In her debut novel Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi explores the concept of home as a function of both family and community: whether specific characters must truly establish a sense of 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 through making or breaking of the foundations of this dual pillars Growing 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 of his community through his leadership in the union, he learns to define this concept; Alternatively, although Kojo felt accepted in Baltimore as a man loved by his family and respected through his profession, the sudden loss of the former catalyzed the eventual destruction of this Odysseus ideal, however, over the course of During his twenty-year journey, he never considered his home lost: only temporarily removed. This dichotomy can be conceptualized through the lens of slavery, under which a home is so transitory that it can be made or taken away at any time. In contrast, Odysseus' position as king of Ithaca gives his status and his family a stability that drives his unshakable belief in their continued immutability. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayFor much of his life, the institution of slavery prevented H from experiencing the kinds of family ties and pride in a community that define a true home. Still in the womb, when her mother was kidnapped from the streets of Baltimore, she never got to meet her father and brothers who eagerly awaited her birth. Furthermore, Anna “killed herself” rather than spend her entire life working on a plantation owned by someone else, H having to be literally cut “from her belly before she died” (Gyasi 165). In this way, the family network that H was about to enter was torn away from him by slavery at 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 his community necessary to call home. Although after the war he often dreamed of moving to a place where “a black man could make a life,” slavery once again thwarted these ambitions by dragging him into the forced labor system (Gyasi 162). Even after serving his sentence and attempting to reenter society, H remains permanently scarred by the “proof of a whip” on his back, unable to “return to the free world” (Gyasi 167). By robbing him of his family and standing in the community, slavery as an institution long prevented H from knowing a home. However, after 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 unknown to him for much of his life. Knowing that his new job as a free miner is able to send money "into his own pockets" and that he will "never have to pick cotton or till the land again" marks the beginning of the process of stabilizing H in a rewarding position and stable. (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 the unions and community (Gyasi 170). It is only when his desire to “make the danger worth something” pushes him to become “more explicitduring meetings,” even risking his life for the good of the group through a strike, which garners the kind of respect that ultimately promotes him to union leader (Gyasi 172). However, a respected place in society is only part of the battle, and H's desire for the kind of "full life" that comes from having "children of his own" prevents him from fully realizing the definition of home (Gyasi 171). It is only after his reunion with Ethe and the birth of the daughter he longed for that H is able to truly settle in Pratt City for the rest of his life. In this way, H's dual founding of a newfound community and family is able to create the home that slavery took away from him so many years ago. In contrast, Kojo initially laid claim to the kind of familial and social connections that defined Baltimore as his home. Although his birth parents had been captured while he was still a child, Kojo was no stranger to the feeling of "belonging to someone", viewing Ma Aku as a mother (Gyasi 130). This love then extends to the family he creates with Anna, evident in how the “smiles of his seven children with number eight on the way” are “all he ever wanted” (Gyasi 115). In addition to the people dear to his heart, Kojo also defines his home in terms of “port, ironworks, railways” (Gyasi 112). He loves “the look of boats,” loves “the fact that his hands helped build and maintain them,” taking great pride in his work on the dock (Gyasi 111). As “one of the best caulkers around,” he is respected not only by his colleagues, but also by the locals who make up the community he lives in (Gyasi 117). This value he places on the network of people around him is clear as even when faced with the threat of the Fugitive Slave Law, he is determined to “never leave Baltimore” (Gyasi 121). Through the combination of Ma Aku, his wife and children, and the occupation he is proud of, Kojo has found a home in this city. Tragically, this idyllic life is taken away by slavery when Anna's disappearance tears the Kojo family apart. so dearly, tainting Baltimore with painful memories of her and ultimately leading to the death of her passion for the community. Upon hearing the news of Anna's kidnapping, Kojo does everything in his power to gather information on her whereabouts, but quickly realizes that the racial discrimination he faces as a free man during the slave era is a huge stone on his path. When he tries to approach a white woman with Anna's photo, his eyes begin to “widen in fear,” never “gaining a glance at the photo once” (Gyasi 127-128). The slave society not only stole the anchor from Kojo's family, but also prevented him from finding it again. After the loss of Anna, he slowly loses contact with his children, because they “could not bear to be together” due to the painful memories (Gyasi 131). It is these same pervasive 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 cannot bear to “look at a boat again” for fear of seeing it “everywhere in Baltimore” (Gyasi 131). Although Kojo's life seemed solid, slavery once again proved to be a home thief, as the loss of the foundation of his family pillar caused both it and the pillar of community to collapse. In contrast, Odysseus' king status affords him a guarantee of immutability. of his home that H and Kojo never had: despite having been away from Ithaca for twenty years, he remains confident in its preservation upon his return. For Odysseus, his home is defined similarly to that of the characters in Homegoing: both in terms of.