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The Odyssey - Two Men, One Journey

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Throughout Greek and Roman mythology and its epics, the physical and symbolic element of metamorphosis reoccurs to express certain themes or to convey some type of meaning or message. For example, in the story of Callisto, the young and untamed virgin in the woods, under the care of Diana, is tricked by Zeus, who transforms himself and impregnates her. As a punishment for getting pregnant out of wedlock, Diana banishes Callisto, who gives birth to her son, Arcas and consequently, turns into a bear. Although Callisto maintains her motherly, human instinct, Arcas does not recognize his own mother and tries to kill her. In an effort to save the mother of his child, Zeus intervenes and sends both mother and son into the heavens, turning them into neighboring constellations. Like in Homer's Odyssey, the theme of metamorphosis and close parent-and-child relationship is not a far-fetched concept for Greek myth. In Book II of The Odyssey, Athena expresses to Telemachus, Odysseus' son that, "You know, few sons turn out to be like their fathers; /Most turn out worse, a few better. /No, you don't have it in you to be a fool or a coward, /And you've got something of Odysseus' brains  (349). Literally, as Athena states, Telemachus does have something of his father's brains, but not all. He is not as brave as his father, but like him, he never forgets the idea of homecoming, loyalty, and determination. In many ways, Telemachus is a lesser version of Odysseus. For instance, both experience physical, mental and emotional journeys that serve to develop their firm personalities. Unlike his father, though Telemachus does not have the heroic qualities of Odysseus and thinks of himself as a boy, rather than a man. In the end, however, both Telemachus and Odysseus face extremely taxing challenges, and need each other to survive. In the first four books of the epic, Homer focuses much attention on Odysseus' son, Telemachus. Only an infant when his father leaves for the Trojan War, Telemachus was raised in a home without a father and a mother who would be dispirited mother, if not for Athena entering her dreams at night to give her hope that her husband would return. As a result of his father's absence throughout his childhood and young adulthood, Telemachus had little, if not any, experience when he left home to search for the truth about his father.

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