Of all the themes intertwined in The Odyssey, the one that stands out among the others is Odysseus's struggle to return to Ithaca. There are many reasons why Odysseus continually fights to return home. Ithaca is his native land; his roots are there and he is homesick for the country where he grew up. He also has a son in Ithaca, Telemachus, who has grown into a man without ever knowing his father. Odysseus also longs to return and continue ruling his people as king. Odysseus's strongest desire, however, seems to be to return to his wife, Penelope, who has remained in Ithaca awaiting his return for many years. Odysseus's desire to return to Penelope is so strong that the poem is in essence a journey to bring Odysseus back to a wife. Penelope is not the only woman that wants to be with Odysseus. On his journey he encounters other female characters, including the goddesses Circe and Calypso, and the princess Nausicaa. All of these women are willing to wed Odysseus. Until Odysseus has chosen a wife his journey is technically incomplete. Therefore the poem cannot end until this goal has been reached. By looking at the characterization of the women Odysseus encounters on his journey we can see that they serve as possible wives for Odysseus; in other words, possible endings to the poem, yet in the end he chooses Penelope because of the strength of their marriage.
             The first woman that Odysseus meets that could serve as a possible wife is Circe. Circe is a nymph who casts spells on her visitors, turning them into wild animals that guard her palace. When Odysseus and his men landed on her island, his men were turned into pigs. With some help from Hermes, Odysseus broke the spell. He became Circe's lover, remaining on her island for a year, forgetting their journey home and all that he had left behind in Ithaca. At this point in the story, Odysseus has found a partner. She is a goddess, which definitely m...