According to Christopher Reeve, “I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite overwhelming obstacles.” In The Odyssey, Odysseus tries to return to his home Ithaca from Troy but lets his pride get to him. Throughout the journey, he faces many obstacles because of his pride. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus shows that he is not a hero because of his pride, arrogance, and emotions. Odysseus shows that he is not a hero when he takes pride in himself when he is about to leave the island of the Cyclops after blinding him. His pride is shown when he says “Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca.” (9, 416-419). …show more content…
Odysseus also shows that he is not a hero when he is arrogant while trying to leave the Cyclops’ island. His arrogance is shown when he says” If I could take your life I would take your time away and hurl you down to hell! The god of earthquakes could not heal you there!” (9,438-440). This proves that Odysseus is an arrogant person who thinks he can defeat someone stronger than him. It also proves that he thinks that he is a better person than everyone else. Some people may argue that Odysseus is a hero. There is evidence of this when he is trapped on the island of the Cyclops. It is shown that he is a hero when he says “I drew it from the coals and my four fellows gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops as more than natural force nerved them; straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye.” (9,