As we have mentioned before in honors, Odysseus is probably not the most favorable man to travel with in terms of long life expectancy. Any man that travels with him is most likely doomed to die some horrific death, and Odysseus usually knows about the danger ahead, or brings on the danger by his recklessness. One example that I have had a dilemma over is Odysseus' decision to go Scylla's way to get past the mountain. He knows beforehand that to go past Scylla means he will lose six men. The other choice is to go by way of Charybdis which means that instead of losing six men, every one will die. Odysseus knows and weighs both options, but he does not tell his crew about the impending danger for fear of mass chaos on the boat. But how can one choose which six will die and who will be left? All Odysseus knows is that he will survive no matter what the circumstance. So is it fair to say that he does not care who lives or dies? I think that Odysseus cares for his men, but I also think he has one goal in mind and that goal is to return to his homeland and his family. Once Odysseus decides to do or act on something no one can stop him no matter what the cost. So if Odysseus ever asked me to go on a journey with him, I would most definitely think twice about saying yes.
P.S.- I commented on Gary Hamner's post.
I think Odysseus' recklessness makes him so interesting as a character.And it's crazy to me because the men who traveled with him had to know his reputation. That makes it even more baffling to me that with the exception of one guy they were so willing to follow his lead.
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