Odysseus' son Telemachus was a small child when his father left for the Trojan War. At the beginning of The Odyssey Telemachus is an inexperienced, unhappy, and helpless young man. We see this in Book One when he says to Athena "Mother says I am his son; I know not surely...I wish at least I had some happy man as father..." (p. 8) Telemachus has grown immature because he has been raised without a father figure. His travels in search of his father will help him to mature, as we will see throughout his journey.

Telemachus also grew up in very tough situation because he was raised without a father. His mother had to raise him with only the "help" of selfish and arrogant suitors. As we know the suitors were not a good influence on Telemachus because to them, Odysseus was only a fictional hero. There are...