It isn't hard to explain why Odysseus is such a good character. Vietnam was a war that lasted close to fifteen years and many men lost their lives there. Some of those men who survived have never been the same since they have come home. Homer knew what it felt like to go through war because his description of Odysseus is very good. According to Edwin Burgess article Odysseus in Vietnam "Odysseus shows many post war stress symptoms, just as a real soldier would." After the Trojan War and his long journeys, when Odysseus returns home he is not able to trust or be close to anyone. He has emotional outbursts by using violence to solve his problems. Also signs of criminal activity and sexual adventurism are evident.
When the vets came home from Vietnam they were not embraced or cared for, instead they were neglected and treated poorly. They had just risked their lives fighting for their country and got nothing in return, even worse they were abused by their fellow Americans. I can't imagine what that must feel like. Odysseus could relate though. He spent so many years away from home fighting for his people and himself, to come home and find his friends trying to covet his wife. The only feeling I can imagine describing this is betrayal. I found this quote on a website about Vietnam vets and the question asks to the vet was: What was the worst thing about Vietnam? .
Having my old friends from high school telling me about their college protests and how "right" their cause was and how wrong we "baby killers" were - that hurt! By far, this was the worse thing about being in Nam for me. I can forget about the bugs, the rats, the physical wounds and the VC - but being betrayed by your own country, hurt more than any thing else. No other wound hurt so bad - not even getting bounced on my head by a rocket explosion. To this very day - this is my biggest soul killing memory of the Nam. .
-Bill .
This is how Odysseus feels when he returns, if you can't trust your friends when you"re gone then who can you trust.
