Odyssey Vs Swede

In both The Odyssey and The Swede a character makes a decision regarding whether or not to trust someone that reveals a more in-depth reading of the character to the reader. In both stories the main character makes a decision to listen to another individual regarding whether they should do what they’re “supposed to.” Odysseus listens to Circe and does not fight the monster Scylla even though his identity is built off of winning fights. Similarly, Danny listens to Luke about why they bully Per-Erik and has his identity as a union kid thrust upon him. Both the decision to listen and the resulting decisions from their actions change the course of the story.
Odysseus’ decision to listen to Circe’s advice and not fight the monster Scylla even
Danny, a high school age boy meets a new swedish student named Per-Erik. When a Swedish company takes over a small town mill, Per-Erik and his family relocate from Sweden to Green Bay. Danny’s friends see Per-Erik as an embodiment of everything they hate. When the Swedish management lays off large numbers of union workers, Per Erik is the target of severe bullying. Danny’s angry friend Luke argues why they should hate the Swedish: “You don’t think so? What happens if they shut down the mill? This whole town folds. Or what happens if they fire all our guys and bring in a bunch of Swedish executives and Mexican workers? That’ll be cool, won’ t it?” (139) Danny denies that he accepts this reasoning but continues to go along with the bullying: “And I said it because I really didn’t have any choice. These were my friends. And Per-Erik Gustafs was a stranger. Or almost. ‘I’m with you. You know that.’” (149) Here Danny’s decision to accept his friends bullying, even as a bystander, reveals his guilt. Danny made this decision because of peer pressure to fit in at school, attempting to fit into a mold, much like Odysseus. Unlike Odysseus, Danny does not change, and makes decisions based on what he is “supposed to” do. He is just as responsible as his friends, which, in the end, is what he really wanted to be. He wanted to fit in, and now he does-which is evidently not a good thing.
The Odyssey and The Swede challenge each other in that the main character's decision to trust someone else’s advice on how to act based on who they are results in both positive and negative consequences. These decisions reveal more about the growth of the character and give an in depth reading into how they view their own