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Think Before You ActRevenge Falls Short of Justice

The concept of justice continues to challenge humanity as it has for centuries. The

questions regarding “What is fair?” and “What is right?” often leave us puzzled. Margaret

Atwood’s The Penelopiad, provides insight for to the reader about Penelope’s perspective of

Homer’s famous The Odyssey. Throughout the book, the maids use “The Chorus Line” chapters

to offer their viewpoints on injustice regarding the events that involving the maids that transpire

in The Odyssey. The maids poetically describe their unpleasant experiences, and convince the

reader that that characters like Penelope, Eurycleia, and Odysseus patronizes them. While the

maids work for revenge, they ultimately fail to achieve justice as demonstrated in their trial

against Odysseus, their ambush in Asphodel, and their overall envoi. As the maids will never be

recognized as equal to men, their retaliation against Odysseus falls short of justice, and instead

takes the shape of revenge.

Not only do the maids want justice or “fairness”, they want revenge for the loss of their

lives. In one of “The Chorus Line” chapter, The Trial of Odysseus, as Videotaped by the Maidss, Formatted: Font: Italic
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the maids create a hypothetical play involving about a trial against Odysseus regarding that

discusses their a raping incident. The maids are Rraped by thee suitors at a young age, the maids

experience cruel and unethical treatment throughout their lives in Ithaca.. In During the trial, the

judge dismisses the maids’ story and them states, “However, your client’s times were not our

times. Standards of behavior were different then… Therefore, I must dismiss the case” (Atwood

182). The judge fails to respond to their overall grievance of a lack of equality; instead, he

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condescendingly counters with a statement that speaks to the statute of limitations regarding their

complaint. The judges comment demeans the maids making them feel inferior—an emotion they

often experience throughout The Penelopiad. So often, the maids suffer from being overlooked.

Immediately after their dismissal, the maids clap back saying, “We demand justice! We demand

retribution! We call upon the angry ones” (Atwood 183). They proceed to call upon the furies for

revenge against Odysseus. “Be our defenders, we who had none in life! Smell out Odysseus

wherever he goes! From one place to another, from one life to another, whatever disguise he puts

on, whatever shape he may take… Let him never be at rest (Atwood 183)! The maids do not

necessarily want justice or “fairness”; they want revenge for the loss of their lives. Even then, the

extent of revenge goes only goes so far. Odysseus, always able to having an escape, has his

attorney for the defense , calls upon Athenahis biggest supporter to protect him from the furies.

“I call on grey-eyed Pallas Athene… to defend property rights and the right of a man to be the

master in his own house, and to spirit my client away in a cloud” (Atwood 184). Odysseus, once

again, has been saved by Athena who also foils the maids’ attempt to achieve justice. The maids’

attempt to achieve justice and revenge remains foiled by Athena, Odysseus’ protector.

Demonstrated throughout their lives in Ithaca, Odysseus continuously seems to get awayavoids

difficult situations safely and unharmed,, while the maids take the blame. Although the maids

attempt for revenge during the trial ultimately fails, they maids continue to work towards their

deep desire forof revenge and justice.

Despite their failedure of their attempt to call on the furies, the maids do not give up, but

instead take matters into their own hands by planning to follow Odysseus in his afterlife as he

roams the never-ending fields of Asphodel in his afterlife. The maids, aware that Athena They

hope to achieve revenge against him by following him wherever he goes; no one cannot protect

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him once he goes to the afterlife, take full advantage of the opportunity to harass him;.

PPenelope, Odysseus’ loyal wife, also has troublesdifficulty coping with the maids because .

tThey break the bond of love that connects her and her husband. “It’s the maids. He [Odysseus]

sees them in the distance heading our way. They make him nervous. They make him restless.

They cause him pain. They make him want to be anywhere and anyone else” (Atwood 189).

Although the maids do noty experience justiceconstant demeaning in Ithaca, they maids realize

that once they reach the in the aafterlife in Asphodel, they can constantly can finally get

revengeforce Odysseus life and into another. While the maids’ actions only represent partial

retribution against Odysseys, they can achieve more vengeance in the afterlife than they would in

Ithaca. Moreover, a life on Earth represents only a short period of time in the grand scheme of

the universe. However, once the afterlife is reached, time lasts forever. Odysseus may have hurt

the maids during their life in Ithaca, but once they reach Aasphodel, time became becomes

infinite. The maids decide to ambush Odysseus and follow him wherever he goes. However,

Odysseus always has an escape plan to foil from his dreadfulthe maids’ aftermath. Penelope

describes the concept of rebirth regarding Odysseus: “He’s been a French general, he’s been a

Mongolian invader, he’s been a tycoon in America, he’s been a film star, an inventor, an

advertising man. It’s always ended badly with a suicide or an accident, and then he’s back here

again” (Atwood 190). Odysseus possesses the ability to be can get himself rebornreborn and

move from from life to life. It is an escape from the maid-infvested fields of Asphodel. Like

when saved from the furies, Odysseus also possesses the ability to escape from the maids’ plan

of ambush. Although the maids they worked towards revenge, they the maids ultimately fail

because of Odysseus’ escapes to a new lifeplan.

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The maids recite an envoi at the end of The Penelopiad which gives the reader insight on

how the maids really feel in the world of Ithaca. In the envoi, they recite, “we had no voice. we

had no name. we had no choice. we had one face. we took the blame. It was not fair. but now

we’re here. we’re all here too. same as you” (Atwood 195). The maids explain that they’re were

portrayal ed as such minor characters in thea story that has so much more to itfailed to

demonstrate an ultimate victory for their equality. “The maids”, just a title for the many lives

lost, make it clear in the afterlife that they want revenge for having no name —and even no life

—in The Odyssey. The maids show themselves as equals to Odysseus when they say to him,

“We’re all here too. Same as you. And now we follow you, we find you now, we call to you”

(Atwood 195). The maids clearly believe that Odysseus took their lives in Ithaca; therefore, they

can take his life in the underworld. fight and will continue to do so for revenge in Asphodel. The

maids clearly have a mindset of “Odysseus took our lives in Ithaca; therefore, we can take his in

the underworld.” No matter how many lives he takes onembodies, the maids choose to follow

him wherever he goesstalk and ambush him. and never let him forget his mistake. The maidsy

desire to achieve justice and revenge, andrevenge and will never not stop fighting for the equality

they deserveuntil they obtain the equality they deserve.

All mistakes have consequences. In Odysseus’ case, he learns that just one mistake in

Ithaca can affect his afterlife in Asphodel. The single story of The Odyssey has so much more to

it than just a heroic, clever, man killing everyone he sees. Penelope, the maids, and the many

other characters portrayed in the famous epic have stories of their own. In other words,

Eeveryone has a story and an opinion, that matters, whichand why listening to all sides may

prove wise when seeking the truth i. s why no one you should ever listen to a single story, but,

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instead, seek the truth by listening to them all. Although the maids represent such minor

characters, their big rolels play part in debilitatinge Odysseus in the afterlife.

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BibliographyWorks Cited:

Atwood, Margaret, The Penelopiad. NY. O. W. Toad Ltd. 2005. Print.