The first four chapters in The Odyssey are about Telemachus and Penelope, The son and wife of Odysseus, The main character in the story. Those chapters give Odysseus some background in the story. Otherwise, (if the story started with Odysseus), we would have no background on the story, and all we would know about him is that he was very far away from home and wanted to get back, but Zeus was against him for some reason. The first three chapters explain that Odysseus was a soldier in a war that took many lives and that the people of Ithaca suspect that Odysseus was killed in action.
These chapters also give Telemachus and Penelope's impression of what has been happening, as well as the impression of the suitors. About twenty suitors are trying to get Penelope to marry them (Penelope is rich, and someone needs to step in and take advantage of that wealth), which also shows that all the other people think that Odysseus is dead. The way the suitors had been acting, you probably would think that they didn’t care if he was alive and would probably try to marry her anyway, but the story makes it clear that Odysseus is a very kick-butt kind of guy, and you can probably imagine that he would be filled with rage if he came back to his home after twenty years and found that his house was filled with suitors that were trying to marry his wife.
No, the suitors wouldn't take that chance unless they were absolutely positive that Odysseus was dead. As a conclusion, it was wise for the author to start the first four chapters with Telemachus and Penelope’s view of things.
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