ors in their years at his home. Further, Telemachus has never seen any trouble with the water or the sea; "A wind swelled the midsail, and the purple wave about the stem sounded loud as the ship went on. She ran into the wave, accomplishing her course" (22). The water never hurts Telemachus, but always helps him. Telemachus does not get the chance, as his father did, to perish from his own excesses. Telemachus also has a pure mind and body, which is what water embodies.As both Telemachus and Odysseus grow and develop, the symbol of water, and its relationship to the character of both men converges together. Telemachus becomes less pure when he aids Odysseus in destroying the suitors (239). Odysseus becomes much less excessive, and comes to value simple things in life such as family; not how much gold it is possible to amass while sacking a city. When they finally meet, it is possible to see how the symbol of water holds the same meaning for both men.Another main symbol seen all throughout the Odyssey is that of caves. The expression, "tomb or womb" can been used to explain the double meaning of the cave. In other words, the cave is either a place of shelter, or a place of mystery, even death. One of the most obvious places where the symbol of the tomb cave is used is when Odysseus and his group find their way into the Cyclops’ dwelling. Many of Odysseus’ good men die there. "…[The Cyclops] leaped up, stretched his hands to my companions, snatched up two together, and dashed them like whelps to the earth” (97). The tomb meaning can be interpreted as the real world, sink or swim. Odysseus is faced with this throughout his twenty-year travels. Odysseus is the character that should be associated with the unpleasant side of the caves.The other idea the cave symbolizes is the womb, or the sheltered life of a man who never has to face the real world. This is symbolized by a different cave, one that prot...
