When Telemakhos gathers the assembly, it becomes clear that he is taking on the obligations he has thus far neglected. During the assembly, as well as many other times in the first books, Athena assists Telemakhos by making him seem more wise or graceful. This constant source of guidance becomes less visible as Telemakhos travels. While his transition from boy into man is somewhat gradual, the change is most apparent in Book Four while Telemakhos is speaking to Menelaos:"I came to hear what news you had of father. My house, my good estates are being ruined. Each day my mothers bullying suitors come enemies crowd our home I come to you for news of him who owned it" (4. 337-342). Telemakhos has made his long trip for one reason, which he makes very clear in the above passage. He wants news of his father, whether it is good or bad. Earlier in the poem, Telemakhos wished for any father at all, not necessarily Odysseus. In his journey, though, Telemakhos has learned more about Odysseus, strengthening a bond with his father that was virtually non-existent before his travels. The two passages quoted above show a dramatic shift in Telemakhos. His manner of speech is completely different; the second speech has an air of confidence that is not seen in the first. He thinks of his father very differently in the two passages entertaining fantasies of his return in the first, and entertaining the very reality of Odysseus" death in the second. In neither passage are material goods considered a priority lifting Telemakhos above the level of the greedy suitors. In Books One through Four of the Odyssey Telemakhos makes a very real transition from boy into man. There are many reasons for this change. The long absence of his father begins to take its toll on Telemakhos, and it becomes clear that the household Odysseus left behind is in dire need of a leader. Perhaps Telemakhos might not have begun this transition had Athena not arrived to encourage him.
