The Odyssey

The Odyssey
Homer/translated by W.H.D. Rouse
1937

The Odyssey came to a more than satisfactory closure for me. The Odyssey had many great intriguing qualities which kept you anticipating how the author could possibly wrap the story up. Even with Odysseus slaying most of the towns best men, the gods were still with him and they turned the fathers and siblings of the dead mens hearts soft. Odysseus was pleased with this and he turned back to his home, finally at peace and finally filled with the happiness of his home. He was tired of fighting and he was tired of warfare. This happy, peaceful, and serene ending closes the book with a great contrast to the violent warfare and fighting that occurs all throughout before.
This ending shows that Odysseus is actually a happy and peaceful man in the heart, which is a fantastic contrast to the earlier violent, depressed, and sad Odysseus in the beginning and rising conflict of the book. I enjoyed this contrast completely and therefore made me satisfied with the book to its fullest extent.