While reading along I am not always sure what to think about Odysseus and his world. I do not find Odysseus as heroic as I imagine the Greeks thought him; of course, he is very courageous, a great fighter (but I am not so impressed by physical might); he is also concerned, somewhat at least, for the wellfare of his companions, men from Ithaca, his (and their) homeland.
Pound compares the Odyssey to an adventure story: "The Homeric world, very human. The Odyssey high water mark for the adventure story, as for example Odysseus on the spar after shipwreck. Sam Smiles never got any further in preaching self-reliance. A world of irresponsible gods, a very high society without recognizing morals, the individual responsible for himself." (Norton edition, p. 304).
I agree with Pound about Odysseus as adventure hero. I am not as sure about the absence of "morals." What morals are there in the Odyssey? What values does the Homeric world embrace? What values--ethical, cultural, literary--can we draw from it?
At this point, I don't really have an answer.
I still don't know what to think about Odysseus.
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