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The Growth Of Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey

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In The Odyssey, by Homer, Telemachus, Odysseus’ only son, has grown up his whole life without seeing his father - except when he was a baby. Telemachus is a coward who dreams about being admired. But with a little help from Athena, “clear-headed” Telemachus grows up to be respected and a mighty replica of his potent father. (1; 322). With the help of Athena, and his father, Telemachus is able to flourish. Through the rigorous actions and strong words of growing Telemachus, The Odyssey is portrayed as not only a story of Odysseus’ journey but also as a coming-of-age story for Telemachus.
Telemachus wasn’t always a brave man. When the suitors started invading his house and looking to court Penelope, he was thought of as a little kid by the suitors. Athena had to come down from Mount Olympus “to put some spirit in …show more content…

Without fear, he rebukes suitors and calls them “arrogant bastards.” (2; 334) “He bears a striking resemblance to [Odysseus] and at different moments [feels] his father’s blood. (1; 225-226) (2; 434) He appears tough and institutes fear within the suitors when he tells one of them that he will “do [his] best to nail [the suitor] to the wall”. (2; 339) He then comes back from his journey to find news about his father and meets Odysseus who has come back to Ithaca from his long journey. This brings a whole new amount of toughness to Telemachus because he knows that he has his father on his side. He is trusted by his father to fight with him as Odysseus believes that they are brave enough to “keep the suitors busy” as they fight them. (22; 176) Telemachus also demonstrates how he his clever just like Odysseus when he says “I guess I’m going to be a weakling forever” when he fakes that he has no strength to trick the suitors. (21; 135) Telemachus has become a brave and authoritative man and with his fathers help has grown into the true brave and authoritative son of

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