Examples Of Generosity In The Odyssey

The book is better than the movie, a comment that is stated after every film adaptation ever known to man. Why does the book always seem to be more preferable? Seeing the book on screen, through the eyes of the director, will never live up to the expectations that were implanted upon the viewer when the book was read themselves. “The Odyssey” is a superior work of art to the film O! Brother, Where Art Thou? because Odysseus is the worthier epic hero and the film loses the major theme of hospitality that is displayed throughout the poem.
“The Odyssey” is a poem composed by the legendary author Homer, one of the central works of Greek Literature. The poem follows the hero Odysseus on his ten year struggle to return to his native Ithaca after

Xenia is the generosity and courtesy shown in the guest-host relationship. The whole concept of xenia began with the couple Baucis and Philemon, the only two people in their town to welcome the two disguised gods Zeus and Hermes into their home. The two were rewarded for their generosity, and the others punished. So in fear of the gods showing at their door, Greeks would welcome anyone with open arms and give them gifts; Homeowners would also receive gifts in return from the travelers.(Manolis) One of the first encounters of hospitality was when Odysseus receives advice from Circe. When the men come upon the sorceress’ farmhouse, “the doors swung open in welcome, ushering them into the shade of a dining hall.” (Homer, 34) Odysseus however did not enter, and he watched Circe turn the crew into pigs. Odysseus outsmarted the sorceress and in trade of her life, she gave Odysseus crucial advice he needed in order to return to Ithaca. Odysseus also received great help from King Aeolus, who greets Odysseus with offers of dining and tells them “the rules of hospitality command that [he] gives [them] everything [they] need.”(22) The king gave Odysseus the bag of Poseidon's winds and in return Odysseus told the Aeolians of all of his adventures, and this was gift enough because the Aeolians never left their city. For the duration of the whole film O! Brother, Where Art Thou?, Everett does not once receive any hospitality or even give any. There are occasions where there is a chance to create the respectful guest host relationship, but all efforts are concealed by the use of subterfuge. The lack of respect by Everett on those who he encounters on his journey, is the overlaying reason as to why the book is better than the