Odysseus Returning Home Analysis

Finally coming home after being away for awhile is always a warm feeling. In the epic poem, the Odyssey, a man named Odysseus goes off to war and must find a way to get back home. Odysseus’ major role is to be the trickster because he is able to retrace his steps, return home, and is able to do so successfully. First and foremost, Odysseus was able to retrace his steps. Odysseus is able to tell King Alcinous the beginning of his journey to going back to Ithaca. ”Nine days I drifted on the teeming sea/ before dangerous high winds. Upon the tenth/ we came to the coastline of the Lotus Eaters,/ who live upon that flower” (ix, 33-36). Being able to remember the first steps you took to return your destination is a key to retracing your path.

Circe tells Odysseus that he does have a chance of returning to Ithaca.”...you shall not stay here longer against your will;/ but home you may not go/ unless you take a strange way round and come/ to the cold homes of Death and pale Persephone” (x, 202-205). Opportunities should be taken advantage of, and it is no surprise that Odysseus is willing to take one. Since he made it, Odysseus proves to be more suitable for his role. There is no doubt about it, Odysseus had successfully accomplished his main goal of getting back home. Odysseus confesses to two of his loyal servants that he had finally come home after twenty years. “I am at home, for I am he./ I bore adversities, but in the twentieth year/ I am ahore in my own land” (xxi, 71-73). After being away for so long, it may even seem unbelievable to some and they may even think that the gods are playing filthy frauds upon them. This tops it all off as to why Odysseus is the perfect trickster. Once home, Odysseus is allowed to continue his life with the comfort of those close to him. This is because Odysseus is a trickster due to his ability to retrace his path, return home, and successfully accomplish it all. In conclusion, this chapter of his life came to an