Journeys In Reminders Of Him, By Colleen Hoover

688 Words3 Pages

Home is different, in hindsight, for everyone. It can be where family is, a place, a feeling, or an accomplishment. Mental travels to the peace of home and physical journeys can be very different. In Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover, Kenna starts her story in her home. What Kenna goes through is more of an emotional journey. She has to make up for lost time while in jail, face her past, and try to heal it. In The Odyssey, Odysseus has to travel through physical challenges to reach his home. Both Kenna and Odysseus face challenges on their way home. Kenna and Odysseus have different ideas of home. Odysseus wonders, “where shall a man find sweetness to surpass his own home and his parents” (Homer). Home is formidable to Odysseus, for he continues …show more content…

While in the Land of the Dead, Odysseus talks to Tiresias, a dead seer, that says, “you think of going home as honey-sweet, but the gods will make it bitter” (Homer). The challenges Odysseus faces are significantly a result of the Greek gods and goddesses. Odysseus is facing the consequences of his actions, and those consequences are costing him. Kenna has just arrived back in town and thinks about her hardships, “...close my eyes and cry because life can be so cruel and hard, and I’ve wanted to quit living it so many times” (Hoover 16). Kenna is going through many things after returning home, and her mental state is heavily affected. The intellectual impairment Kenna is facing in her hometown is a challenge. In some spots during Reminders of Him, the view of narration is switched, “I feel like Kenna’s monster and Diem’s protector” (Hoover 136), is said by the second narrator, Ledger. Kenna has a daughter, Diem, during her time in jail, and the parents of her late lover, Scotty, are given custody. A lot of the novel circles around the struggles of custody battles Kenna goes through. Ledger is a friend of Scotty and a large part of Diem’s life. He wants Kenna to meet Diem and be a proper mother, but Diem’s adoptive parents won’t allow it. They believe, based on her past, that Kenna is dangerous. The doubtfulness of Diem’s caretakers is very difficult for Kenna because it’s one step farther away