During his monumental journey, Odysseus grows from a gallant young warrior to a wise and mature adult. Odysseus initially finds himself fighting for a name, this is equivalent, for humans, to the immortality of the gods. Odysseus concludes that the death-defying mortal life, with its danger and relationships of love, is far superior to a purposeless and shallow immortality. Every courageous attempt towards his ultimate goal of returning to Ithaca and Penelope is tempered by the adventurous nature of the event. One important element for Odysseus is recognizing the value of his own mortality. Odysseus grows as a result of the mortal danger involved in each encounter, he gains knowledge and tales to remember, then refocuses on the original goal of Penelope and Ithaca. Odysseus’s journey is actually a timely revelation breaking the myth that the immortal life has more meaning than the mortal life. Mortal life at its minimum becomes all Odysseus can bear to think of, since missing his wife and home eventually overpowers every other desire. In his journey, Odysseus has many adventures. I will focus on the encounters with the Cyclops and Calypso. The adventure with the Cyclops will describe Odysseus in the beginning of his journey as a warrior. I will then talk of Odysseus and the changes that become apparent in the time spent with Calypso.It takes Odysseus time to realize that Penelope and Ithaca are part of his innermost longings and happiness. The early acts of Odysseus, such as with Cyclops, show him trying to attain something much different than his warm bed and lovely wife. On the island of the man-eating Cyclops, the brawn of the Cyclops is outwitted by Odysseus’s clever use of semantics. Gigantic and brutal, Polyphemos is not the brightest creature. However, he is a formidable opponent, and Odysseus, curious eyed, finds him then blinds and taunts him. Acts as this only give Odysseus tales to tell for exclama...
