The Odyssey (and Us)

I am pleased to share Kunkel’s essay on Homer’s Odyssey. While the myth has inspired numerous films, the two most recent—The Return (2024) and Odyssey (2026)—are especially noteworthy. Perhaps we have something to learn from this ancient story? Kunkel certainly thought so. He saw Polyphemeus, one-eyed giant, as the negative father-image, or tyrant. "He is the shadow, or unlived life of Ulysses, the giant who pursues and judges ... Polyphemeus, Ulysses' black giant, forces him to fight. He, like all of us, would escape but cannot. Nor can he kill him for if he did he would remain trapped in the cave. So he blinds him and escapes. The courageous, intelligent hero has overcome the negative father-image, and in so doing, absorbed his strength."

"Negative images are always primitive and cannot be argued with, but what to do with them? If we kill them, we are trapped in a cave with a corpse. Blinding them, we remove the all-seeing eye under which we cannot mature as an individual."

Read Kunkel essay for more fascinating insights!