Themes In The Odyssey

When reading a story, you will often discover similarities in the human experience. We love stories because our lives are stories and we are all a part of God’s bigger story. A story can be impactful because it can cause the reader to consider their own life and sometimes relate. A reaction to a good story can even change the readers perspective on how they view people and circumstances surrounding them. To dive deeper in to literature, it is helpful to synthesize multiple stories to see how they collectively display different elements within a story. Important elements of a story include themes, characters, conflict along with others. Themes within a good story can vary greatly. Love, for instance, is a theme that all can relate with as

The reader needs to see characters, who like themselves, struggle with adversity and then long to see a solution. Lessons can be learned from conflict and hope can be found when the conflict is resolved. For example, pain is a conflict that all of us can relate with. In the Odyssey, Odysseus feels the ongoing pain of struggling to return home to his wife in Ithaca. (The Odyssey 54-55; bk. 4.555-8). The Bible describes another character named Job, that endures the incredible pain of having everything he loves stripped from him. (ESV Job 1:13-22). Fear is another emotion most readers can relate with and is represented in many conflicts within a story. In Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hermia and Lysander have a fear of not knowing what to do since their love is forbidden. (MND 1.1 215-220). Another example of fear is in the Bible, when Peter denied knowing Christ three times. He felt fear that he would be punished by being associated with Jesus. (ESV John 18: 15-27). The enemies encountered by characters in a story is another example of conflict. Many stories have a conflict that requires overcoming enemies, real or imagine, to reach the ultimate goal. An example of enemies would be the Trojan army versus the Greek army in the Iliad. (the Iliad 347; bk 19.360-370). Another example of enemies within a story is Aslan and the White Witch in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as they battle for control of Narnia. (The Lion, the

Without them, the story would not make sense and would not be readable. The theme of the story is what hooks the reader. If you asked a reader in one word what the story was about, the theme would be what they would say. The characters are what makes a story believable. As the reader relates their own life to the characters in the story, they are drawn in to the storyline. The conflict experienced in a story is what draws the attention of the reader and then satisfies them in the conclusion. Conflict is a part of all our lives, so every story should involve this important element. Good stories stir the soul of the reader and leave them wanting