In her debut novel Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi explores the concept of home in terms of both family and community: whether specific characters must truly establish a sense of belonging belonging to a region, they must have not only the support of a powerful family network, but also a respected and rewarding position within society. According to this logic, a home can be both lost and. gained by laying or breaking the foundations of these Having grown up trapped in the institution of slavery, H never claimed the experience of a true home However, after reconnecting with Ethe and gaining the. respect from his community through his leadership within the union, he learns to define this concept Alternatively, although Kojo feels accepted in Baltimore as a man loved by his family and respected through his profession, the sudden loss of the former has; catalyzed the eventual destruction of this ideal. A similar theme can, however, be seen in Homer's The Odyssey. During Odysseus' twenty years of travel, he never considered his home lost: only temporarily removed. This dichotomy can be conceptualized through the lens of slavery, in which a home is so fleeting that it can be created or taken away at any moment. In contrast, Odysseus' position as an Ithacan king gives his status and his family a stability that leads him to an unshakable belief in their continued immutability. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an original essayFor most of his life, the institution of slavery prevented H from experiencing the kinds of family bonds and pride in a community that defines a true home. Still in his mother's womb when his mother was stolen from the streets of Baltimore, he never got to meet his father and siblings who eagerly awaited his birth. Furthermore, Anna "killed herself" rather than spend her entire life working on a plantation as someone else's property, with H having to be literally cut off "before she died" (Gyasi 165). Thus, the family network into which H was about to enter was torn from him by slavery from his birth. During his time on the plantation, H's slave status also prevented him from feeling the kind of pride in his work and community that is necessary to define a home. Although after the war he often dreamed of moving to a place where “a black man could make a living,” slavery once again hindered these ambitions by drawing him into the system of forced labor (Gyasi 162 ). Even after serving his sentence and attempting to reenter society, H remains permanently marked by “the evidence of a whip” on his back, unable to “return to the free world” (Gyasi 167). By depriving him of his family and his position in a community, slavery as an institution long prevented H from knowing a home. However, by reconnecting with Ethe and finding camaraderie and a voice within the Pratt City union, H is able to create the kind of home that was unfamiliar to him for most of his life. Knowing that his new job as a free miner is able to send money "into his own pocket" and that he "will never have to pick cotton or till the land again", marks the beginning of installation of H in a rewarding and stable position. (Gyasi 169). However, the memory of slavery reminds him that “a white man could still kill him for nothing,” thus preventing him from fully engaging with unions and the community (Gyasi 170). It is only when his desire to “valorize danger” pushes him to “express himselfmore at meetings,” even going so far as to risk his life for the benefit of the group through a strike, that he earns the kind of respect that ultimately promotes him. to the union leader (Gyasi 172). However, a respected place in society is only part of the battle, and H's desire for a "full life" that comes from having "his own children" prevents him from fully realizing the definition of a house (Gyasi 171). It is only after his reunion with Ethe and the birth of the daughter he so desired that H can truly settle down in Pratt City for the rest of his life. In this way, H's dual foundation, a new community and a new family, is able to create the home that slavery had stolen from him so many years ago. In contrast, Kojo initially claimed the kind of familial and societal ties that defined Baltimore as his home. Although his biological parents were captured when he was still a baby, Kojo was no stranger to feeling like he "belonged to someone," viewing Ma Aku as a mother (Gyasi 130). This love later extends to the family he creates with Anna, as evidenced by how the "smiles of his seven children with number eight on the way" are "all he ever wanted" (Gyasi 115). Aside from the people he cares about, Kojo also defines his home in terms of “the port, steel factories, railways” (Gyasi 112). He likes “the look of the boats,” likes “that his hands helped build and maintain them,” and takes great pride in his work on the docks (Gyasi 111). As “one of the best caulkers around,” he is respected not only by his colleagues, but also by the residents of the community in which he lives (Gyasi 117). This value he places on the network of people around him is clear given that even in the face of the threat of escaping slavery, he is resolved “never to leave Baltimore” (Gyasi 121). Through the combination of Ma Aku, his wife and children, and the profession he prides himself on, Kojo has found a home in this city. Tragically, this idyllic life is snatched away by the hand of slavery when Anna's disappearance tears the Kojo family apart. held so dear, tainting Baltimore with painful memories of her and ultimately leading to the death of her passion for the community. Upon news of Anna's kidnapping, Kojo does everything in his power to gather information about her whereabouts, but soon realizes that the racial discrimination he faces as a free man at the The era of slavery is a huge stone in its path. When he tries to approach a white woman with Anna's photo, his eyes begin to "widen with fear," without ever "taking a single glance at the photo" (Gyasi 127-128). Not only has the slave society stolen Kojo's family anchor, but they are also preventing him from finding it. After the loss of Anna, he gradually loses contact with his children, because they “could not bear to be together” because of painful memories (Gyasi 131). It is these same ever-present memories that also destroy the atmosphere of the very city he once loved. Even though he has become "one of the best ship caulkers the Chesapeake Bay area has ever seen," he can't bear to "see a boat again" for fear of seeing it again "all over Baltimore" (Gyasi 131). Even though Kojo's life seemed solid, slavery once again proved to be a thief of homes, as the loss of the foundation of his family pillar led to the collapse of him and the pillar of the community. On the other hand, Ulysses' royal status allows him to have a guarantee of immutability. of his home that H and Kojo never had: although away from Ithaca for twenty years, he remains confident in his.