Kelly Mei, Period 1, 2/28/2024

Kelly Mei

Period 1

2/28/24

Modern Mythology 2024

Literature Circle - Modern Myths 

Title: Tragic Love

I’ve heard of The Song of Achilles from my peers. I saw one of my classmates bring the book with them to school and my teacher commenting on how good of a book that is. I see on my social media unintentionally about how tragically well-done The Song of Achilles, that it broke many people’s hearts from reading it. So, I thought to myself, what’s so good about this book? Well, I never really read many tragic romance novels, despite reading many romance webcomics, so I was in a new experience. I asked my friend who had just finished reading The Song of Achilles and she said that, like many people, it was great and provided me with the resources. All in all, this story was as what people said and I truly recommend it. Its romantic moments are sweet and loving and the development between the two leads wasn’t too fast and provides the reader with the content they need before crushing their feelings into a tragedy of a read. I will now be giving my reaction to reading this novel from chapters (1-16).

Chapter 1-8, Part I: 

In the beginning, it starts off before the narrator is born. Frankly, I was more interested in the story of the mother, like her reaction to being wed at the age of fourteen and her husband being uninterested in her. I noticed that there was no name that was given to the narrator nor the father, who was the king, which had confused me a bit but I eventually got used to it and even developed names of my own to help keep track of the characters. So, going off from the blurb provided for the book and with a bit of help from researching, I assumed the narrator’s name was Patroclus. What had caught my attention to this ‘Patroclus’ character was that he’s nothing special. He’s not special enough to garner attention from his father and from this, I believed that he developed an inferiority complex from this. This is further enforced when Patroclus and his father are seated at a game the father hosted. Then, there was another character we were introduced to: the son of King Peleus.

 I had a small smile when I read Patroclus’s thoughts on the son and how descriptive it was, showing how captivated he was when he watched him run. Then immediately that smile faded when I saw the parallels between the two: the son was embraced and loved by his father, Patroclus wasn’t given much. The son’s mother was rumored to be a goddess, his mother was seen as simple. Even Patroclus’s father had compared him to the son, degrading him in a way. I related to Patroclus in a way, comparing myself to others by seeing my misfortunes and seeing what they had, as well as relating to Patroclus’s relationship with his father as usually in an Asian home, comparisons to your peers are bound to happen, making you wish you were like them. So, in the first chapter, I’m curious if the son and Patroclus’s relationship will be branched out even more and if we see more characterization from the mother.

…

So, I was right about the narrator’s name being Patroclus! Anywhom, we open up to Patroclus’s potential marriage, with the daughter of King Tyndareus named Helen. Immediately, his father jumped at the opportunity, to gain glory to his name than to die with his untalented son bringing none to him. He wanted Patroclus to gain the King’s favor to allow him to marry Helen and I thought to myself, isn’t he too young for that? His age wasn’t specified in the chapter at this point but I assumed that he was still a child, even the king stated that he was still a man and thought that his father was coming to court Helen instead.  So, I found another parallel between Patroclus’s mother and him, how they were both put into marriage at a young age, only this time, Patroclus did not do enough to win Helen’s favor. 

Later in the story, Odysseus appears and he proposes that Helen should choose who she wants to marry rather than her father assessing who she’d marry. At that moment, I couldn’t help but bounce in joy at this little sentiment, she had a free choice! Because I knew in the past, girls would be forced into marriages from her father, not allowing her to decide how her future would be. So, I was happy that her father loved her enough for her to decide who she would want to marry and as we all could guess, it wasn’t Patroclus. I feel that the build up from that moment was obvious, we’re repeatedly pushed by the narrative from Patroclus’s father that he’s nothing special and because he isn’t special, his father had to speak for him in order to make him seem special enough. Even the rest of the suitors had seemed so much more glorious than he was and a soldier pitied him and his gift that they had to give him one! Though, there was a bit of suspense to Helen deciding (even though she immediately chose her suitor without hesitation) we knew that it wouldn’t be Patroclus, despite the glimmer of hope we had. 

This chapter reinforced what the relationship between Patroclus’s father and him is like, his father is disappointed in Patroclus’s potential and Patroclus just wished his father would give him some validation. Though speaking from experience, I hope it’s because Patroclus’s father genuinely loves him and wished that Patroclus would be better off in the future. I really hope that is the case. 

…

So, the chapter begins with poor Patroclus getting bullied by a noble’s son named Clysonymus. Clysonymus wanted to play with Patroclus’s dice, Patroclus didn’t let him and then Clysonymus insults him with his relationship as a disappointment to his father. I felt bad for Patroclus, it wasn’t like he was purposely untalented and that his father didn’t want anything to do with him unless he did something extraordinary. So, when Patroclus killed him, I felt like a proud parent, “yes, go stand up to him!” He was exiled for this action. So, what about Patroclus’s father genuinely wanting what’s best for his son? Dissipated. If he truly loved his son, he would have defended him and asked what had happened – he’s the king after all and should at least have some sort of authority. 

We’re welcomed to Phthia, the place that Patroclus will be fostered in during his exile. And, we meet the son of King Peleus: Achilles. An endearing moment was Patroclus admiring his growth from the past five years, then I remembered it was because he was traumatized from his father comparing him to Achilles, so it was why he remembered him after all those years. “That is what a prince should be,” ringing in his head. Anyways, the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is quite tense because of this, Achilles wants to make friends with him but Patroclus couldn’t help but recount his father’s disappointment to him.

I hope that later on in the chapters, Patroclus would see Achilles as his own person, rather than his opposite according to his father. 

…

We’re opened to Patroclus observing Achilles during meal time, saying meal time is the only time he gets to relax, saying how beautiful he is. He couldn’t help but be angry about how much better Achilles’s life is compared to himself. Later, we see Patroclus watching Achilles juggle some figs and Patroclus catching one of them. Then a line that I really liked was “I had loved fig, once.” It was a very sweet line after Patroclus being captivated by Achilles’ performance, being nostalgic of his own home and being put into that child-like wonder once again in his new home. We eventually meet King Peleus himself and he reminds Patroclus of why he is in Phthia – because he killed a boy. But, he welcomed him and I found this as a contrast to Patroclus’s father. His father was not very warm and was demanding of Patroclus with his high expectation as the son of a king. King Peleus reminds him of his purpose in a way of a father who’s patient in telling their child on what they had done wrong, treating him like his own person rather than just an heir who has to uphold expectations. He even comforts him, which I found endearing. 

Eventually, everyone started to hear about why Patroclus was now being fostered in Phthia: he killed a boy, gossiping about it. Patroclus started to skip out on his lessons and one day, Achilles went to find him. I also found this part sweet because it was like a storm for Patroclus, trying to fit into his new home and now having to deal with children talking behind his back and fearing him. Achilles approached him first on his own without any malicious intentions. To avoid getting in trouble for skipping his lessons, Achilles invites him to his lyre lesson. There, Patroclus is yet again, enchanted by his musical abilities. I also really liked “Your father is not here,” from Achilles, showing how much of an influence Patroclus’s father has on his own life. It shows that Achilles is trying to reach a hand, trying to break Patroclus free from his father’s expectations of him. 

I believe it’s safe to say that Patroclus is starting to grow an attachment and admiration towards Achilles rather than having a one sided discontent towards him. 

…

Now, Patroclus and Achilles are seeing King Peleus. Achilles tries to help Patroclus evade punishment by saying that he wanted him to be his Therapon. This is one of the turning points in the story as it solidifies the two’s bond together. The king even says that he tried to get many boys to be his companion and wondered why Achilles picked him too –  Patroclus wondering the same as his inferiority complex told him that he wasn’t anyone special, why him? 

There were many times in the story when Achilles and Patroclus had made eye contact, Patroclus looked away with a flushed face. It got me raising an eyebrow of how Patroclus actually felt about Achilles, maybe he was blushing because of how Achilles was treating him during his stay or his kindness, or maybe he’s just embarrassed to be caught staring at him? Later on, Achilles says that Patroclus will be sleeping in his room together and then Achilles teaches Patroclus how to juggle. We get another scene of Patroclus admiring how beautiful he is, which made me raise even more eyebrows, wondering the same question again. 

Then it may be me reading too much into the lines but Patroclus and Achilles go to his fighting drills together. It’s important for me to note that Achilles always did his drills alone because of the prophecy and since Patroclus is now accompanying him, it’s the first step to overcome the anxieties of the prophecy. We get another moment of Patroclus finding Achilles beautiful with his swordsmanship, even going to fight Achilles himself. Patroclus admits that Achilles is special and it caught me off guard, like I felt happy for the two of them and their development. He no longer feels extremely envious of him!

…

The chapter opens with Patroclus developing this indescribable feeling whenever he was spending time with Achilles, a feeling of fear yet also a feeling of freedom. Here, I realized that Achilles represents Patroclus’s true and raw nature, symbolizing his freedom from his father’s grasp despite him being punished to exile under his name. Achilles is someone Patroclus can talk to without a feeling of inferiority looming over him, not causing him to shy away and lock himself from the extended hand. Such as whenever they ran, Patroclus would always lose but he doesn’t let that negatively affect his view on Achilles, compared to their first interaction in Chapter 1 when Achilles won, he felt a surge of envy. Their friendship blooms because Achilles help him break free from the expectations of Patroclus’s father and that is a moment important to me because I too had a friend who I can confide in despite the pressure put on me as a first generation Asian American – I could feel like I can be myself rather than a student working their best to get the fullest mark. I had a friend who I didn’t feel the urge to compare my grades and status to, much like how Achilles and Patroclus’s friendship was like. 

The friendship developed to the point where Patroclus could admit why he was being fostered in Phthia. I thought that because of the gossiping from the other children in Chapter 4, Achilles would’ve known about it and confronted Patroclus about the truth. But, I interpreted that Achilles had wanted to hear it from Patroclus’s own mouth, putting his trust in him for telling the truth eventually because that is what a true friendship is: a relationship where you can communicate freely without feeling uncomfortable or the need to mask yourself. And, instead of fearing Patroclus like the other children, he stays and validates him and his feelings. I’d like to emphasize how healthy their friendship is. Patroclus felt like if Achilles became a god like his mother intended for him to, the distance between the two would enlarge as Patroclus is just a mortal who would die and Achilles would be undefeatable. He doesn’t want to lose their friendship that they had built up. The two laugh it off near the end, happy. I couldn’t help but feel that this is a sense of foreshadowing on how their fates will be, the two wouldn’t end up together in the end. I felt a sense of doom because of this. (Perhaps it’s because I’m being a pessimist about this.)

Though, because this novel is shown in Patroclus’s perspective, we don’t get to see much of Achilles’s thoughts and his perception of their friendship. Hopefully, deeper into the book, we get to see that. 

…

We’re met with Patroclus noticing the growth of the two as they reach the age of thirteen. Then, the two noticed that the boys in the palace were spending time with girls. I noticed myself how uninterested in girls Patroclus, such as his attitude from Chapter 2. Achilles’s father suggested for Achilles to sleep with a girl but he too was uninterested in her. The next few moments in the chapter are also very memorable to, as a person who solemnly reads romance novels. Patroclus asks about the girl and Achilles pushes him. Patroclus becomes flushed at this incident. It’s the little moments with Patroclus and Achilles sharing a physical closeness that gives me this warm feeling inside me.

At the beach, Achilles and Patroclus share a kiss. Achilles’s mother sees this and becomes angry, hastily getting Achilles to leave the palace so he could be mentored by Chiron. When the kiss happened, at first I didn’t register it but after rereading the chapter, it got me sitting at the edge of my chair, wanting to know more, wanting to know how Achilles felt but he left before I could interpret his reaction. I believed that this kiss was not an ordinary platonic kiss, but a kiss that showcased their bond to each other. If it were platonic, Achilles wouldn’t have run away and Patroclus wouldn’t have this sense of hurt for ‘ruining’ the relationship. 

When Achilles left, Patroclus ran to chase after him. He finally reunited with Achilles and met Chiron. Chiron was sent a message by Achilles’s mother to not let Patroclus see Achilles, but he allows them to be together. Here, we see Patroclus’s inferiority complex show but it hasn’t affected him too deeply, as he was asked a question of whether or not he was worth staying with Achilles and he, determined, wishes to stay regardless of his worth. I believe that this is a step towards his character development as well. 

Chapter 9-16, Part II: 

For the most of chapter 9, it was about Patroclus and Achilles’s journey through Chiron’s mentorship. How they learned was through opportunities, allowing the two to have hands-on experiences and learn from it. I found this to be different to what I’m used to in the ‘learning montage,’ as in books, they would usually information-dump to both the characters and the readers, leaving us to wonder what would the character actually take from this. One moment to note is when Thetis, Achilles’s mother, finally came to visit him and Chiron because of Patroclus’s intrusion. I was wondering why Patroclus didn’t want Chiron to find out about what had happened at the beach with the two kissing. I thought: wouldn’t it strengthen Patroclus’s reason to stay with Achilles even more because their bond is so strong?

That question is answered in the next chapter as it stated that a fear would be that Chiron would tell Achilles’s mother and father, especially what they have done in the cave. A moment I found absolutely adorable was when Achilles asked Patroclus to name a hero who had lived happily and Patroclus couldn’t name one. Then Achilles says that he’ll be the first because Patroclus was with him and I just found that moment to be very comforting because it solidifies how the two felt about each other and that it was mutual love. Then, Achilles is called back to his home.

The chapter starts off with Achilles and Patroclus back at King Peleus’s palace and what had both Patroclus and I confused was Thetis and King Peleus being in the same room because usually, as stated before in the book, Thetis doesn’t really show herself that often in front of people. It gave us both a sense of tension and suspense because we’re both wondering “what happened at Phthia that has both of them been present?” Once again, the question was answered with Helen, who we met at chapter 2, was abducted. Thetis wants Achilles to go on this journey, to which I assume was for glory. Since Thetis wants Achilles to become a god, or god-like, having fame and power like one in a hero’s journey was a start. Patroclus doesn’t want to go and I liked the part when Achilles says that he’ll go if Patroclus goes, just to show you how far they’ve come as a bond. I also do not have a very good feeling about how this is going to go, something tragic might happen that will separate the two apart. 

… 

Chapter 12 was a whole rollercoaster to me. Everytime I felt happy it was immediately crushed with disappointment. So, I was happy that Achilles would follow Patroclus at the end of Chapter 11 and then devastated when he was gone. I knew that Thetis was involved with the disappearance of Achilles since she never approved of Patroclus and his relationship, wanting the two to separate as she tried to when she had Chiron take Achilles under his wing. Then I felt relieved when Peleus finally admitted to where Achilles was and allowed Patroclus to go to him. There was a funny moment when Patroclus tells Princess Deidameia that he was looking for a ‘friend,’ making me raise an eyebrow thinking “just a friend?”

Later, Achilles comes in and says that Patroclus was his ‘husband’ and at first I was feeling smug as she was devastated that Achilles was unwilling to marry him. Then, I felt guilty because this was also part of Thetis’s doing, deceiving the princess to the two to bed each other. Immediately after announcing the pregnancy, I let out a groan, not because it was Achilles’s fault but because of Thetis’s action. At this point on, I realized that the antagonist in this story was his mother, trying to get between them and watching Achilles like a helicopter parent. Despite him being ‘free’ to do what he liked, he was never freed from his mother’s expectations, much like Patroclus struggled to break free from his father. Though with healthy communication like how strong their bond was, it was resolved. 

… 

I don’t have much to comment on for chapter 13 or 14, it was mostly about Patroclus and Deidameia and Deidameia wanting to know why Achilles had preferred Patroclus instead of her because he was so ‘normal.’ I noticed that Patroclus’s inferiority complex doesn’t show up here, especially when it comes to Achilles, mostly Deidameia mentioning to him how inferior he is compared to her which I thought was another step up to his characterization. I realized a bit too late that this would be the beginning of the Trojan War, as the Trojan War started when Helen was taken from Menelaus. So, it finally made sense to me when Odyesseus asked Patroclus if he wanted to join the army against Troy. 

…

The prophecy about Achilles being the greatest hero comes to bite him back again and it's in a war that he’s hesitant to go in. If I was Achilles I would be uncomfortable from someone telling me what my fate is exactly, like how Odysseus is saying that the prophecy could possibly be about fighting in the Trojan War. Though in Greek Myth, he does end up being a hero, I would still, regardless, be uncomfortable. I found the moment to be precious when Achilles finally says yes to fighting in the Trojan War, he asks Patroclus and Patroclus immediately says yes. Patroclus and Achilles had always been through a journey together, from their journey with Chiron and their journey at Scyros. They would follow each other through death, especially when Achilles’s death in the war is certain. 

I hope that the two will share their final thoughts to each other, confess everything before Achilles’s death. I also hope that Patroclus follows him. 

…

This next chapter is about Achilles and Patroclus preparing for the Trojan War. It made me smile when Achilles’s last wishes to his mother was for her to protect Patroclus because the two never got along – Thetis always believed that Patroclus was not worth being Achilles’s, her son, the son of a goddess, companion. And I realized it was out of love. I tried to see this in Patroclus’s father, his toughness possibly equating to love but being wrong in the end, but Thetis loves Achilles. Thetis wants what is best for her son, she wants him to be god-like, so she has a centaur train him. She wants him to be happy, so she lets him be free with what he had wanted to do like lyre lessons. She wants him to succeed as a hero, why she wanted him to participate in the war but realized that he was too young so she hid him. All of what she was doing wasn’t to discriminate against Patroclus, but out of love. Yes, she was controlling who was ‘worthy’ to interact with him, but what she did was because of the love for her own child – even to go to respect his wishes when he died. This is contrasting to Patroclus’s father which I compared again and again, Patroclus’s father didn’t defend him when he killed a boy for bullying him (though murder is inexcusable, he had still punished him without hearing him out) and he always belittled him for being so ‘ordinary.’ Patroclus’s father hates normal, he wants pride and glory and he can’t get that from normal. Thetis doesn’t want normal from Achilles and doesn’t compare him to other children. 

As the story progresses, we still see Achilles’s thoughts and perspective on the whole ordeal, but I can develop a character from him. Achilles is very trusting to the point of fault, such as trusting his mother to tell Patroclus where he was at Scyros if he slept with Deidameia. He is also honest, various times in the novel when presented with a problem, Achilles would always say to tell the truth and try to resolve the situation without any lying involved. He is also kind as he was the first to welcome Patroclus and try to help him integrate into Phthia. I believe that as he goes into the war, however, his personality will change as being kind hearted will not help him survive. Patroclus himself goes through his own character arc, as he goes from a quiet child who feels inferior to everyone and everyone treats him smaller than them to a kind yet strong headed character who does what he believes in. He’s stubborn and will follow wherever Achilles goes.

All in all, I hope we get to see more of Achilles’s character in the future and that Thetis’s feelings for Patroclus changes so that she would approve them together despite their ending being fated to be tragic.