The violence that Odysseus displays in Book 22 allows Odysseus to re-live his past and display his strength in battle one final time. Odysseus possesses the skill and cunning of a fighter, so it seems important from a character development standpoint, for the reader to see Odysseus in his element. Also, in this battle, unlike the battles of the Iliad, Odysseus is fighting for a peaceful home for himself and his family, not just for glory. Odysseus could not restore peace to his house and remove the suitor without killing them. Based on the end of the text, only the Gods can do that. The contrast between the power that the Gods have to solve problems without violence, and Odysseus' need spill blood, illustrates the superiority of the Gods over humans.

Odysseus and Penelope's bed serves to symbolize the steadfastness of their marriage. The bed is built out of a tree that grows through their house and it is immobile. Both the bed and their marriage have deep roots which can stand the test of time. The way that Penelope tests Odysseus by asking her servant to move the bed, is another example of her using her "feminine knowledge" to take control of the situation, very much like the way that she knitted and un-knitted the funeral shroud and the beginning of the text. After Odysseus says that the bed cannot be moved, she knows it is him and that she can trust him.

In Book 11 Odysseus tells the story of his journey to Hades and his conversations with the dead. He sees his mother in Hades. She gives him an update on what has happened in Ithaca. She also tells him the story of her death. She died of grief waiting for Odysseus to return. It is important for Odysseus to receive this information, now he knows that there are suitors at his home, but that his wife has remained faithful. This knowledge gives him more motivation to return home. Knowing that his mother died of grief shows Odysseus how much he has been missed and gives him yet another reason to return home.
Odysseus talks to many warriors who died in the battles in Troy. Most notably he speaks to Achilles. Achilles is angry to be dead, he says that he would rather live a miserable, boring life that be a ruler in the underworld. He asks about his son and is very happy to hear that his son is a great warrior.
I think that all of these conversations with the dead are very important in Odysseus' journey because he sees the heartache and death that war causes. He feels bad about everyone who was lost in his journey and his desire to return home and make peace is renewed.

The sirens represent Odysseus's lack of faithfulness to his wife. Odysseus has be "distracted" by Calypso and Circe on his journey home. He hears the beautiful song of the sirens and even though he wants to go to them he must resist and continue his journey home. Odysseus is successful in resisting the temptation but only through forethought. He prepares for the temptation by plugging his crew's ears so that even if he is tempted they will be able to guide the ship past the sirens and keep Odysseus from going to them. Odysseus learns to trust his men to help him get home by giving them control of the ship while he is bound to the mast.

The characters in Book 6 Naucisaa, Arete, and King Alcinous represent peaceful hospitality. Naucisaa gives Odysseus clothing, even though she doesn't know him. She brings him to her home and her parents give him food and arrange for him to have a ship to bring him home. Odysseus is used to life at war, at King Alcinous' palace is a place of luxury and leisure. It is Odysseus' first peaceful encounter since he left for war. At first he worries that the Phaeacians will fight him, because that is what he is used to. This is Odysseus' first step to adjust to peaceful life.

Demodocus, the blind singer incorporates both the importance of song in the Odyssey, but also he reinforces Odysseus' journey back towards a civilized life. The song that retold stories from the war brought Odysseus to tears. He is softening his warlike traits and feeling sadness for those who were lost and for the time he spent away from home. He must undergo this transformation from warrior to civilian in order to live peacefully at home with his family.

Telemachus is the son of Odysseus and Penelope. He is a young man at the beginning of The Odyssey. Telemachus is trying to fill the role of his father as leader of the household. He dismisses the suitors who seek his mother's hand in marriage. When Penelope is upset by the song about the sufferings of the Greeks, Telemachus is not sympathetic. He tells her that Odysseus is not the only one who is gone and that she should go to her room. This is an example of Telemachus assuming a fatherly or husband-like position of power. Telemachus is willing to journey to find news of his father, he does not show signs of fear, he has a sense of duty, which is encouraged by Athena.
It is important to hear Telemachus' story first, because it sets up all of the information about Odysseus. It let's the reader know what has happened to the family before the story begins. Also, Telemachus' journey to find his father, mirrors Odysseus' journey home. Both men are journeying and growing simultaneously.

Throughout Genesis we see brothers competing for the favor in the eyes of their father or God. Starting with Cane and Abel, and then Joseph and Esau, and Joseph and his brothers. The recurrence of brotherly discord in the Genesis implicates that the feelings of jealously and anger between siblings are normal and to be expected. In the Joseph story there are more feelings at play. First the brothers want to kill Joseph, but then Ruben tells them not to shed blood and instead to abandon him. It is hard to tell why Ruben "saves" his brother, but it seems as if he wants to give Joseph a chance at survival, or he just doesn't want to be his brother's killer. However, he agrees to Judah's idea to sell him to the Ishmaelites. The relationship between the brothers is also a struggle for power. By winning their father's favor they assure themselves a better inheritance. Joseph is one of the younger brothers, but his father favors him. This upsets the older brothers, and then when Joseph has dreams that symbolize his rise to power over his brothers, they are furious. These problems exist, to some extent, in every modern family, the characters in Genesis, however, do not lend a very good example of how to handle family disputes.

Potiphar's wife is another example, along with Sarah and Rebeka of a powerful, cunning woman in Genesis. She tries to persuade Joseph to sleep with her, but he refuses. One day he is alone with Potiphar's wife and she grabs him and tries to bring him to bed with her, but he runs away. His robe falls off into her hands. As soon as she realizes that she could get in trouble for having his clothes, she calls to the men of the house and essentially says that Joseph tried to rape her. She remains in control of the situation through the whole story. She manipulates her husband and by doing so sends Joseph to jail. Although, the women of Genesis are powerful, they are not kind. They are usually manipulating men to get their way, Rebeka tricks her husband, Sarah forces Abraham to send his son away, and Potiphar's wife sends Joseph to jail.

Abram's assumption that the people of Egypt will kill him because of his wife's beauty, seems like Abram thinks that the Egyptians are barbarians. He has no reason, other than his assumption, to believe that they would behave in that way. This feels like an example of racism in Genesis. Abram believes that people who are from a different place will behave in a less sophisticated manner, but he has no documented experience with them to back up his thought process.
Also, the idea that Abram would let the Pharaoh sleep with his wife in order to protect himself from his false ideas about the Egyptians is very strange. Sarai doesn't object to the idea either. This is a very different message from the one of monogamy and sanctity of marriage that is generally associated with religious texts.
The Pharaoh is completely unaware of Abram and Sarai's trick, but based on his reaction, he never would have been involved with Sarai had he known that she was Abram's wife. Then he is punished by God, which seems unjust, considering he did not know he was doing anything wrong. I feel that Abram and Sarai should have felt some of that punishment too, because they judged the Pharaoh unfairly and led him to his demise.

In the story of Abram, Sarai and Hagar, Sarai cannot have children, so she tells Abram to impregnate her servant, Hagar. Once Hagar is pregnant, she feels very bitter towards Sarai. Hagar was essentially ordered to carry Abram's child for Sarai, so it's natural that she should be angry because she believes Sarai will take her child. Hagar runs away because of Sarai's anger, but God tells her to return to her angry mistress.
Once Sarah has her own child, Isaac, she sends Hagar her young son Ishmael away again. Abraham is upset because he loves his son, but God comforts him. He is stuck in the middle of the "love triangle" he has to show loyalty to his wife and her son, Isaac, but Ishmael is his son as well. However, Ishmael and Hagar, upset Abraham's wife, so he is forced to send them away.

Cain and Abel

In the story of Cain and Abel, both brothers look for approval from God. God favors Abel over Cain and the jealously that Cain feels leads him to kill Abel. Cain's feelings of jealously towards his brother are common throughout humanity. Children look for approval from their superiors, usually their parents, and when they do not get it they may lash out. God is put in the role of the parent in this story, he gives both favor and punishment to his "children" Cain and Abel.

This story explores the nastier side of humanity. Cain feels jealously and anger towards his brother and also towards God. It is Cain's role to tend to the earth and Abel's role to tend to livestock. When Cain and Abel bring their offerings to God, He prefers Abel's offering of animals to Cain's offering of fruit. Thus, Cain is set up to be jealous of his brother and angry at God. Abel did nothing to Cain, yet Cain feels that, when compared to his brother, he is not good enough. Therefore, in his eyes, he must kill Abel to be recognized for his accomplishments. God does not protect Abel, and if we understand God to be all-powerful in these stories, then he allows Cain to kill Abel.

The mark that God puts on Cain is interesting. Cain feels his punishment, and his guilt after killing his brother is too much to bare and he says that anyone who sees him will kill him. God marks him, so that he will not be killed. God wants Cain to live with his guilt and suffer it no matter where he goes. Although it is not clear what the mark is, it seems as if it would be obvious to anyone who came in contact with Cain what he had done.

This story explores the unpleasant emotions and actions of the human race; jealously murder, anger, vengeance, ect. It serves a purpose, to educate us that crime will be met with punishment and thus, justice is served.