The End of The Odyssey

   Today, I finished The Odyssey, an epic novel telling the heroic journey of Ulysses, as he attempts to get home after the Trojan War. Homer sure was bad with repetion, but he could write an amazing climax.
   I have to say this weeks part of the reading wasn't really my favourite, but it was very suspenseful and that kept me pretty interested. I think the biggest thing for me was when Eurycleia discovered the beggar was really Ulysses by his hunting scar. However, I also didn't like this part because I felt Ulysses was pretty nasty to her, even if it could have ruined his plan to take back his home. He basically grabbed her neck and whispered-yelled threats of death in her ear. I think he should have trusted her, because Telemachus and Penelope still did. But when you've been away for twenty years, I guess you'd kind of want the servants to know that just because you had gone missing didn't mean you weren't in charge.
   I also thought Ulysses went a little bit overboard with the slaying of the suitors and his unfaithful servants as well. I think he should have kept Antinous to kill last, so maybe he would feel worse about his actions. I also believe that Melanthius shouldn't have been killed so horribly. They could have hung him with the maids (I think that probably would've been rather insulting back then) or just chopped off his head. But mismemberment? That's serial killer sadistic. No one should ever have to die that way, not for something like mocking a beggar.
   As for Penelope, I'm very happy for her; She grew a backbone! A strong one too! I almost thought she was just going to be all "Okay, honey! Welcome home!" once she got over her initial shock, but she surprised me by testing Ulysses. And considering the serial killer/ anger management spree he had gone on earlier that afternoon, that was probably a pretty risky thing to do. However, it was also very smart, because who knows? It could have not been real...
   Anyway, I'm happy that everything worked out for all the characters in the end. And that Telemachus didn't die.