Modern Heros

While reading Gilgamesh and now the Odyssey the journeys of both Gilgamesh and Odysseus remind of heroes in Contemporary literature. Storytellers and writers have been sending heroes on epic adventures since Homer told of the Odysseus. The physical journey can be a wonderful way to explore the human condition and the question: "What is it to be human?" 


John Steinbeck's exploration of the U.S.A. in Travels with Charley: In Search of America first came to mind, probably because I just read it for English Seminar. Steinbeck's odyssey is not nearly as exciting as Odysseus' but it is an important journey none the less. Steinbeck sets out in his custom made camper, Rocinante, along with his trusty poodle companion, Charley. The goal of the pan-American trek was to reconnect Steinbeck with America and by the end he felt as though he had succeeded. When Steinbeck visits his home, Montery, California, he has a tense encounter with the bar tender and an old friend of his. Steinbeck is of the same sentiment as Homer: homecomings are dangerous.

Steinbeck's journey is fairly dry compared to the Odyssey; Alobar's journey on the other hand is just as exciting and exceedingly magical. Tom Robbins presents Alobar's odyssey through time in Jitterbug Perfume, Alobar's story is one of three intertwined throughout the novel. Alobar like Odysseus is smooth-tongued, sexually-charged and passionately tenacious. Alobar leaves his home in search of the life he is determined to live. Odysseus sought immortality though reputation and Alobar sought immortality of the physical being. Alobar meets his true love, Kudra, in India and together the two discover the secret to immortality all the while with Pan hanging out on the side.

Jack Kerouac's On the Road comes to mind as well. He wrote the entire account of his drunken adventures across the U.S.A. and Mexico with companion Neal Cassady. Kerouac wrote the entire manuscript as a scroll. Like Gilgamesh, Jack Kerouac writes his version of the journey. The characters are closely based on factual individuals.

Of course there are numerous accounts of journeys that have been told in all forms of media. Motorcycle Diaries is another account of an odyssey that led to the rise of one of the most influential political leaders of the 20th century, Che Guevara.