Character Analysis Of Homer Macauley In The Human Comedy

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People embark on a journey to either complete a given task, gather themselves, or to save an innocent person. In The Human Comedy, Homer Macauley, a telegram deliverer in the town of Ithaca, is given a task to complete, thus, finds his innermost self. He goes through various obstacles in his school, friends, family, including his undeniably stressful work. Living with his younger brother, Ulysses; his sister, Bess; and mother, Katey Macauley, Homer makes an effort of supporting them and being the man of the family since Katey’s oldest son, Marcus Macauley, has joined the army along with her deceased husband. Homer Macauley discovers himself caught in this situation where he is determining whether he should quit the job because he establishes …show more content…

The mentors teach vital lessons with their knowledge in certain areas of expertise to the hero which would help them through the journey. Thomas Spangler, the manager of the telegraph office, is the main mentor in the novella. Additionally, Miss Hicks, his school teacher is also considered a mentor to Homer. These characters teach Homer important lessons that help him throughout his journey. For instance, Homer gets informed by Marcus’s tragic death and Mr. Spangler tells him that “a good man can never die. The person of a man may go, but the best part of him stays. It stays forever.” (Saroyan 187). Spangler says this to Homer because a soul really never leaves with the body. It stays in the family’s heart. He is attempting to show Homer that a life is something that you should hold onto dearly and never think that the life was worthless. Spangler is establishing a very unforgettable thought in Homer’s head so it would help him throughout his encounters with people with deceased family. Adults can explicate death and edify how adolescent people like Homer can deal with this tragedy. Furthermore, another mentor can be Miss Hicks. Miss Hicks calls in Hubert Auckley and Homer after school to discuss their poor behavior. Although Miss Hicks acknowledges that this “after school” call in is “not a punishment, but for education”, she still