Ithaca: The Everlasting Influence, The Queen Of Ithaca

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Ithaca: The everlasting influence
In classic literature, the ideal of beauty and perfection in great men of the time is represented by the myths of the heroes and gods. The stories of the mythical people, the places they visited and stayed have played an important role in influencing today’s arts, literature, and film. Some of the most recent adaptations of classical literature are the stories based on Greek tragedy in theaters where plays are adapted to modern life, but the plots are based on Greek tragedy, epics and heroes. Furthermore, different films based on the epic of Homer have borrowed the plots lines of the epic story to narrate the journey of Ulysses, a fighter in the Trojan War on his way to Ithaca his homeland. In Homer’s Odyssey, and the adaptations, Ithaca emerges as an important metaphorical space, a state of mind, and an idea that triggers recollection and nostalgia.
The queen of Ithaca was shown as a loyal wife who still waited for him for the king to return, and declined marriage proposals from numerous men while her husband was away and missing (Wilson 11). However, in retelling the story, artists and authors recast Penelope as one who was impatient waited for destiny, Ithaca becomes a place where the true characters of the people are revealed based on their experiences where the character Odysseus and Penelope change, where the wife is no longer affectionate and eager to welcome her husband back to Ithaca. In retelling the myths to fit the modern times and even recast the roles that the king and queen played, there is a change in tone from Homer’s original tale where Homer's character had disguised himself to keep a watchful eye on his wife after returning to Ithaca unannounced.
In Homer’s the Odyssey the hero makes it back home to Ithaca after encountering various tragedies and challenges in his journey. The other stories of returning home have also addressed this theme, but in different social settings and times. Thomas Wolfe’s You Can’t Go Home Again, focuses on George Webber an author who mentions Libya Hill, New York his hometown, and longed to return to return to his home and family in a provincial village (Hall 168). However, when Webber finally holding onto his childhood memories, Libya, had changed dramatically because of a housing boom and he begins to see the place representing the superficial things and people in his life like his friend Esther Jacks. When the Great Depression hits the place, it becomes desolate and the people move out in huge numbers. Like in the Odyssey story, the homesick Webber faces difficulties readjusting after returning home. Similarly, people make a journey to other places have better understanding of their homes, as they experienced different things than what they were used to, and it was surprising to Webber that the home he grew up now looked small and shabby (Hall 168).
Stories about returning home and longing are linked to both the physical journey and journey of self discovery, which triggers recollection and nostalgia. In Wolfe’s novel the journey from the childhood home and back required crossing...