These last two similes of the book 5, the recovering father and the preserved fire, could be a subject to many contextual interpretations, but leitmotif of the last pages of book 5 is echoed with the theme of resurrection and renewed life from the spiritual death of Odysseus on the Calypso island. Odysseus first glimpses Phaeacia, the land that offers salvation from the storm and will complete his return to Ithaca: as <“Joy… warm as the joy that children feel when they see their father’s life dawn again, one who’s lain on the sickbed racket with torment, wasting away, slowly under some angry power’s onslaughts – then what joy when the gods, deliver him from his pains. So warm, Odysseus’ joy when he saw that shore…. >”
Odysseus’ joy is like the joy of the children who have been expecting the death of their father, conceivably, the loss of the family. They have watched him suffer for a long time as his life is being eaten away; Odysseus too has been watching his life erode as he sits in a golden cage, weeping in desire for his home even though he is surrounded by an island paradise. The simile suggests that Calypso’s island has been the land of death; the sea is the place where death is only threatened; the land of Phaeacia, with its prospect of return to Ithaca, is the gift of life. If the simile had stated that Odysseus welcomed this land as much as the father welcomed the return of good health, it would have been clear but would have failed to emphasize the perspective of the children who have watched a life decline and draw near its end. That external and impartial view is the position of Odysseus. In book 5 he is presented as a man who can see his own life as an observer and choose from among the paths open to him, while throughout the rest of the poem Odysseus will be presented as the man who seeks to serve not only himself but also his family, wife, son, and father. So this simile has a dual approaching, warmth joy of revivification, from induced submissiveness and spiritual and mental death, and joy from long-awaited returning of the protector and brave warrior.
Also another interesting simile is the symbol of olive tree that provide a shelter to him. “<…beneath two bushy olives sprung from the same root , one olive wild , the other well-bred stock….>” What Homer was trying to sad with this mixture? Interweaving of divine and human providence , fate itself or this is just another allegory that resolve in a future. The olive tree itself is a thoughtfully selected symbol. In Greece the olive tree symbolizes peace and prosperity, as well as resurrection and hope. “This was demonstrated by the events after the burning of Athens by the Persian King Xerxes in the V century BC. Xerxes burned the entire Acropolis city, within which was the centenary of olive trees of Athena, which was also burned. However, when the Athenians entered the scorched city, the olive tree had already grown a branch, symbolizing the rapid recuperation and renovation of the Athenians in the face of adversity.” (Wikipedia, olive tree in mythology) “Odysseus crept beneath the dead lives” as a symbol of rebirth, theme of renewed life.
Another simile that symbolize of revival or his return could be found in a last passage of book 5: “as a man will bury his glowing brands in a black ashes, off on a lonely farmstead , no neighbors near , to keep a spark alive – no need to kindle fire from somewhere else – so great Odysseus buried himself in lives..” Fire is a traditional symbol of warrior, purity through destruction or rebirth in some religions. Additionally, just as Odysseus feels small and endangered by overpowering forces, so the fire is diminished in size—though not in potential. This is the sign of Odysseus, returning king, the audience is learned through similes, that Odysseus even at his lowest moment is a faithful father to his family , he is returning to life, and he will sooner become that force that will successfully lead his people to reconstruct Ithaca and clean his land from enemies , like fire does.