so let's get past the obvious hang-up here. at surface level, it's Marlin who is the Odysseus of the story. he's the one who travels across the ocean, meets dozens of different creatures who either help or hinder him, and ultimately accomplishes his goal and restores order to his home. Marlin is the father, Nemo is the son; Odysseus is the father, Telemachus is the son. yeah yeah the Marlin-Odysseus parallel; we've all heard of it.
but I'm positing that it's actually Nemo who is Odysseus. I think there's a lot more to the characteristics of Odysseus and Telemachus than just "father on an epic adventure to reunite with son." this isn't a perfect analogy because Finding Nemo is not an official retelling of the Odyssey, but I think there's certainly enough similarities to make an argument. like Odysseus, Nemo is trying to return home and conquering his own hubris. like Telemachus, Marlin is searching for a loved one and conquering his own fears. Marlin's journey is driven by Nemo's absence and a call to action, while Nemo's struggle is caused by the consequences of his own actions. their journeys work in perfect tandem yet remain distinct.
let's start with the type of journey each character has. in the Odyssey, Telemachus undergoes a paideia (παιδεία), which is essentially a rite of passage journey in which a character is shaped (physically, mentally, ethically, etc.) into a well-rounded, responsible citizen. while Marlin certainly shares Odysseus' exhausting, episodic journey, his actual character arc takes him through paideia. at the beginning of Finding Nemo, it is Marlin, not Nemo, who is afraid of what lies beyond his control, uncertain in his own power of navigate his path and lead others. like Telemachus, Marlin goes through a process of journeying and searching for his lost loved one, and he emerges a confident, well-rounded leader who has set aside immaturity and taken his rightful place in the hierarchy of his society.
now let's look at Odysseus. his journey in the Odyssey is one of nostos (νόστος), which usually refers to an extensive maritime journey to return home, marked by trials and culminating in a homecoming. this is EXACTLY the journey Nemo goes through — even though he's stuck in one place, he goes through all manner of hijinks to escape the fishtank and get back home to his dad. Marlin's journey isn't one of homecoming, but Nemo's very much is. Nostos is also a reclamation of honor for the hero, and Nemo certainly redeems himself from the hubris that landed him in trouble. in the Odyssey, Odysseus' brags that he is greater than the gods' pride and hubris is what causes him to be cursed and barred from home. Nemo gets captured because he disobeys his dad and is too confident in swimming out to sea. he redeems his status as beloved son, proves his honor as a returning hero, and returns home worthy of the great tales everyone is telling about him (Marlin does this too btw, just like Telemachus).
consider some of the supporting characters. Dory serves as a companion to Marlin, one who accompanies him in his quest and eventually serves as an agent who reunites him with Nemo. in this way, Dory is the Eumaeus of Finding Nemo: someone who primarily is connected with Marlin (Telemachus) but is instrumental in the reunion between father and son. she also participates in the big fish-escape scene at the end, just as Eumaeus participates in the slaughter of the suitors. Dory's lack of memory in general is also a very cool parallel for the way Telemachus cannot remember Odysseus but goes searching for him anyway. she and Marlin combined form a complete Telemachus.
I don't think it's too much of a stretch to identify the Athena of the story as Nigel the pelican. he's the one link between Marlin and Nemo, and he (unlike the fish and sea creatures) can travel much faster and over farther distances than the fish can. he's got nearly godlike powers compared to them. Nigel is the one who gives Nemo advice, orchestrates the reunion between Nemo and Marlin, etc. however, Nigel actually physically moves Marlin from the ocean to the dentist's office, which is borderline supernatural intervention to a clownfish.
so let's compare that with Athena's role in the Odyssey. she's a goddess, and Odysseus is her favorite mortal. she advises him, orchestrates events in his favor (his adventure with the Phaeacians, for example), but she never physically manipulates him across time and space. who does she physically travel with, though? Telemachus! Athena is in disguise, but she brings literal supernatural intervention to get Telemachus to Sparta and Pylos. in summary, Athena (Nigel) is accompanying / traveling with / transporting Telemachus (Marlin) while she just advises and checks in with Odysseus (Nemo).
there are plenty of other character parallels too. if there's a Poseidon of the story, it's the dentist (P. Sherman), who is the cause of Nemo's (Odysseus') inability to return home. the Tank Gang (Gill, Bloat, Bubbles, etc.) function like Odysseus' crew — they accompany him for the majority of his attempts to return home, but they don't make it to the final stretch with him. all the creatures that Marlin encounters (the sharks, the moonfish, the sea turtles, etc.) serve in much the same function that characters like Nestor, Menelaus, and Helen do for Telemachus as they give him information and aid him in his journey to maturity.
the parallels are just too obvious to ignore. in the beginning, Marlin is secretly ridiculed by the other fish fathers in his home-reef; Telemachus is a stranger in his own home once the suitors arrive. Marlin refuses to give up on finding Nemo even when all hope seems lost; Telemachus searches for Odysseus even when everyone tells him that his father is long dead. Marlin grows in confidence and reputation like Telemachus; Nemo grows in humility and honor like Odysseus. the big fish-escape sequence at the end (which is the only thing I can compare to the defeat of the suitors in the Odyssey) represents Nemo taking charge as a leader and Marlin following his lead. the ending (where Marlin and Nemo return to the reef) is synonymous with the reestablishment of order upon Odysseus' re-institution as king of Ithaca. even Nemo's name literally means nobody.
so yeah Marlin may have the traditional adventures we associate with Odysseus, but I think Finding Nemo is far more interesting as an Odyssey retelling when you look at it through some seriously inverted roles. again, Finding Nemo isn't technically a retelling of the Odyssey, but the whole dual-journey-narrative-between-father-and-son is pretty gosh darn similar. I welcome all comments, questions, and attacks that this analysis brings
tags: @sunflowergardens-world @soychronicprocrastinator @blade-liger-4ever
