Everyone encounters situations that they must learn and grow from in their lives. In The Odyssey, Odysseus has to learn from his mistakes, and then apply these lessons to succeed in his life. The only way to be successful is to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. In the Odyssey, Odysseus learns many lessons, all in preparation for his final victory over his enemies. However, Odysseus must avoid spending idle time that does not bring him any closer to his final goal. Odysseus must push through these stages of stagnation and then eventual victory through application of knowledge for the story to be brought to its end.

When we first see Odysseus, he is trapped in a stagnant state of life. He is trapped on the island of Ogygia. There, he is imprisoned by the beautiful nymph, Calypso. At this point in the story, Odysseus...