By sending members of his crew instead of himself, it hints that Odysseus doesn't have much courage. However, he makes it a point to make sure that his actions are credited to him. He is a selfish person and a hero should not be selfish and should be self-sacrificing.
Odysseus then attempts to make himself out as a hero once more when he is speaking about his efforts to get off the island safely. However, Odysseus only proves that he is very self-centered and only cares about getting home. For Example, Odysseus then explains to the Phaeacians,.
"But while they killed them off in the harbor depths.
I pulled the sword from beside my hip and hacked away.
at the ropes that moored my blue-prowed ship of war.
and shouted rapid orders at my shipmates:.
"Put your backs in the oars-now row or die!".
In terror of death they ripped the swells-all as one-.
and what a joy as we darted out toward open sea,.
clear of those beetling cliffs my ship alone." (Homer 234:137- 144).
Odysseus only cares that he gets off the island safely, not whether or not his crew gets off the island safely. If Odysseus was truly an honorable hero, he would be the last one to leave the island, making sure as many members of his crew got on the ship as possible.
A good reputation seems to be very significant to Odysseus. As we read the poem we constantly see Odysseus yearning to be acknowledged as a hero. For example while he was on Calypso's island and he thought he was going to die he said,.
"Three, four times blessed, my friends-in-arms.
who died on the plains of Troy those years ago,.
serving the sons of Atreus to the end. Would to god.
I"d died there too and met my fate that day the Trojans, swarms of them, hurled at me with bronze spears,.
fighting over the corpse of proud Achilles! .
A hero's funeral then, my glory spread by comrades -.
now what a wretched death I"m doomed to die!" (Homer 162: 338-345).
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Whenever he greets someone, he always makes sure to make it sound like he is a great man.
