Suffering In The Odyssey

Suffering is the key to growth. Authors often utilize suffering or crisis to logically explain the main character’s growth to a significant figure or a hero; the sufferings can be divided into two, physical suffering and psychological suffering. The main characters of the Odyssey by Gareth Hinds, Speak by Laury Halse Anderson and Born a Crime by Trevor Noah all commonly overcome each of their suffering and grow up. In the Odyssey, the main character Odysseus experiences physical and psychological suffering throughout his journey. His journey starts as he leaves his family to join the Trojan War. After years of the war and victory, he confronts Polyphemus while he’s sailing back to his house on the island of Cyclopeans. Polyphemus locks up Odysseus
Odysseus shouts out his name and where he lives while sailing away from the island. Based on the information Odysseus gives, Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, prays “Poseidon, earth-shaker, god of the sable locks, if I am indeed your son, grant me revenge on Odysseus of Ithaca! Let him never reach his home, or if the other gods decree that he must, let him come late, after long suffering, with all of his comrades dead, and let him find trouble waiting for him at home!”(Hinds, 110) The prayer becomes the central figure of Odysseus’ long suffering. He couldn’t reach his home until he went through a series of agony. The years of journey burdens him physically with several jeopardies to lose his life: ship-wrecking, attack of the Laestrygonians, and human-killing Scylla. Temptations like Calypso’s lure to stay with her during his journey also mentally weaken
In Born a Crime, Trevor Noah overcomes psychological suffering under Apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid is a racial discrimination policy made by White people in South Africa to suppress Black people in South Africa. Under Apartheid, carnal intercourse between people of different races was banned. Trevor is thus born a crime because he's living proof that his mom had a relationship with a white male. During his whole childhood, Trevor mentally suffered because of his race. He couldn’t belong to a certain group, and he often got questioned about his identity. Trevor says “In Soweto, I was the only white kid in the black township. In Eden Park, I was the only mixed kid in the area. In Highlands North I was the only black kid in the white suburb—and by ‘only’ I mean only.”(Noah, 151) Trevor endures his suffering with the aid of his mom. His mom also suffered mental illness where she belonged because her parents didn’t care for her much. So, her mom always says that she chose to have Trevor, and Trevor and her should always help each other.