Odysseus is driven by a desire to reclaim his identity as a family man and to become a person he was before he left for the Trojan War. His return to Ithaca symbolically signifies the transition from life as a warrior to life as a family man, a husband, father, and head of a household.

Odysseus is driven chiefly by his nostos, or his desire for homecoming, a notion in heroic culture that instills bravery among warriors by reminding them of the people and institutions they were fighting for back home. But, it is woven around the single theme of an intense desire to reunite with family after fighting it out with evil forces. The Odyssey, famous for its non-linear plot, is not necessarily a chronologically ordered tale or narrated from a single perspective. The epic poem is a glorious tale of fate, retribution, and the conflict between civilization and savagery. Despite all his shortcomings, the protagonist is steadfast in his resolve to unite with his family after fighting bravely in the battlefield. Odysseus’ fight is not only against external forces but also against inner temptations and his inability to heed to the gods' warnings. Many believe it to be a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The Odyssey is one of the two major Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. Back home, he plots the fall of suitors who have laid seize to his family and home. On his journey back, he fights demonic adversaries, resists the advances of seductresses and braves rough sea to reach Ithaca. It takes Odysseus 10 years to reach home after fighting in the 10 year-long Trojan War. The Odyssey is a heroic tale of Greek king Odysseus returning home after the fall of Troy.

The odyssey summary