Throughout Odysseus’ journey, he has been welcomed and treated well by the people he encounters except for when he meets Polyphemus. The manner in which Polyphemus lives and acts towards Odysseus and his crew shows how he is a savage and and uncivilized member of society by not showing them hospitality. He lives by himself isolated from the rest of the civilized world and speaks rudely towards his guests.

Polyphemus lives alone isolated from the rest of the world and does not know how to act in the presence of company. When Odysseus and his crew come across his home, he is tending to his flock. His observation was “this was the lair of a huge creature, a man/ who pastured his flocks off by himself/ And lived apart from others and knew no law.” Base on the appearance of his living circumstances, Odysseus automatically could see that he was a creature that “knew no law.” Odysseus said “[he] was a freak of nature, not like men who eat bread/ But like alone wooded crag high in the mountains.” Being separated from the rest of society will make someone out of touch of the regular interactions people expect and usually engage in.

The manner in which Polyphemus acts is similar to that of a savage. He speaks in a rude manner when he first greets Odysseus and his crew. He says to Odysseus “You’re dumb, stranger or from far away/ If you ask me to fear the gods. Cyclopes/ Don’t care about Zeus or his aegis.” Polyphemus is confident in the fact that he is better than Odysseus and the gods and does not care about them. He says “I wouldn’t spare you or your men/ Out of fear of Zeus. I would spare them only/ If I myself wanted to.” This is different from everyone who is civilized as they worship the gods and often fear them for consequences of their actions.

He speaks without consideration of the consequences of his words and with little disregard to how the other person feels. He does not care about what will happen to anyone but himself. He tells Odysseus “Noman I will eat last after his friends/ Friends first, him last. That’s my gift to you.” He mocks the common traditions of hospitality when the host gives the guest a gift by telling Odysseus that his gift is to eat last. Polyphemus does know the common practices of human interactions, but since he lives alone isolated from everyone he does not practice them often and does not care for them since he does not have to do it for anyone on a regular basis.