Beginning of Essay
On the surface, and The Oddyssey are very different. The two protagonists, Bob Dubois and Odysseus, are as unalike as two men can be. Bob is an average man with an average life. He works for one man so that he can pay bills to others, trying to make what little m ....

Middle of Essay
.... as the touchstone of masculinity, Bob Dubois looks to the men in his life in his attempt to become a good man. Bob wants to become a mythical male, "handsome, of course, and sexy and good-humored; he’s not rich, not yet, {…} he’s kind and gentle, tender to women, children and animals, without being sentimental, however, because after all, he’s a "man’s man" as well; he’s a stern yet jocular father to his children, and he can take care of his wife too, can assume a custodial role in her life, honoring and attending to all her needs," (Banks, 133). Odysseus represents the benchmark in Bob’s quest to rise above the ....