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The Human Comedy In Homer's Odyssey

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The 1943 novel The Human Comedy alludes to The Odyssey in ways which are both big and obvious, and small and subtle, with each kind having it’s own perks. One does not have to read far into The Human Comedy to see the references and allusions It makes to The Odyssey. Things like Character names and settings make the transition to The Human Comedy with ease and readability. However, not all points in which The Human Comedy alludes to The Odyssey are so shallow. Things like the story’s obstacles and underlying theme for example, are more well hidden and require critical thinking to find, instead of just basic observational skills. One example of a reference William Saroyan makes to The Odyssey is the main character’s name. “Homer” Is the name of the author who wrote the Odyssey back in 800 B.C.E.. Homer’s brother, Ulysses, Is the name of the main character in both The Iliad and The Odyssey. References such as these may seem superficial and unimportant, but they can have additional uses in writing. These types of allusions tend to play lesser roles, and less add to the story then enhance existing parts. For example, the Similarities in character names between The Odyssey and The Human Comedy could guide the reader toward deeper …show more content…

These are the real allusions of importance. These can be scenes, plots, or characters, as long as they require one to think about the story. These kinds of references tend to add to the story, or even make up a large portion, in some cases. An example of this exists in the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, which, much like The Human Comedy, alludes to The Odyssey throughout the story. In fact, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou is based entirely on allusions to The Odyssey. Most of these allusions are of the second kind, for example, the character Ulysuss Is based on Odysseus, and the river girls being references to the

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