"The Odyssey" - Telemachus' Journey

When does a boy become a man? This rite of passage is explored in Robert Fagles' translation of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. Odysseus (king of Ithaca) fought in the Trojan War for ten years and after the fall of Troy he spent the next ten years trying to get home. He left behind an infant son, Telemachus, and a devoted wife, Penelope. Although they longed for Odysseus' return, Penelope and Telemachus were the perfect …

…of respect and admiration. He turns out to be well-rounded and respected by his peers and servants, not to mention by his father and mother. He fought side-by-side with the hero father he helped to bring home and slaughtered the suitors who once insulted and taunted him. Well-traveled and full of life experience, Telemachus left home a boy and came home a man. Work Cited: Homer. The Odyssey. Trans., Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1996.