Mythology in relation to Zorba the GreekUnderstanding the
mythological undertones in Zorba the Greek is crucial to developing
a more profound understanding of the novel Zorba the Greek and the
Greek culture that is displayed in the novel. It can be noted that
Greek Mythology plays a significant role in Greek history and has
largely affected the society the has developed there until this
day.
Crete has played a reoccurring role in Greek mythology from the
very beginning of Zeus who was said to be born there on the top of
a mountain to escape the wrath of his father Cronus. So without
Crete where would mythology be today?
How do you think mythologys role in Crete have an effect on the
people that live there (specifically through the characters in the
novel)?
Understanding Zeus correlates strongly to understanding Zorbas
character. It can be seen that Zorba derives his views on women
through his misinterpretation of the motives Zeus had when he took
many lovers.
How does Zeus evolve Zorbas view of a patriarchal society?
Zeus continued Zorba uses Zeus to justify his views that women
are inferior beings in comparison to men. Greek culture emphasized
keeping a closely knit family, the head of the household was the
father and he was required to strictly control family affairs.
Patriarchal Society:
Questions to Discuss In what ways does mythology lay basis for a
patriarchal society? How can the characters in Zorba the Greek be
reflections of the Gods? Why do you think people still reference
mythology when describing the history of Greece even if
Christianity has dispelled these myths?
Questions to Discuss In what ways may someone who is Greek have
different opinions on religion because of mythology?
NarratorThe goddess Athena is often said to represent Wisdom and
Civilization. It can be seen that the narrator falls heavily into
this category because he is constantly keeping his composure,
controlling his emotions, and contemplating every idea. The Greek
gods often represent the far extremes of certain characteristics
found in humans, just as the narrator and Zorba also represent the
same extremes.
The WidowThe Widow in the book represents temptation and
seduction. For this reason the other villagers despise her, the
women because they know their husbands desire her. The men because
they cant control their desire and it makes them feel
powerless.
This can be seen directly in the goddess Aphrodite who plays
with men's hearts with her beauty without ever giving her heart
away to any of them. She uses her beauty as a symbol of feminine
power.
Prometheus On page 5 of Zorba the Greek a reference is made to
Prometheus. When the narrator thinks about the land of the east,
synonymous with his thoughts, is the history of mythology almost as
if the land and mythology are two things that go hand in hand
Enlightenment Prometheus was a Greek God who took pity on the
humans on earth, he watched them suffer in despair as they were
little but toys for the gods game. He decided to steal fire from
Zeus and give it to the humans to help them form a sense of life.
To pay for his crimes Prometheus was strapped to a rock and has his
liver repeatedly eaten out every day. In this sense when humans
received fire it represented the beginning of knowledge and
enlightenment. Wisdom and knowledge of the world is an important
theme in the novel as the Narrator constantly strives to find a
balance of knowing versus being ignorant. This leads to the
establishment of PHILOSOPHERS