addition, in the First Book, Odysseus says that he was kept hostage by Circe in his report to the King of the village who rescued him(19-30). He acts as if he had no fault, even though he stayed with her because of his own volition. He even brags about his loyalty to his wife that he did not keep, saying he was remaining loyal in his heart. Finally, he blames the gods for his misfortune, saying that “destruction he [Zeus] had in store and death for those who sailed them.” (9.481-482) His disrespect got him on this long quest when he denied to honor Poseidon, but he’s willing to blame the gods if any misfortune happens his way. He’s not willing to admit that he might have had bad luck or that he made a mistake, because he thinks the gods must always have some nasty trick in store him! He fails to take responsibility for his flaws, like a kid who blames his sister for eating the last cookie when he did