Thought Train to Pusan

Achilles: No wonder the sky is so gray today, bro. Patroclus: Why, bro? Achilles: Because all the blue is in your eyes. Patroclus: Bro. There are a number of different interpretations as to what the exact nature of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus was in Greek Mythology. I mean, we know that they loved each other. For real. But was it a brothers-in-arms kind of deal? Nah. It’s pretty widely accepted that they were in fact lovers. Yet Patroclus is often seen as little more than a side-character in the Illiad , despite the fact that his death has such an effect on the outcome of the war. And so, Madeline Miller chose to write The Song of Achilles from Patroclus’ point of view, which largely focuses on the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles. Patroclus is a great narrator for the tale, and you begin to feel for him even before he becomes entwined in the myth of the great hero, Achilles. Because how much do we hear about his life before the war in a...