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Odysseus versus Spaz Everyone needs a hero to look up to. People idolize heroes simply because of their admirable character traits. Examples of heroic characters would be Odysseus from Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey and Spaz from The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick. The Odyssey is about the arduous journey home of Odysseus after the Trojan War. The Last Book in the Universe is about Spaz’s strenuous journey to see his sister, Bean, who has terminal cancer. Though both of these figures are honorable, Odysseus is the better epic hero than Spaz because he possesses more traits of an epic hero. The first example of why Odysseus is the better hero is because he gets help from gods and goddesses, which is a traditional characteristic of an epic hero. Spaz does not get actual help. One of the times Athena helped Odysseus was when he was stuck on Calypso’s island. She urges her father, Zeus, to help him get free. Zeus sends Hermes to Calypso on his behalf telling Calypso to release him. Also, Aeolus, the god of wind, helped them get home by using the power of winds. I think that in The Last Book in the Universe, Philbrick portrays Lanaya as a symbol of a goddess. She is a genetically improved person, or proov, that helps out Spaz to save Bean. The way that Philbrick described Lanaya having “beautiful gray sky-colored eyes, and perfect skin, and short hair that sort of glows, like the sun is always shining on her,” makes her sound almost goddess-like (22.). Although she is not an actual goddess, Odysseus definitely better possesses this trait of an epic hero. The next example supporting the thesis of Odysseus being the better hero would be the fact that, unlike Spaz, Odysseus completes a final task alone at the end of his journey. An epic hero can have help from others in the rising tasks, but they must always accomplish the last task on their own. Odysseus exhibits bravery in his journey alone throughout the book. He