The Penelopiad Chapters xxvii–xxix Summary & Analysis

Chapters xxvii–xxix

Summary: Chapter xxvii. Home Life in Hades

Penelope gained a glimpse into the world of the living by using the eyes of someone who had gone into a trance. She is amazed by how the living still keep bothering the dead no matter how much time has passed. Though she finds most of the living very trivial, Penelope still keeps visiting, trying to track down Odysseus. Penelope explains how spirits can be reborn by first wiping the memories of their past lives, though this does not always work. Helen has made excursions to the world of the living, updating Penelope on modern life while also ruining the lives of men and bringing down empires. Penelope attempts to deflate Helen’s ego by saying people now believe that Helen was a myth and that the Trojan War was fought over trade routes. Helen encourages Penelope to stop her jealousy and says they should take a trip to Las Vegas, before reminding Penelope that she will always be a boring, faithful wife, staying at home. Penelope knows that Helen is right, as she would rather stick with the difficulties of her one life instead of finding brand new difficulties in another.

Meanwhile, Odysseus has been re-born several times, occasionally visiting with Penelope and telling her how glad he is to be home. The lives he has always end badly. When he sees the Maids in the distance, he disappears again. Penelope shouts at the Maids to leave him alone, but they say he has not earned their forgiveness.

Summary: Chapter xxviii. The Chorus Line: We’re Walking Behind You, A Love Song

The Maids cry out to Odysseus, whom they call names such as “Mr. Master of Illusion” and “Mr. Sleight of Hand.” They call themselves ones without names, with shame stuck to them. The Maids describe their faces and bodies and ask if Odysseus remembers them bringing him water and bathing him. He hanged them while feeling virtuous for getting rid of the girls he considered dirty. The Maids say he should have buried them properly and prayed for their forgiveness, and now he will never be able to get rid of them, whether he is alive or dead. They see through his disguises and can walk behind him wherever he goes. The Maids ask why Odysseus murdered them, saying it must have been out of spite. They then call out to him again, reminding him that they will never leave him.

Summary: Chapter xxix. Envoi

In the Maids’ final song, they say how they were voiceless and nameless and unfairly took the blame. They now follow Odysseus, calling to him, before turning into owls and flying away.

Analysis: Chapters xxvii–xxix

Penelope has spent her story arguing that she is not the model of a faithful, devoted wife as she is so often depicted. In the end, however, she seems closer to this version of herself than she would have believed at the beginning of her story. Much of Penelope’s time in the Underworld is spent looking for Odysseus and waiting for him to return to her, just as she spent her time in the world of the living. Penelope is even willing to admit that Helen is right that she is a faithful wife who would prefer to stay at home rather than go off and have her own adventures. Just as Penelope always blamed Helen for Odysseus’s absence during the Trojan War, Penelope now blames the Maids for keeping her and Odysseus apart. She sees their presence as what drives Odysseus away each time he comes back to the Underworld. Penelope’s attitude suggests she did not really feel the affection for the Maids that she proclaimed to have. Her feelings toward both Helen and the Maids show that Penelope makes scapegoats of other women instead of blaming her husband for his shortcomings.

Meanwhile, the Maids are exacting their own justice on Odysseus because there has been no justice for their deaths otherwise. Odysseus tries again and again to escape them, but cannot. The fact that each of his reborn lives ends with a terrible death suggests that the Maids are responsible for killing him again and again. They haunt him for eternity in retribution for not only murdering them but also for never feeling remorse over it. As Odysseus once justified his cold-blooded murder of the Maids, they can now justify their revenge on him in the afterlife. The Maids show Odysseus firsthand how cruel justice can be.

These final chapters solidify the importance of hearing a story from more than one perspective, especially with stories that are typically told by men. Though Penelope is the main narrator for much of the story, her perspective is checked by the insertion of the Maids’ points of view. Without the interjections of the chorus, Penelope may have been able to present herself as perfectly innocent. The Maids’ version of events reminds readers never to trust fully a singular perspective. By telling their story, the Maids were able to take some of the power they never had as women of the slave class. Except for Melantho of the Pretty Cheeks, none of the Maids were given names, showing how unimportant they were even to Penelope. Their story underscores that all people deserve to be honored and remembered. History and stories can be skewed when told from only one perspective, and dangers can arise when certain stories are left out.

Previous section Chapters xxv & xxvi Next section Full Book Summary