The Odyssey and History

In Greek society history is extraordinarily important as it show where you come from, and if you and/or your family are highly esteemed, a value that is shown in "The Odyssey." In this epic by Homer, Odysseus comes into contact many times with the past by talking to the spirits of the dead and also talking about his past and all the struggles he had to face. Because of his glorious past he earned hospitality from many people, and gained information from the dead spirits to get home. King Alkinoös answered to Odysseus' woeful tale, "When you came here to my strong home, Odysseus, under my tall roof, headwinds were left behind you. Clear sailing shall you have now, homeward now, however painful all the past" (Book 13 lines 4-9). Granted it is part of Greek culture to be hospitable to people, however, once people have found out that they have a war hero in their midst they become more than happy to do anything for the said hero. Ergo your past can change how people treat you, but learning from the past can also make you a stronger person. When I say "learning from the past" I don't just mean learn from the experience of ghosts, but also learning from the mistakes of the past. Had Odysseus not gone through the mistakes such as allowing to make camp on the island of Helios when he was strictly warned not to, his personality would not have changed as drastically. As they say "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

The Magus and History

Throughout "The Magus" the past plays of utmost importance. Not only in the way that Conchis and Julie used stories of "their past" to sway Nicholas' opinion, but it plays into who each character is, it is a fundamental piece in their identity. As Conchis so well put it, "All that is past posseses our present" (pg 311). It's like Nicholas's relationship with Alison. He had left her behind physically when he went to teach in Greece, but the relationship never really left him. Conchis used Nick's past with Alison to manipulate him for his psychological study. It also made Nicholas really think about Alison, what she meant to him, and how his past behaviour influenced her suicide. Because he fell in love with another woman and told her that he was leaving her despite everything she killed herself. Nick narrated when he learned of her death, "It was as if at this moment, when I most wanted to be clean, I had fallen into the deepest filth; most free for the future yet most chained to the past" (pg 399). The past will always be there to haunt people and remind them of everything they had gone through, the good, the bad, and especially the ugly. However, the history of a person also shapes the reality of your relationship with them, of how you see them. As Nicholas got to know "Lily" more (a helper in Conchis' "project") the more he saw Conchis as a wicked person, as the antagonist who needed to be shot down. Nicholas thought with overconfidence, "He might carry on with some comedy of intense disapproval, but he would be there; and his other puppet would also be there to help me finally call his bluff" (pg 384). More or less what "The Magus" states about history is that it is the genetic make-up of reality, of people, and of the relationships between people.

The Creation of this Blog

The big question I have chosen is "What is the importance of history?"

To be perfectly honest this wasn't what I first thought my "Big Question" was going to be. I predicted that I would end up with something out there like "What is reality?" However, the question of reality isn't always present in literature, so I decided that if I could find the common trait between "The Magus" and "The Odyssey" that that would bring up a universal and interesting question. It took me a little while to think of, however, I realized that history could be interpreted as the DNA of reality and explain the Greek importance of history (both of which I will point out later).
In thinking about it more I guess what appealed to me about this question was that it was one that I can pull into multiple directions, perhaps creating something new and interesting.