"Beneath two bushy olives sprung from the same root, one olive wild, the other well-bred stock."- Book 5, p.167, line 527, The Odyssey
The constant reference to olives by Homer can be related in many different ways towards the importance of them in their culture. But this quote refers both to the olives as a Greek symbol and also as reference to the change for Odysseus from an uncivil life to finally reaching civilization. This turning point in Odysseus's life is no more apparent here then it is any were else in the text. Odysseus must feel here more than ever that he has finally over come what he has left. Even though his journey home is not yet complete, his new beginning must make it seem like a successful campaign thus far. Likewise, it is somewhat like arriving home (civilization), the olive, no better a symbol for a Greek man than this.
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