Odysseus, the Independent

Upon reading chapter 5 of The Odyssey, we discussed the different adjectives that we thought might describe Odysseus. I recall saying something along the lines of "paranoid" or "overly cautious", and used his interactions with Ino and Calypso as examples. However, upon closer examination of the previously mentioned parts of the text, I would like to change my description to "striving for independence".

First of all, it is evident through Odysseus's story in chapter 7 that he is constantly being tormented by the gods, as he is always getting put at their mercy, or being forced by them into certain  situations. In particular, he is forced to sleep with the nymph Calypso every night for seven years (something that a seemingly loyal husband like Odysseus would never do willingly). Finally, after those seven long years, Calypso insists that Odysseus get on a raft and sail to safety. Odysseus's response is interesting, in that he does not eagerly escape as one would expect him to, but rather, he says "I won't set foot on a raft until you show good faith/until you consent to swear, goddess, a blinding/oath you'll never plot some new intrigue to harm me!" (Book 5, Lines 197-199). Now, some people may interpret this quote as implying that Odysseus is extremely cautious of his actions, and does not trust others easily. While this is a reasonable interpretation, I believe that he replies in such a way because this is, for the first time in seven years, that Odysseus has the opportunity to be an independent person. In that, I mean that, instead of simply agreeing and doing just as Calypso says, he wants to make the decision to leave himself. By telling Calypso that he will leave only under certain conditions, he takes control of the situation, and in the end, it is Calypso who is forced to agree to Odysseus's terms.

As previously stated, the second example in the text where Odysseus might appear to be paranoid is when he is approached by Ino. When Ino presents Odysseus with the scarf of immortality, instead of putting it on instantly, it is said that he "weighed two courses" (Book 5, Line 391), debating with himself the probability of the scarf being a trap. Then, he concludes "No, here's what I'll do, it's what seems best to me./As long as the timbers cling and joints stand fast,/I'll hold out aboard her and take a whipping-/once the breakers smash my craft to pieces,/then I'll swim" (Book 5, Lines 397-400). By weighing the odds himself and making his own decision, he once again makes himself independent from the gods' instructions (notice the emphasis the text puts on the word "me"). He only puts the scarf on once he absolutely has to, and even then, the fact that he made the decision only after he considered the other possible options, remains.