Archetype: the dog at the threshold

[Sobitha Jeyakanthakumar]

“There now appeared a common vagrant who used to beg in the
town of Ithaca and was notorious for his insatiable greed and
his ability to eat and drink all the time. He was a big fellow, yet
in spite of appearances he had no stamina or muscle. Arnaeus
was the name his lady mother had given him at his birth, but all
the young men nicknamed him Irus, as he ran errands for
anyone who asked. This was the man who now came along,
intent on chasing Odysseus from his own house. He began to
abuse him, and his words flew:
‘Get away from the porch, old man, or you’ll find yourself
dragged off by the foot. Can’t you see they’re all tipping me the
wink to haul you out – though I’m reluctant to? Get up now, or
you and I will soon come to blows.’
Odysseus of the nimble wits gave him a black look. ‘What’s
got into you?’ he replied, ‘I’m not doing or saying anything to
hurt you; I don’t grudge what anyone may give you, however
much it is. This threshold will hold us both and you shouldn’t
mind if people give me things since I take it you are tramp
myself and we are both dependent on the gods for a living.”
-The Odyssey, p. 239, lines 7-19

In the above excerpt, Odysseus has returned to his home disguised as a
beggar so that no one will notice him. Odysseus then proceeds to sit
on the front porch, acting like an ordinary beggar. This is when Irus,
a common vagrant, tries to persuade Odysseus to leave. This causes a
dispute to erupt between Odysseus and Irus, which Odysseus wins in the
end.

“The dog at the threshold” is an archetype that can be seen in this
excerpt. The “dog” refers to Odysseus when he returns to his home in
Ithaca because he is disguised as a beggar. This is because Athena had
advised Odysseus to go home in disguise, so that he could fool the
suitors and test the fidelity of his wife at the same time. A beggar
is generally referenced to someone who is impoverished and has to
resort to begging in order to live. Odysseus` disguise can also have a
literal meaning, because although he is not impoverished economically,
Odysseus has to beg and work hard to stay alive, which is similar to
the life of a beggar. For example, when Odysseus is trapped by
Calypso, he begs her to let him go so that he can go back to his
family. This can be similar to how a beggar begs for money so that he/
she can buy food and provide for his/her family. Odysseus also has to
conquer all the hardships that Poseidon sends towards him, such as the
rough waves and the rocky shore, which makes it hard for Odysseus to
reach land without hurting himself. This can be linked to how a beggar
has to overcome hardships such as not having a proper shelter and
having to endure extreme weather conditions in order to survive.

The “threshold” that is mentioned in the archetype refers to the porch
of Odysseus’ house. This is because when Odysseus first returns to
Ithaca, disguised as a beggar, he sits on the front porch of his
house, before Irus tries to chase him away from the house.