Can we really consider the Telemachiad a coming of age story? We have multiple instances
where Homer reminds the reader of Telemachus’ incompetence, and child-like
lifestyle choices. Even when Telemachus is being the man he has to be and
speaking to the council, Homer still hints at his “fake,” or not the man his
father was ways. However, after Athena stops putting words in his mouth,
Telemachus puts off much more of an aura of confidence than before.
We know that Athena is using Telemachus as a puppet, and is
pretty much making Telemachus do whatever she tells him to do. As we talked
about in class, page 87 and page 100 both feature the same speech ending with
the line about giving his mother to another husband. On page 88, Telemachus
praises the stranger (Athena) and says “You’ve counseled me with so much
kindness now, like a father to son. I won’t forget a word.” Now we talked in
class about making it easier for the bard to remember this, as it is an oral
presentation, if it were word for word. But as a reader of the Odyssey as a
book it seems more like Telemachus will remember the words because they were
given by a god, and makes Telemachus’ idea totally not his own. He also took
the ideas of the ship and crew from Mentor (the stranger).
Homer does not miss any opportunity to make fun of
Telemachus. In book 1 after yelling at the suitors, he goes to his “Warm sheep
fleece” bed. And when he approaches the council the next day with his bronze
spear and hounds, he is wearing rawhide sandals for his “smooth feet.”
It is interesting how at points when Athena needs Telemachus
to be controlled she does it, but some of the time she lets him do his own
thing. Telemachus learns from Athena’s confidence invested in him which makes
him be confident even without Athena. On page 103, Homer shows us this when
Antinous tries to convince him to calm down, and “self-possessed Telemachus
drew the line.” Even after Athena has stopped putting words in his mouth,
Telemachus still speaks with the same strength that he had when Athena spoke
through him. This is much different than the Telemachus that was introduced in
the beginning of the book that was moping in the midst of many bachelors
hitting on his mother.
At first this seems like the Telemachiad is not about coming
of age because it wasn’t himself speaking. When you look deeper into how
Telemachus acts before and after Athena puts words into his mouth, Telemachus
has grown into a man. He speaks with more confidence and is ready for what lies
ahead in the journey. Much different than the mopey Telemachus that sits in his
house. We can’t be too quick to consider Telemachus a “man,” or “of age,”
because of Homers reminders of his lifestyle. He still has the not calloused
feet, and sleeps in warm sheep fleece. It will be interesting to see how
Telemachus acts for the rest of the Telemachiad and rest of The Odyssey.
I do agree that I think it is too early in his journey to be sure of anything. He does still have "smooth feet" (which hint to his lifestyle as you said), and he has trouble speaking up/for himself. However, as the story progresses I can see how Telemachus could transform into a changed character. Even though he has made a bit of progress (he has taken more control of the situation with the suitors in his home, he has found more of a voice for himself [sort of ]) in his character, I think it is so early in the story, that we can not be sure of where he stands as of now, only in book 3/4.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind that Telemachus's story is not yet complete--we leave him at the end of Book 4 on his way back to Ithaca, where we know a serious trial (an ambush) is waiting for him. These first four books maybe set in motion the "coming of age" aspect of the story, but, like his father, there's a return home (and a conflict at that home) waiting to really test him.
ReplyDeleteYour post actually has a lot of similarities from my post, even the title! (lol I read this after I wrote mine) Anyways, I completely agree with you when you say Athena is using Telemachus as a puppet, rather then she is just "inspiring him". It is kind of crazy that Telemachus changes SO MUCH, pretty much over night, right after talking to Athena- who was a total stranger when they met! He is basically doing whatever a random stranger is telling him to do, when he has already had over 10 years to be able to think about solutions for himself, by himself. Although I do agree with the rest of the comments saying it is too early in the story to fully evaluate Telemachus's "coming of age".
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you give him a bit of the benefit of the doubt at the end there. I feel like Telemachus has been getting a lot of undue hate recently. The thing is, Telemachus really is untried. He hasn't been to war, he hasn't attempted any great (Herculean?) feat, the guy hasn't really had a chance to prove himself yet. He needs Athena's help speaking at a council and making state visits because he's never had to do those things before. I vote we wait to pass judgement on Telemachus until he gets a chance to do something important by himself.
ReplyDeleteAs Mr. Mitchell said, his story is not yet complete, but after reading books 13 through 18, I still don't think he really grows up much. When they plot to get rid of the suitors, Telemachus takes an active role in the plot, but not really in the plotting. He is there just because he is Odysseus's son and so they have another person, not as someone who can help orchestrate the plot. Contrast that with Odysseus, on the other hand, whose cunning ideas, like the Trojan horse, have earned him even Athena's respect. The main criterion for coming-of-age, though, is not cunning or intelligence, but independence, and although he has tried to take charge over Penelope, he is still rebuked by Odysseus for letting the situation with the suitors get so out of hand, and this makes him seen much more like child than a 21 year old man.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting point, and its nice to see the early doubts about Telemachus' progression that I felt as well. Now that we've read a little farther into the book, do you still feel like he's a wimpy dude? He's still needed some heavy mentoring by Athena, but otherwise has he been holding his weight decently throughout the rest of the narrative? In the most recent chapters we were supposed to read he actually puts in work during the slaughterhouse scene; you can't really call him a kid anymore after he's gutted someone with a spear, can you? But an argument can still be made both ways, so I guess its still up for interpretation even this late in the story.
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