Odysseus Heroism Resilience Homers Odyssey

Odysseus shows remarkable resilience throughout his epic journey from Troy to Ithaca after the Trojan War. The return is no easy matter and in fact takes him much longer than expected—ten years in fact. All along the way he must overcome obstacle after obstacle—yet he never despairs or gives up, even when he finally reaches home only to find his house overrun by suitors trying to steal his wife. arduous years, marked by physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges. Odysseus’s resilience is revealed through his ability to endure, adapt, and emerge triumphant despite overwhelming odds. This essay looks at three adversities faced by Odysseus: his encounter with the Cyclops, the temptation of the Sirens, and the challenge of reclaiming his household from the suitors. Odysseus overcomes each challenge and setback with great resilience.

Facing the Cyclops is one of the frightening ordeals of Odysseus’s voyage home. Odysseus and his men are trapped in the cave of the Cyclops, who begins devouring Odysseus’s men. Odysseus could have wilted and died—but he rose up to the challenge, using his creativity to outsmart the giant and blind his one eye. Then he helps his men escape by clinging to the underbellies of the sheep when they are let out to graze Polyphemus and blinds him, allowing the crew to escape by hiding under the bellies of sheep (The Odyssey, Book IX). He is even smart enough to fool Cyclops with a fake name by identifying himself as “Nobody” when Cyclops demands to know his foe, which Cyclops to cry out after he has been beaten, “Nobody—it’s Nobody’s trick that’s ruining me!” (Homer, 1996, Book IX, line 455). Resilience is evident in the way Odysseus is able to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and turn the tables on a much stronger opponent.

The Sirens are another danger because they lure sailors to their doom by the sound of their voices. Odysseus is aware of the danger and how there is the potential for him to be seduced in spite of his knowledge of the danger. So, he orders his men to plug their ears with beeswax and he has himself tied to the mast of the ship, so that he cannot be lured: “If I shout and beg to be untied, take more turns of the rope to muffle me” (Homer, 1996, Book XII, lines 173–174). It is a prudent decision on his part because he does hear their voices and calls out to the men to sail in that direction—but they cannot hear him because of the beeswax and he is thus saved from disaster in spite of himself. Thus, his preparation and foresight show his resilience in the face of temptation. A less wise man might have allowed himself to be tempted freely, but Odysseus first considered the price to pay and then took steps to prevent the worst case scenario (Barnouw, 2004). He anticipates the challenge and takes preventive measures, and thus shows how to be proactive against temptation. Resilience is not always about reacting—in other words; sometimes it is about preparing, too.