Unpopular Opinion: Old Yeller had a Better Life than Argos

So after finishing the entire Odyssey, the character I felt for the most was surprisingly not the title character, but his dog. The main characters waiting at home for Odysseus are all exceedingly loyal (see Penelope, Telemachus) but Argos’s loyalty matters no less just because he’s an animal. Odysseus and Argos reunion was one of the most emotional for me, unspoiled by any kind of scheme. Penelope and Odysseus’s reunion was certainly dramatic, but there was too much scheming and distrust and need for proof that when it actually happened my thoughts were just “FINALLY….. Could have been more emotional.”

Speaking of emotion, meeting Argos is the first time Odysseus really shows emotion in Ithaca without being prompted by someone (Athena) that it’s ok to do so. When Odysseus sees Argos, weakly wagging his tail and on the verge of death, he literally sheds a few tears and has to try and straight face it to Eumaeus. During most of Odysseus’s time in Ithaca so far he’s been super stoic, sticking to the deceit, enduring the abuse, and honestly not showing as much emotion as I thought he would/should. The most charged moment it seems is his reunion with Telemachus. But even that is kinda spoiled, because Odysseus is in disguise, Telemachus doesn’t know who he his, and Odysseus has to make small talk until Athena allows him to reveal himself. Then they have a nice tearful father-son reunion for a while, but this too is marred by a quick switch to planning the death of 99 men. The transition is just too grizzly, and there was too much emotional holdback.

Odysseus also had to suppress his emotions when he sees Argos, but it was forced by the situation. Also, both parties reacted immediately in some manner, if not the one they wanted. Odysseus literally sheds a few involuntary tears when he sees his dog; when he sees his son, he just kinda stares at him. Holding back from Argos was the biggest tragedy for me because with humans there will be always be qualms in this situation (i.e. do I know you anymore) but there’s none of that with Argos. Here is the dog that Odysseus raised and trained since he was a puppy, lying neglected and nearly dead on the dung heap by his master’s palace. Odysseus can’t comfort his dog at all by scratching him on the ears or letting Argos lick his hand, etc. He just has to keep walking into the palace. At least with Telemachus Odysseus got to hug im and cry before they fought the suitors, and Odysseus got to talk with Penelope (in disguise) and encourage her that he was coming back.

The most frustratingly heart rending part of Argos’s situation for me was that after Odysseus has taken back his palace and “restored justice,” Argos gets none of the rewards. Fagles translation makes it sound as though Argos died basically immediately after he saw Odysseus had returned. So his only reward, after 20 years of waiting, is to see his master cry a little bit and walk on by. Fagle also doesn’t make clear if Odysseus saw Argos die or not….. So there’s this gaping hole if Argos died after Odysseus walked on, or if Odysseus watched him collapse and couldn’t do anything. Ultimate angst (no I’m not crying).

So I’ll finish rambling explication with my final inflammatory claim, is that Argos’s story is sadder than Old Yeller’s, our friend from the title. Old Yeller was happy for most of the story before he got shot, but Argos spent his life on that dung heap, waiting for Odysseus, and suffering.