The Connections Between Telemachus and Odysseus. The Odyssey - by Homer

In Homer’s The Odyssey, the gods create connections between Telemachus and his father. Athena takes on the form of other identities, including Telemachus, in order to help him gather shipmates for his journey to seek his father. The omen that appears while Telemachus is announcing the wrongdoings of the suitors ties the life of Odysseus and his son. It predicts that Odysseus will come back to kill the suitors if they do not obey his son’s wishes. Throughout the novel the gods use physical means to bring Odysseus and his son, Telemachus, closer. Furthermore, they employ a type of internal method which affects both emotions and attributes.

The gods understand the significance of the relationship between father and son and help enhance and sustain it. Although Telemachus has not seen his father in twenty years, Odysseus still plays a major role in his life. He talks about his father several times in his speech at the assembly.

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Including Odysseus in an oratory taken directly from his heart expresses to the reader that his father is very important to him. In addition, he is traveling a long way to hopefully find him. Not only do the gods establish the emotional ties between them, they also help Telemachus develop more respectable characteristics comparable to those of his father.

Through the work of the gods, Telemachus develops characteristics spiritually. When he takes the initiative of calling the assembly, it demonstrates that the gods have granted him authority akin to his father’s. Telemachus has acquired some of his father’s confidence through the bond that the gods have established. Additionally, Telemachus stands up to the suitors that are plaguing his home and becomes much more articulate, as is depicted by his moving speech. Similarly, Odysseus uses his diction to try to achieve what...