Christopher Nolan’s epic modern retelling of The Odyssey has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. There are some people, however, who take issue with the film’s spin on the protagonist’s motivation and how it departs from the original ancient Greek version. Nolan presents an Odysseus shaped by trauma and his guilt over how his actions have violated the core values of his society. I found it an interesting modern approach, but I also would have been happy if the movie had stuck to the story’s roots and focused on the concept of nostos, or homecoming.
The desire to return home is
universally relatable, and a character motivation that rings as true today as
it did in Homer’s time. Think of The Wizard of Oz, which takes Dorothy
and her companions on a journey rife with hurdles and dangers. At the heart of it
all is the belief that there’s no place like home, and our heroine will never
stop striving to get there.
A pining for home underpins true
stories as well as fiction. That was underscored for me on a visit to Frank
Lloyd Wright’s Martin House in Buffalo, New York. Darwin Martin, the
millionaire businessman who commissioned the home, had a rough childhood
involving the death of his mother, family separation, financial struggles, and devastating
loneliness.
Fast forward a few decades and Darwin
is a Buffalo business titan building his dream house. According to the Martin
House docent, the early trauma surrounding his family situation motivated Darwin’s
dream of a perfect home, one where his scattered family could reunite, and an
idyllic haven for his wife and children.
So common and resonant is the
desire for home that I’m surprised I’ve never used it as a character motivation
in one of my own short stories. My characters want lots of different
things—revenge, money, justice, freedom--but none of those things have been in
the service of nostos.
It’s an interesting omission in my own writing, and one that I think it’s time to address. I’ll get right on it as soon as I get home.
Can you relate to the power of home?
