Ruthless Monsters

Hi! So happy to have been reading through discussions hear and get more people's POV! Forgive me it's been nearly 20 years since I read the odyssey, but here are my thoughts on Mr. Jalapeño's adaptation!

I really believe that in the end, all these lessons from the gods and monsters were necessary for Ody to prepare Ody for what was waiting for him and what he must do when he got back to Ithaca (the Suitors)

Had he not turned into a monster, his naive (rip Polites, I will carry you in my heart always) open arms approach would have got him and his son killed off by the suitors. A part of me is wondering if these gods and monsters are metaphors for how cruel and Ruthless people are when they have or have the chance of possessing power. (i commented this on yt but wanted to to see if you guys had thoughts or more references for this theory)