Odysseus and Peeta Melark: are they Similar?

The Odyssey-known as one of the most difficult books/story that you will ever read. Comes after the Trojan was written by Homer ( a blind poet). Is a table of events that occur when the main character- Odysseus- tries to get home. Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games and is not what you think it is. Located in a small country called Panem. These districts give up a boy and a girl to fight to the death for live entertainment. Homer’s Odyssey and Collins Hunger Games are one to the best books to compare from hopeless romantics, people who manipulate others to get their way, and fighters who aren’t as strong as they say they are.

Odysseus and Peeta are those types of boys who would die for the girl. No matter what type of situation it may be. They’re the type of men to secretly follow the girl that they like home and sends them love letters. Being teenage boys who are in love. Yep, hopeless romantics. “I’ve had a crush on her since forever…” (Collins 130). Peeta announces to the world that he’s known this girl - that never even knew he existed until he threw bread at her- and had fallen in love with her. He tells the world that it wouldn’t be any use if he was to go home and try to get the girl. The reason why is the girl is at the games with him. “In the first day of school… I knew just like your mother that I was a goner” (Collins 301). Now Odysseus, on the other hand, has a different approach of showing his love to his wife Penelope. He explains to his son- Telemachus “ Gather up all the men you can... “(Homer #) He says this line because he’s going to murder all of Penelope's suitors. They’ve been trying to steal Odysseus's wife and he doesn’t like that. Even though Odysseus had most likely cheated on his wife with another woman or women he was still loyal enough to think of her and the pain that she must be going through with a whole bunch of random men who had appeared in her living room to take her husband’s place. It made him furious. It made him want to kill every man on the spot and treat his wife properly like a queen actually should be treated like. Not like some women who are just there to give them sons and move on with their lives. And they shouldn’t be disappearing as though Odysseus has done.

Yes, both men are hopeless romantics and a bunch of other things, but the most common personality trait that these men have is that they manipulate people to get their way. The Odyssey Odysseus manipulated the Cyclops -Polyphemus- by giving him some strong wine to drink. And telling the giant man that his name was Nohbdy. Being too drunk Polyphemus never took notice that his name sounded idiotic. With that being said the giant tells him “I will give you a reward. Your reward is that I take all of your men and eat them first. Then save you for last. That is your reward.” When he falls asleep Odysseus and his four strongest men grab an olive spiked spear and shoved it deep in his eye socket. Once the other giants heard the screams and asked who caused him pain he replied” N’body did! N’body caused this!” the giants becoming irritated with this they left. Odysseus was able to manipulate the giant by changing his name around so the giant could embarrass himself in front of his friends because they assumed that nothing had happened and he was joking around. It was sneakily but a very smart idea to do when you are left in a situation between life and death. Peeta manipulated the citizens of the capitol in an unexpectant way. “Because she came here with me… star-crossed lovers… gives you an advantage… most likely to give you more sponsors” (Collins #) It gives Peeta and Katniss an advantage to gain more sponsors than everybody else. Since they now play up the star-crossed lovers from district twelve look he basically played the capitol and told them to give them two more sponsors. It was a smart move that nobody would have guessed Peeta was going to do. It gives them the advantage to win.

Hopeless romantics who “ love” the girl. Able to manipulate people in an easy way to get what they want. Sure thing. What a great combination for a bunch of boys. Yet something that can not be forgotten or acted as if it’s not such a big deal. Peeta and Odysseus Maybe a lady killer but they sure are weak fighters. Peeta’s only skill is that he is great at decorating cakes. By his life hanging on a thread he has no choice but to hide in the mud. He’s come into the games with no luck if survival because he knows nothing about the wilderness and the wild animals. He doesn’t know how to hunt, barely knows hand to hand combat. “I decorate the cakes” (Collins #). “It’s the final word in camouflage...I guess all those hours of decorating cakes finally came off” (Collins 247). Peeta is only able to protect himself by camouflaging into a setting. The only way for him to stay alive before he dies of the infection that was brought to his leg. Odysseus believes that he never needs anyone. He’s so full of himself that he’s become a cocky person. Never even noticing that it was him who was making his men sacrifice their lives just for him. He wasn’t grateful. “I cheered on my men… battle cries..” (Homer #). Odysseus had never even noticed that it was him all along who was killing his men. Bringing them to a horrible setting to get them killed. Maybe he doesn’t want to admit it because he’s scared or because he doesn’t want to die.

Thus, in conclusion, the importance of Peeta’s and Odysseus’s behavior seems similar in many ways. These ways were proven in advance and both are different types of heroes. Peeta Mellark isn’t a type of legend that Odysseus was, he was an unwilling hero. He really wasn’t up to the challenge in the Hunger Games. He gave up all hope of him surviving once he gotten his leg cut by Cato. Both men have their charms and their strengths and weaknesses. Being too full of themselves, in other words, cocky and being too scared to face a situation or problem. They have their differences but they mostly have their similarities. Helpless romantics that eventually gets the girl like they always dreamed of, Showing people that they can and will be manipulative if something doesn’t go right or how they imagined it to be.

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