Challenges Of Homecoming In Homer's Odyssey

Challenges of homecoming In the classic tale ¨The Odyssey¨ Odysseus faces many challenges on his journey home. Odysseus´ challenges and experiences are relatable to those who return home from war. Soldiers go through loss and take heroic acts in the same manner as
Odysseus. When they return home it can also be a struggle to fit back in their lives before the war. Soldiers go through traumatic experiences in and out of war. In war, soldiers sacrifice themselves to protect their country. Odysseus somewhat sacrifices himself to bring him and his men to safety. Losing people is a big obstacle when in and out of war. Watching your friend and fellow soldier die in front of you is one of the most horrendous experiences a soldier can face, this experience has also been faced by Odysseus. As a result of this some soldiers receive posttraumatic stress disorder. Mending wounds can
also be challenging. After being gone when returning home it can be difficult to seek education or to find meaningful employment. In Odysseus´ journey some challenges that relate to a soldier (in no specific order) include a Cyclops named Polyphemus. Polyphemus was not kind, he ate two men in front of Odysseus and the rest of Odysseus’ men. This can relate to soldiers watching their men die in front of them, causing mental issues after the war. When Odysseus traveled through the land of the dead, he was greeted by his dead mother. This brought great heartache to Odysseus after all it would bring anyone heartache to know their mother is dead which is another relation between soldiers and Odysseus the knowing that you've lost a friend. The suitors are Odysseus´ enemies just as the soldiers to their enemy. You would think that when you return home from war/journey that you will finally be in peace and away from all the commotion but it’s not peaceful for everyone. When Odysseus returns home after twenty years he was disguised as a beggar.
Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, tests him to assure herself of his identity. As he listens, she asks Eurycleia to move the bedside out of the couple’s chamber and spread it with blankets. The king himself had carved the bed as a young man, shaping it out of a living olive tree that grew in the courtyard of the palace. He built the bedroom around the tree and would know that the bed cannot be moved. When Odysseus becomes upset that the original bed may have been destroyed, Penelope is relieved and accepts him as her long absent husband. For the first time in twenty years they spent a blissful night together. In relation to a soldier some have trouble stepping back into relationships with family and friends after an experience that sent home a different person. Odysseus and soldiers are looked up to as heroes. Overall, there are many similarities among Odysseus and soldiers and they both go through great pain to others aid. They deal with death, mental disorders, and mending relationships. Nevertheless will they be
forgotten.