Omeros Theme of Suffering

It's telling that Omeros begins with Philoctete, the character who is pain. After all, suffering infuses this poem like the pain that radiates from his wound. Depending on the characters, wounds may be old, even ancient—like Plunkett's, Achille's, Philo's, Seven Seas's, and the narrator's—but they always make themselves known in the present and wreak havoc on the characters' lives. Even in situations where a character's pain is rooted in their ancestors' suffering, though, they aren't left in this empty and aching place. As Ma Kilman says at the end, "We all shall heal," despite the "piercing wounds" of history. Phew.

1. Does Walcott believe that suffering serves any particular purpose? Or do you think that affliction in this poem is simply part of the human condition?
2. What is the connection between poetry and struggle in Omeros?
3. At one point Walcott says, "affliction is on theme/of this work" (V.ii.28). How is this poem about affliction? Do you think it is the main concern of the poem, or is the central focus elsewhere?
4. Consider the female characters in Omeros. How is their suffering different from that of the male characters? Or is it similar?

Female suffering in Walcott's Omeros focuses on the failures of personal and familial relationships, while male suffering is concerned with issues of race and poverty. 

 Although Walcott is strongly concerned with suffering in his epic poem, he focuses primarily on how the characters cope, endure, and outlive the challenges of the past and present.