Family relationships have evolved in many places and improved enormously, but not for the whole world. In Homer's "The Odyssey", life is a journey full of pitfalls. Odysseus has been at war for ten years and now he spends ten years trying to get home. The journey has been long and fraught with trials, tribulations and obstacles. In “The Odyssey,” father and son spend most of their time apart and it is through distance that they have developed their admiration and love for each other. This essay therefore explains why family is important using the example of The Odyssey. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The role of family in “The Odyssey” is the reunification of the family, as Odysseus struggles to return home and join his wife and son. Social interaction is one of the main reasons family is important. Homer emphasizes descriptions of food and drink to celebrate the value of eating together as a family or group and the opportunity that provides people to engage, interact, and establish new friendships. Homer celebrates the joys of a traditional, healthy family life. This helps them understand why he is so eager to return home, preferring to go through all this trouble rather than stay with Calypso. As the text says: “I am at home, because I am he. I have endured adversity, but in my twentieth year I am down in my country. I find that you two, alone among my people, were impatiently awaiting my arrival. Prayers I have never heard, except yours, that I may return” (Ulysses; Book 21). Odysseus denies staying with Calypso, not only because he loves his wife Penelope, but also because he does not want to remain anonymous and lose his social identity. Ulysses is defined by his belonging to his family and by his relationships with people. Developing a sense of belonging to the home and surrounding community, he is prepared to go through hell until he is reunited with his wife and son. The first father-son bond is preformed by Poseidon and his son, Polyphemus. As the text says: “Hear me, O black-haired earth-girder, if indeed I am thine, and thou my father. Let there be no return home for this Odysseus, son of Laertes of Ithaca. But if it is expected that he must see his friends again in his stately home and his homeland, let it be late and miserably, on a foreign ship, having lost all his crews. And he finds trouble in the house” (Homer; Book 21). This shows how Polyphemus shouts angrily to his father. Not because the Cyclops is in danger, but because he needs to satisfy his feeling of revenge. His father, Poseidon, complies with his request and does everything in his power to make Polyphemus' wishes come true. Poseidon's feelings towards Odysseus change, due to the bad behavior shown towards Polyphemus. This shows the concern and love Poseidon has for his son. When Odysseus reveals himself to his son, Telemachus, the reaction of the two characters is extremely human. This monumental knowledge is a period of feeling and emotion for both Telemachus and his son. Both characters were there for each other despite trusting him with the rest of the community. Ulysses collapses at the sight of his son, As the text says “Then, throwing his arms around this marvel of a father, Telemachus began to cry. Salty tears gushed from the pits of nostalgia of both men, and screams burst forth from both men, as shrill and thrilling as those of the great clawed hawk, whose farmers’.