Imagine leaving your wealth, your home, your family, and even your country behind for twenty years. While you are away, people will inevitably try to steal your possessions, seduce your spouse, and act as if you will never return. Most likely, more people will try to harm your assets than will continue to work and behave honestly. This notion is true in Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. While Odysseus wages war and struggles to return to Ithaca, a multitude of suitors court his wife and live off her estate. On the other hand, some people like Eumaios remain steadfast to the truth and work to maintain Odysseus' properties and possessions. Eumaios, Odysseus' swineherd, embodies compassion, love and loyalty. Throughout the poem, Homer portrays Eumaios as a compassionate character. Compassion, derived from the Greek word sympatheia and the Latin term compassio, means to feel the suffering of another person. Essentially, Eumaios puts himself in the shoes of the unfortunate characters he encounters. To begin with, when the beggar Odysseus arrives at the swineherd's house, Eumaios tells him: “Come to the hut. You're a wanderer too. / You must eat something, drink some wine” (14.53-4). At this point Eumaios does not know the true identity of the “tramp”. He thinks the person simply needs his assistance. Not even knowing the person's past, Eumaios benevolently invites the stranger to his home to give him food and shelter. In this same book, when the beggar Odysseus goes to sleep, “His host threw over him / a heavy blanket, his reserve / against the winter wind” (616-8). Eumaios simply considers the needs and comfort of his host more than those of his own, as he thoughtfully places his cloak on the Ody......center of the card......during this critical moment. Lloyd Banks once observed, “I take such things as honor and loyalty seriously. It's more important to me than anything materialistic or any fame I might have. Eumaio truly lives his life with these words. During Odysseus' two decades of absence, Eumaios chooses to be one of the few people to remain faithful to Odysseus. When all the other men chase Penelope and worry about obtaining riches, Eumaios acts as if Odysseus is still in Ithaca. She openly despises the suitors and ultimately helps destroy them when Odysseus returns. Eumaios does not care about wealth and possessions. Instead, he follows his heart, which includes continuing the work he was entrusted with, helping those in need, and standing up for what he believes in. Works Cited Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York, NY: Anchor, 1963. Print.