Maya – Intro & Outline

I. Introduction: Stories are the ultimate form of memories, the crystallization of a liquid continuum. An epic takes this memory capture to the next level, documenting glory and gore that stand the test of time. Known for their drama and larger than life depictions, we would expect an epic to forget the unremarkable episodes, and yet Homer’s Odyssey immortalizes the mundane tasks of farmers alongside the spectacular exploits of heroes—which invites a question: what is worth remembering? The answer found in the Odyssey is not simple, but common threads of the past weave through each character’s mind. Following these threads completes a sentimental tapestry that more often than not inconveniences the characters. In the Odyssey, memories prove to be more curse than treasure; yet the present cannot compete with the augmented past, where certain memories—of people and of places—take on a poetic shine as time rubs them smooth.

II. Since the Odyssey tells the story of the hero Odysseus’ journey home after twenty years abroad, it is unsurprising memories of Odysseus plague most of the cast. The toll this takes on Odysseus’ family is decidedly negative, yet they stubbornly remain loyal to him.

1. His wife is unable to move on, crying herself to sleep even after twenty years.
2. His son encounters a memory-tampering drug in Sparta. This drug is desirable to Helen and Menelaus, because they do not deem their memories worth the pain they cause (4.231-240). Telemachus, on the other hand, would not have voluntarily taken the drug, because the memory of his father, despite the pain it causes him, gives him purpose.
3. His father moves into the orchards and isolates himself over the loss of his son.
4. His mother dies from grief over the memory of her lost son (11.198-203).

III. Odysseus’ own puzzling attachment to Ithaca and his family pushes him away from comfort repeatedly. It is not distance, or monsters, or gods who keep Odysseus from happiness: it is his memory of home.

1. The Lotus-Eater’s island is one of many places Odysseus encounters where he could forget the past and find a pleasant future (9.92-100). Had his crew remained there, they would have lived out the rest of their days, oblivious but at peace, instead of clinging to the immaterial memory of home and meeting an early death.
2. Odysseus stays with Circe for a year, feasting and drinking with his men. His men need to remind him to abandon the comfort he has found; “’Good god, man, at long last remember your home” (10.493)
3. Odysseus stays with Calypso for seven years, sharing her cave and her bed. His time with her is a blissful dream until thoughts of home jerk him awake and leave him restless and unsatisfied with his new life (5.154-157). The memory of Penelope overwhelms the presence of Calypso (5.215-220).
4. Nausicaa, a young, beautiful princess is enamored with Odysseus, remarking upon their first meeting, “If only such a man would be called my husband,/Living here, and content to stay here” (6.251-252). Her father supports the match as well—“I would wish, by Zeus, by Athena and Apollo,/That you, being the kind of man you are—/My kind of man—would marry my daughter/And stay here and be called my son” (7.332-335).

IV. The guest-host relationship’s reliance on the past provides a glimpse of memory at work in the wider world of the Odyssey.

1. Menelaus is indebted to the father, not son, yet he is just as welcoming to Telemachus (4.176-180). He sends gifts with Telemachus in order to make his guest remember his hospitality (4.618-624).
2. Odysseus is accepted into the Phaeacian king Alcinous’ home before he reveals his identity, as dictated by the rules of hospitality. However, he strategically unveils himself after food and games, using his famed name and incredible stories to earn favor and gifts from his host—bargaining in memories.
3. As Telemachus and Odysseus were aware in each of their cases, a key feature of the hospitality system is the market for memories. Hosts may not demand payment for their hospitality, but they do not host for nothing. As in the case of Menelaus, hosts happily accommodate family names they have formed a connection to, as this continues and strengthens their relationship. Accommodating a stranger forms new connections, opening new roads and new doors through shared memories.
4. In addition, guests also bring news of far-away people and places, and, in the case of world-renowned figures like Odysseus, they bring their own celebrity and anecdotes.

V. Conclusion: What is worth remembering? Based on the Odyssey, the answer is as inconvenient as we would expect–things you cannot forget, namely, connections with people and with places.

1. Memories of Odysseus may torment more than they delight, but his family is emotionally attached enough to endure, and the tearful reunions are a worthwhile culmination of their loyalty.
2. Odysseus’ loyalty is even more astounding, drifting from temptation to temptation as he is, with only pain awaiting him when he leaves each pool of comfort. His memories of Ithaca are deceptively gilded with the passing time, and they are the only obstacle between him and happiness during his ten years of journeying.
3. When we zoom out to look at the wider network of memory, it is clearer why people and places are worth remembering. The system of hospitality, for example, relies on memory to form lasting relationships in a vast, disconnected world.