I think it's interesting that the story doesn't resolve with Odyssseus, but rather with Athena. It's odd that Odysseus isn't allowed to resolve this great act of violence against the suitors on his own. Athena simply steps in, commands them to stop fighting, then "handed down her pacts of peace between both sides for all the years to come." It's such a simple solution, and made me wonder why divine actions like this weren't taken against the suitors in the first place. Maybe Homer was ending the story on the recurring idea that the gods always have the final say in mortal matters.
I commented on Sydni's blog.
I thought this was a really interesting observation. I think that the sovereignty of the gods is definitely a major point. The influence of the gods in every situation is fascinating, especially because these gods aren't holy and perfect, they are imperfect, and always at odds with each other. But because of their major influence throughout the epic, it makes sense that they would end it.
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