In the Odyssey, it takes Odysseus twenty years to return home from the Trojan War. On his journey home, he encounters many obstacles and creatures that he must overcome. Meet mermaids, Cyclopes and others. Every event in this epic has a symbolic meaning behind it. Homer writes about the story, symbolism, and characters of the Odyssey. The Odyssey is about the Greek gods and heroes and their adventures (Makman). Odysseus is the main character and is undertaking a quest that will take him several years to complete. Homer's story, the Odyssey, raises many questions in the later years of its readers (Thornton). Homer's work has such an impact on today's poets and literary works that none could match his work in the Odyssey (Nerdahl). It's been a while since the first English translation was made (Wolfe). Book 5 of the Odyssey plays a very important role in the story for the following chapters (Frank). Book 5 is very important because Athena asks Zeus to go easy on Odysseus, so she sends the messenger Hermes to Calypso, so they will let Odysseus (Frank) go. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is thrown into a different, mythical world after returning home from the Trojan War. He loses his entire army to these creatures of a wide variety in his mythical quest (Sale, "Homer"). The creatures he encounters may be quite scary, but the willpower to return home and the help of the gods will guide him on the right path, all as he and the reader learn the meanings behind it all. The whole theme behind the Odyssey is all about his symbolic encounters with each creature and how he overcomes them (Sale, “Odyssey”). In the Odyssey, there are symbolic meanings throughout his quest, and everything he encounters means something to... middle of paper... rdahl, Michael. "Pourin' the Wrong Wax into the Literary Mold: Plutarch's Mdrius and Homer's Odyssey." University Literature 35.4 (2008): 110+. Literary resources from Gale. Network. January 14, 2014. Sale, William Merritt. "Homer: Overview." Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literary Resources from Gale. Network. January 14, 2014. Sale, William Merritt. "The Odyssey: Overview." Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literary Resources from Gale. Network. January 22, 2014. Thornton, Bruce S. “Intelligent and Tough Odysseus.” Claremont Book Review Winter 2008: 45+. Literary resources from Gale. Network. January 14, 2014.Worman, Nancy. “Odysseus Panourgos: The Style of the Liar in Tragedy and Oratory.” Helios 26.1 (1999): 35+. Literary resources from Gale. Network. January 14. 2014.