"Minerva now put it in Penelope's mind to make the suitors try their skill with the bow and with the iron axes, in contest among themselves, as a means of bringing about their destruction." The bow also repsresents a sense of Odysseus' nationalisim and pride he has for Ithaca. He did not bring the bow with him to Troy, he left at home to keep it safe. It is symbolic that he uses this swoard that helped him through his battles at home to regain his ground, wife, and to save his son. It also represents Odysseus' value and appreaciation of friendships because the bow was given to him by Iphitus, a valued friend. The bow also represents Telemachus' desire to fufill the same duties as his father and follow his footsteps as a war hero. It represents his fist step into man hood."...If I can string it and shoot through the iron, I shall not suffer my mother to quit this house with a stranger, not if I can win the prizes which my father won before me." The bow also symobilzes defeatment for the suitors. They do not carry the same strength to use his bow against him. One of the suitors explains his inability to take use of the bow, "What I feel most is the fact of our being so inferior to Ulysses in strength that we cannot string his bow. This will disgrace us in the eyes of those who are yet unborn." Penelope gives more signifigance to the bow, "If the stranger should prove strong enough to string the mighty bow of Ulysses, can you suppose that he would take me home with him and make me his wife?" The bow is a symbol of inevidable victory. The bow is a direct connotation with Odysseus and his infinite power.
The violence against the suitors and the guilty women can be justified. They had many chances to give up their desire of marrying Penelope and give the house back to their power. They also were planning to kill Odysseus' son. They were very disrespectful and violent. He does spare the life of a suitor. "Here I am, my dear sir," said he,
"stay your hand therefore, and tell your father, or he will kill me in his
rage agahinst the suitors for having wasted his substance and been so foolishly
disrespectful to yourself." Ulysses smiled at him and answered, "Fear not; Telemachus has saved
your life, that you may know in future, and tell other people, how greatly
better good deeds prosper than evil ones. Go, therefore, outside the cloisters
into the outer court, and be out of the way of the slaughter- you and the bard-
while I finish my work here inside." He his rage is justifiable and although he is embarking on a journey of tranquility and peace after fighting such a grusum war, the first step of this is ironically violence. The suitors had it coming to them. Even though they tried to talk it out and bribe Odysseus of a compensation for all the food they consumed, Odysseus refuses. The women were also punished and had to dispose of dead bodies and clean up after the cleansing of the suitors. Telemachus takes control, for if it had not been for him, the women might have gotten away under Odysseus' rule. "I shall not let these women die a clean death, for they were
insolent to me and my mother, and used to sleep with the suitors." Telemachus saw the disrespect and dishonor of the women first hand and told his father about it. The Odyssey wouldn't be the Odyssey if it didn't end with such an epic victory and battle.
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